Mike is a songwriter, performer and composer. He's on the blog to talk about building a career in music and earning money as a musician. I think it's fascinating to hear from someone who has experienced both the 'old' industry and the digital age.
Life as a Full-Time Musician: Q&A with M L Dunn
Lindsey is an artist development and business consultant. She has a wealth of knowledge, having worked with signed and unsigned musicians. I spoke with Lindsey about her full-time music career, and how YOU can get there too.
Life as a Full-Time Musician: Q&A with Lindsey Kirkendall
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This post is about the songwriting challenge I took part in this month. I share my entry 'Loud and Seventeen' and take you behind the scenes of the writing process.
June Songwriting Challenge 2019
Patreon is a crowd funding platform where supporters donate either per month or per creation. It's like Kickstarter, but fans support you long-term, rather than to fund a specific project.
When Patreon emerged, it was widely advised that indie creatives join. My gut feeling was it wasn't right for me, but I ignored this.
Why I Left Patreon, And Why I'm Back
Songbay is an online platform for buying and selling original music and lyrics. We're going to explore this in detail.
Songbay: Is It Worth It? An Honest Review (#spon)
In 2014, singer-songwriter Shawnee Kilgore raised $10,000 on Kickstarter. This enabled her to make her album, A Long and Precious Road. In 2018, she raised $25,000 in 30 days for her next album.
How to Run a Successful Crowd Funding Campaign: Q&A with Shawnee Kilgore
I'm a horror fanatic! Finding (decent) horror movies I haven't seen is an endless struggle. Needless to say, I also live for horror fiction.
Bookworms! Discover My Top 3 Horror Picks...
If procrastination were my profession, I'd be a billionaire. I don't want this to be the case, so I'm taking time management seriously.
I struggle to implement most time management tips I read about. I don't like routine. @mojosarmy put it perfectly in a Twitter chat: "I hate being micromanaged, even if I'm the one doing the micromanaging!"
Six Productivity Hacks... For People Who Suck at Time Management!
In the US, the music industry thrives in Nashville and LA. In the UK, it's London (and to a lesser extent, Brighton and Bristol.) Although vibrant music scenes exist outside these cities, it can be argued you're at a disadvantage being based elsewhere.
Five Ways to Grow Your Music Career... Even if You Don't Live in London, LA or Nashville
I have always worked as a lyricist (writing lyrics for other songwriters) but until recently, I also had another business. In April, I made the decision to close the second business. This was mainly because I wasn’t happy anymore. I also wanted to focus more time on my music related work.
Since making this decision, I’ve experienced severe self-doubt.
6 Ways to Conquer Self-Doubt
I am naturally shy. I’m never the life of the party, and I find it difficult to speak out in big groups, especially when among outgoing characters. I’ve also been self-employed for many years.
I'm constantly told I’m not outwardly confident enough to be successful in the business world, a place where I regularly need to attend meetings and networking events to create sales.
Why You Don't Have to be Lucious Lyon to Build an Empire...
The inspiration for this article came from Rorie Kelly’s (@roriekelly) 2016 post on what musicians can learn from Pokémon Go. I’ve never played Pokémon Go. For me, a game is for relaxing at home in your pyjamas. I don’t see the point – not if it involves actually going outside!
This is why I love Sims FreePlay. Like Pokémon Go, it’s a mobile app. The aim is to put your sims through hard labour to build a town – completing quests and enjoying their relationship drama along the way.
Five Ways Creatives Can Learn From The Sims FreePlay...
I'm often asked if I work for royalties-only. The answer is no for many reasons. I'm sharing these reasons in this year's Halloween post.
Working for "Royalties-Only" - Why That's a Scary Thought
Mella works as a session vocalist, and is also an artist herself. She's on the blog to talk about her journey into full-time musicianship, and the realities of this. Let's jump right in!
Life as a Full-Time Musician: Q&A with Mella Barnes
As someone who loves reading and writing, I've dreamed of speaking another language. Unfortunately, this wasn't a priority for me as a young teenager, so I dropped French at school.
I regretted this when I started working as a lyricist. I've wanted to write lyrics in a second language for a long time. Last year, I took the plunge and started learning...
How I Started Learning a New Language...
I liked Netflix's Santa Clarita Diet so much I watched it twice.
The series follows Shelia, played by Drew Barrymore, and her family after she becomes undead.
Here are six ways we can apply Shelia's journey to our own lives...
6 Things We Can Learn From Santa Clarita Diet...
I recently finished The Vampire Diaries on Netflix. Readers liked 5 Things We Can Learn From The Sims FreePlay, so I'm writing similar posts this year. Starting with this one.
6 Things We Can Learn From The Vampire Diaries...
I have always pursued music as more than a hobby. Through this blog, I aim to help others build a sustainable income. Danelle Harvey, music business coach and author, shares this goal.
In this post, I'm talking about her best-selling book, Music & Money. If you aspire to be a pro-musician, you'd probably benefit from her insights.
Music & Money: Being a Full-Time Musician...
Something strange happened last week. I was reading my novel. I wasn't thinking about work, but the book made me question my business mind-set.
Here's an extract from By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz...
A Powerful Change YOU Can Make Today...
Nothing brings me more joy than a good book. I love escaping into the world of the characters, and asking myself what I would do in their position.
I know many songwriters who love books but feel guilty reading. They worry they're neglecting important tasks and passions.
3 Reasons NOT to Feel Guilty for Reading... (with book recommendations)
The great thing about the Internet and social media is the opportunity to meet other musicians. Nothing celebrates this more than the songwriting challenge I've been part of this month.
Pop singer-songwriter Natalie Lucie (@natalie_lucie on Twitter) came up with the idea. The challenge was to write a song in June, with a journey/in transit as the theme.
Summer Songwriting Challenge...
This blog post is a Q&A with my client (and now friend) M L Dunn. Mike is a composer and songwriter. We collaborated on two songs, Dear Beloved Demon and Knuckles.
I chatted with Mike about the collaboration process…
Collaboration Conversations #1: M L Dunn
There is something we can all agree on. Copyright law - and knowing how to protect your work - gives many musicians a headache! But it’s okay…
I am swooping in (wearing my proverbial cape with an S on the front.) But I can’t take much credit. The wealth of knowledge in this article comes from my two expert guests. I spoke to lawyer and musician Michael McLaughlin (@halfdogmusic), and indie biz coach Don Harrison (@realDCHarrison.)