by Francesca | Nov 30, 2023 | Spotlights and Clients
What do you get a musician who has everything? A Spotify Premium subscription won’t cut it, they already have that… Headphones? They definitely have that… Not to worry, we’ve come up with some options that are sure to impress this holiday season. Here’s the rundown…
15 Unique Gifts for Musicians
Orba Handheld Multi-Instrument
The Orba Handheld Multi-Instrument is a handheld synth, looper, and MIDI controller that lets you loop Drum, Bass, Chord, and Lead parts to create songs on the go, no matter where you are. Whether you want to use the built-in speaker or hook it up to your favorite headphones, anyone can create on the go with this badass, mini music maker. // Available on Amazon right here. 🎁
Pocket DJ Mixer
Got a DJ in your life who wishes they could bring the party wherever they go? No problem. With this Pocket DJ Mixer, they can turn their phone into a powerful, portable, party-making machine anytime, anywhere. // Available on uncommongoods.com 🎁
Vertical Vinyl Record Player (with Bluetooth)
For those who collect records with cool artwork, I know you wish you could showcase those amazing designs a little more often. With this vertical record player, your favorite records are on full display. Not to mention this is way cooler than your traditional record player. And how does it sound? “Amazing, because a precision Audio Technica needle delivers the warm bass and rich ranges that made you love vinyl in the first place.” states the product description. When you want to stream music instead of spin it, you can also utilize its modern Bluetooth feature with ease. // Buy it right here. 🎁
Lightbulbs That Change With Music
Sure, they probably already have their home decorated to the nines with cool music decor… but do they have lightbulbs that change color with the beat of the music? This one is pretty common, but if they don’t already have these you’ll blow their minds with these lights. // Available on Amazon here. 🎁
Otamatone
An Otamatone is a synthesizer that’s shaped like an eighth note (it also somewhat resembles a tadpole, or a ladle (otamajakushi being Japanese for tadpole and ladle), with sound emerging from the “mouth”. All you have to do is squeeze the head and control the pitch by the stem piece. (Higher up on the stem equals lower sound, and vice versa.) It may not help the musician in your life create any amazing songs to top charts with, but it sure is fun to play with. // Buy it on Amazon right here. 🎁
Customized Spinning Record Shot Tray
This is an up cycled shot glass holder that spins… Need I say more? You can even personalize the label with your own record title, subtitle, and five songs of your choice. For any musicians in your life turning 21 (or just your fun rocker uncle who likes to drink), this is a fun gift that never gets old. // Available on uncommongoods.com 🎁
Turntable Cheese Board
Pay homage to vinyl with this turntable-inspired cheese board featuring a slate platter and hidden slicer. This gift bound to make every jaw drop at the holiday party. If you don’t buy it, I definitely will… // Available on uncommon goods.com 🎁
Masterclass Subscription
Masterclass is an amazing subscription for any creative in your life. From artists to musicians and everyone in-between, Masterclass offers classes from the best teachers in the world. A-list celebrities, some of the greatest musicians of all time, and artists from all over the world come together to teach personalized classes on a wide variety of topics.
On it, you can learn about producing and beat making from Timbaland. Deadmau5 teaches electronic music production. Ringo Starr teaches drumming and creative collaboration. You can even dive into the soul of guitar with Carlos Santana. And that’s just a few of the people they have to offer… // Check it out on Masterclass.com. (Thank me later.) 🎁
Eargasm High Fidelity Earplugs
If you’re stubborn like me, you’ve been in denial about the damage loud music has been doing to your ears for years. Now, there’s really no excuse with earplugs like these. They filter out the damaging sound waves and leave you still able to hear, not only the music, but even conversations with your neighbor, just fine. // Get them on Amazon here. 🎁
Shower Speaker
Most of us already have a bluetooth speaker that we love and cherish. Musicians baby our speakers like a newborn, so we’re probably not taking it into the shower with us. (No matter how bad we want to…) No problem! This speaker is made for those shower singalongs. Not only is it waterproof, but it has a suction cup on the back for easy suction to the wall of your shower. // Available on Amazon right here. 🎁
Guitar Pick Hole Punch
Give a guitar player a pick, and they’ll play for a day. Give them a guitar pick hole punch, and well… you get it. Give the gift of infinite guitar picks made from whatever their heart desires with this Guitar Pick Hole Punch. // Available on Amazon here. 🎁
“This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession”
This one’s a no brainer… Give the gift of knowledge with this masterful work of art written by Daniel J. Levitin. “This Is Your Brain On Music” is a groundbreaking union of art and science. Rocker-turned-neuroscientist, Daniel J. Levitin, explores the connection between music—its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it—and the human brain. // Available on Amazon.com… 🎁
Vinyl Record Coasters
Protect your table from rings and your drinks from slipping with these trendy vinyl coasters. These are the perfect gift for any music lover in need not some simple yet practical home decor. // Available on Amazon.com…. 🎁
DIY Synth Kit
Perfect for the DIY DJ in your life, this kit lets you construct three different mini-synths, adding awesome dimension to electronic music! // Available on uncommongoods.com 🎁
Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator (PO-33 K.O!)
This baby is #1 on my wish list this year. It’s a powerful micro sampler, synthesizer & sequencer, all packed into a small and ultra-portable design. With studio quality sound, play chromatic melodies and drum sounds, sequence it all and add effects on top to create something truly original. // Buy it on their website here. 🎁
by Francesca | Nov 23, 2023 | Legal, Music Industry
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, the importance of protecting your creative works, particularly your music, has never been more prevalent. With the rise of online sharing and distribution, creators face new challenges in safeguarding their intellectual property. Luckily, our friends over at Cosynd have some tips to help you combat infringement effectively, including utilizing the new Copyright Claims Board. Here’s what you can do…
What To Do If Your Music Gets Stolen or Misused
Register Your Copyright
The first and most fundamental step in protecting your music is registering your copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. This legal action establishes your ownership and strengthens your position in the event of infringement. In fact, you cannot legally enforce your rights as the owner without a registration in hand.
Monitor Your Content
Regularly track the use of your music online. Utilize digital tools and services to identify any unauthorized sharing or use. This proactive approach will help you identify potential violations promptly.
Issue Takedown Notices
If you come across instances of unauthorized use, issue Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices to the hosting platforms. This action prompts them to remove the infringing content.
Take Legal Action
If you find your work is intentionally reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without your permission, you can pursue legal action.
Note: New regulations mandate that you must have an official registration with the U.S. Copyright Office before you can file a lawsuit. Other types of registrations or mailing your music to yourself are not alternative precautions. Early registration can grant you a large payout — up to $150,000 per infringement PLUS your legal fees, but only if you register before your music is stolen or misused.
Get Justice Without Breaking the Bank
We understand that Federal Court isn’t always an affordable option. Excitingly, the new Copyright Claims Board (CCB) offers an accessible path to address infringements without excessive costs or the requirement to hire an attorney. The CCB operates independently of the courts and provides a streamlined process for resolving disputes of up to $15,000 per work and $30,000 per case.
This alternative to federal courts is designed to empower creators and copyright holders, offering a more accessible and less complex way to navigate disputes. Through its electronic filing and case management system, the eCCB platform, the CCB is equipped to handle three key types of copyright disputes, spanning copyright infringement, declaration of noninfringement claims, and disputes regarding misrepresentations in DMCA notices.
Engage Legal Assistance
In more complex cases, consulting legal professionals with expertise in intellectual property can be invaluable. They can guide you through legal proceedings and ensure that your rights are adequately protected.
By taking these steps, you not only safeguard your music but also uphold the value of your creative efforts.
Good luck!
by Francesca | Nov 23, 2023 | Music Industry, Music Marketing
After all the blood, sweat and tears it took to finally get your new music out into the world, it’s finally time to get as many people to listen to it as possible! From the technical stuff like registering with PROs to the fun stuff like social media promo, here are some of the most important things every musician should be doing after their release goes live. Let’s dive in…
What To Do After Making Your Music Available Online
Register with a PRO
To make sure you receive the royalties you’re rightfully owed, your songs need to be properly registered with either ASCAP, SESAC or BMI. Sadly, we can’t do this for you. Only you as the writer can affiliate with a PRO.
If your music is being distributed, performed worldwide, and you don’t have a publishing deal, your royalties are sitting in collection societies around the world waiting to be claimed by you. If you don’t register in time to collect your royalties, the collection societies will retain the royalties and you will miss out on that additional revenue. That’s why we created our publishing administration service to help you get through this process as easily as possible.
Register with SoundExchange
SoundExchange has paid out more than $7 BILLION in royalties to date. They are the sole organization designated by the U.S. Congress to collect and distribute digital performance royalties for sound recordings. They’re the ones who collect these digital performance rights from non-interactive music streaming on internet sources like SiriusXM and Pandora.
Sign Up for Lyric Distribution
Some distributors have partnerships for lyrics distribution and submission for example: Apple Music, Musixmatch, and LyricFind. With these partnerships, you’re able to streamline and expedite the submission process for faster turnarounds and less hassle.
Update your ‘Artist Pick’ on Spotify
Artist Pick is a great way to highlight what’s important to you right now, whether it be your latest release, playlist, show announcement, or even a Fan Support link. Check out the video below to learn how to do it…
Promote It On Socials
Social media offers an easy and effective method for promoting your latest track. To do so, start by creating a strategy tailored to your goals and target audience. Next, you can engage with your followers by posting your song in Reels, Stories, TikTok’s, and wherever else your fans frequent. You can also collaborate with fellow artists to expand your reach even further. Remember to utilize relevant hashtags, create visually appealing content, and consider running targeted ads for wider exposure. Lastly, always encourage user-generated content from your fans! Ask them to tag you in their own posts featuring your song, and get permission to re-post it on your own profile.
Pitch for Sync
When we talk about sync licensing in the music business, we’re referring to the act of synchronizing a piece of music with any form of visual media. That means getting your music featured in movies, TV episodes, commercials, video games, etc.
Get Some Press
After releasing new music, it’s always a good idea to send your music to music journalists, bloggers, and magazines for potential reviews and features. You can even share it in Facebook Groups, Reddit threads, or anywhere else where people can see your new song and share it with their communities.
In Conclusion…
You worked hard on your new track. Don’t let it get lost in the shuffle of thousands of songs trying to break through this crazy industry. Practicing things like consistently hyping yourself up on socials, optimizing your Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Music, etc. profiles, and everything else we covered above, can make or break the performance of your work.
In the meantime, be proud of all your hard work! Keep going, be consistent, and believe in your talents as an artist.
Good luck!
by Francesca | Nov 23, 2023 | Music Marketing, Social Media
TikTok’s Music Tab is a great way to highlight your most popular tracks right on your profile for everyone to see. If you haven’t set yours up yet, here’s how to do it…
How To Set Up Your Music Tab on TikTok
About TikTok’s Music Tab
What was previously only available for artists with over 10k followers is now open for everyone! Adding a Music Tab to your TikTok profile allows you to display your most popular tracks or pin latest releases, giving you the ability to drive engagement to your music catalog and convert followers into fans, all from your TikTok profile.
How does it work?
Once you enable the feature, it will automatically populate your delivered music under the music tab, as well as unlock other music integrations like By Artist, Behind the Song, New Release Feature and a TikTok to DSP’s Add to Playlist feature. You’ll also see the “Artist” tag displayed on your TikTok profile.
To enable this feature, artists must do so via a mobile device by following this link.
Good luck!
by Francesca | Nov 23, 2023 | Music Marketing
Your fans show their love and support by interacting on socials, sharing your music with their friends, going to shows, buying merch and so much more. Don’t you think all this effort deserves a little something extra? With exclusive content for only your most dedicated fans, you can not only thank them for their past support, but also give everyone else a good reason to get more involved. Here are 6 ideas for exclusive content any artist can try right now…
6 Types of Exclusive Content For Fan Engagement
Early Access
One of the OG methods for exclusive content in the music industry is to offer early access to upcoming tracks, music videos, merch, and even ticket sales. That being said, one of the easiest ways to do this is through email. Get your fans to sign up for your email list in exchange for this exclusive content. For music videos, you can send a private YouTube link (which also then leads them to your YouTube profile with all your other juicy content while they’re at it). For merch, you can link items right in the email. For new music, private links work too. You can even create a private Instagram or Facebook group chat to share everything in.
However you decide to share it, getting early access to your favorite artist’s latest creation is one of the best feelings there is as a fan.
Private Fan Community Access
Platforms like Patreon and Discord give you the opportunity to create a close-knit community where everyone can chat, share and connect on a deeper level in a private, online space. Not only can they chat it up with you, but they can also connect with each other and create meaningful connections as a community, all through the power and love of music.
If you want to offer different levels of personal content, consider offering different membership tiers with varying levels of access and benefits. For example, you could have a basic tier with offers access to the community and a higher tier that includes additional perks like behind-the-scenes content and merch discounts.
Discounts
Another great option you can offer is a discount on new merch or tickets to your next show. An easy way to do this is to run a social media contest and create a discount code you can share exclusively to the winners through DM’s on Instagram, email, Discord, or wherever you like to send personal messages.
Lyric Sheets and Personal Song Notes
This is one of my favorites, which I have personally received from one of my childhood favorite artists’ at the time. The band sent me a handwritten note from the lead singer with song lyrics from an unreleased song and personal thoughts about the lyrics. (He even threw in an expected, used guitar pick into the envelope. This was over 10 years ago, and I still have that letter in a scrapbook somewhere. That just shows how meaningful something so simple to you can be to your fans.
Personalized Content
From personalized shoutouts and quick birthday messages to even a simple heartfelt DM, something personal goes a long way with your fans. There are a lot of avenues you can go down with this one, too. Consider things like custom songs, personal thank you videos, personalized art/merch, exclusive demos with commentary, and so much more. You can even ask your fans directly on socials what they want from you for more ideas.
Exclusive Events
When it comes to exclusive events you can do, live Q&A sessions are a great option but not the only one! You can also organize exclusive listening parties where you play your new album or unreleased tracks for your subscribers, and discuss the songs or share insights during the event. You can host online songwriting workshops or masterclasses for your subscribers where you teach them about your songwriting process and help them develop their own skills.
If you want to get more interactive with it, take requests to do covers of your fans favorite songs or have fans ask you questions about your latest album, inspirations, or even your career as a whole. TikTok Live is a great place to do this, because viewers can pay to send you Gifts which translate into real rewards for you (similarly to donating bits on Twitch).
To wrap things up…
Offering exclusive content may help you grow your community and connect with your fans, but it does so much more for you as an artist. With it, you can earn additional income, give yourself more creative freedom, run free promo, test upcoming projects, and foster long-term support that will stick with you throughout your career. At the end of the day, this industry thrives on community. Take care of yours, and it will take care of you.
Good luck!
