“Business For Band Members” plus 1 more

Business For Band Members

Posted: 26 Sep 2019 08:03 AM PDT

You may have spent thousands of hours practicing your instrument and perfecting your singing tone, but musical talent is only one element that factors into your success as a band. Band members need to develop business skills, too, when it comes to marketing, promoting, and networking. Whether you’re seeking out your next performance opportunity or are engaging with fans to build anticipation around your upcoming album release, you’ll need some business skills to be a successful musician.

Social Media Management

Online band marketing and social media networking go hand-in-hand. Most bands rely on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to connect with their audiences. This is because social media offers many benefits, from developing fan loyalty to allowing you to engage with your fans on a regular basis. Because you can post to social media much more easily and frequently than you can maintain other marketing content like blog posts, social media can keep you in the forefront of your fans’ minds, which is particularly helpful when building excitement around an upcoming tour or album release.

Social media also provides you with a valuable connection directly to your fans. You can create polls to determine fan interest in new releases, areas of the country where many fans want to see you on tour, and to even identify which types of promotional materials your fans most want to buy.

When managing your social media, focus on creating unique content that your fans will appreciate. Behind-the-scenes photos, from-the-stage photos taken on tour, and even short videos of soundchecks and songwriting sessions all make for great content. When you post this content online, make sure that you’re on a secure wi-fi connection, especially when you’re on the road. Public wi-fi connections are not secure, and if you’re entering personal information like passwords, home addresses, and credit card details to promote a social media post, that information could easily be hacked on a public connection. Instead, wait to post until you’re on a private connection to help keep this information safe.

Networking and Management Skills

Don’t forget that networking doesn’t just take place online. In-person music management skills are just as important and can help you to secure bookings, talk professionally with agents, and make valuable in-person connections that can build your music career.

These networking opportunities don’t always occur during music industry-specific events, and sometimes being able to think on your feet and connect with others can lead to connections that you might have otherwise missed. To develop your in-person networking skills, create an elevator pitch, which is a quick 30-second summary that describes your band, the type of music you play, and your audience. Having this prepared and memorized can help to remove some of the nerves and allow you to quickly connect with someone you might meet at a coffee shop or even in the grocery store checkout line.

Once you have your elevator pitch prepared, make sure that you also always carry business cards with you. You never know when you might bump into someone who could change your career.

Content and Email Marketing

Content and email marketing are also valuable marketing strategies for musicians. These marketing techniques are free to use, and you can take over your band’s content and email marketing yourself.

When it comes to content marketing, creating a blog can help your band to connect with your audience. You can post blog updates about upcoming tours, the creation of a new album, and even include blogs written by each member of the band to incorporate some different voices into your content. As you build up an email list of your fans, you can send out periodic emails about important updates, new concert and tour dates, and more. Regular email marketing helps to keep you connected with your audience.

To gauge the effectiveness of your content and email marketing, you’ll also need to familiarize yourself with the basics of data analytics. Data analytics can provide you with hard statistics about how many people are viewing your content and emails, as well as what kind of action people take when viewing your content, like clicking through to purchase your new album. You can also use data to determine where fans are most engaging with your music online, so you can decide which online platforms are most valuable for your band.

Data analytics may seem overwhelming at first, but there are plenty of how-to guides and courses to help you understand the basics. Once you know how to interpret this data, you can experiment with different types of content and different email subject lines to increase the number of people who read what you’re creating.

Many musicians just want to play music, and focusing on business may seem like a chore, but it’s also essential to your band’s success. The more that you and your bandmates can learn about business, the more you can position your band for successful and exciting opportunities.

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4 Best Insights Into A Music Education Degree

Posted: 26 Sep 2019 06:28 AM PDT

Most people probably believe a music education degree only leads to teaching careers, yet music education majors can actually pursue a wider array of jobs. In fact, modern music education programs have diversified their curricula to offer more degree options and flexible ways to obtain the appropriate credentials for working within the field. As a result, program participants can achieve a degree that prepares them for traditional or non-traditional music education careers. Here are some insights to consider about music education degrees.

1. Music Education Careers are Varied

Traditional music education degrees prepare graduates to work in school settings, instructional music academies or as independent music teachers. However, with recent expansions in the media, marketing and health industries, many businesses, now seek employees with music degree backgrounds who can use music to enhance production values, advertise products, or improve the quality of life for others. Graduates with music education degrees may thus find additional work opportunities in areas such as music production, music advertising, music preservation or music therapy settings.

2. Notable Music Education Programs are Accredited

Accredited music education degree programs are endorsed by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Additionally, other affiliations that schools may note include membership in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) or the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). Appropriate accreditation and affiliations indicate a reputable degree program.

3. Degree Programs Should Be Flexible

Earning a degree can be time consuming, especially for working individuals. Flexible programs assist degree-seeking students by offering evening, weekend or distance learning classes. For example, a Kent State University master degree in music education provides an online curriculum to facilitate the working schedules of music educators.

4. Degree Levels Meet Different Career Goals

Graduates with bachelor’s degrees will be prepared for entry level jobs primarily in traditional career settings. For those looking to pursue career advancement or to branch out into non-traditional music education careers, further studies towards a master’s may be required. Doctoral degrees are usually earned by those wishing to teach or do research at the university level.

A music education degree can open wider job possibilities than previously imagined. Potential students can avail themselves of flexible programs that address career goals. Whether wishing to teach others the joy of music or desiring a non-traditional music career, music education degrees from accredited schools can strike the right note.

Auhtor Bio:

Richard Lawson is an expert IT teacher. He works for custom essay writing service - CustomEssayOrder.com.He loves shopping, spending time with family, and swimming.