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Career Advice and Guidance for Musicians
Music Career Articles on The Musician's Way Blog.
Guide to Careers in Music. Overview of 150+ types of music careers.
"How to play in someone else's band," by Danny Barnes. Sage advice!
Using QR codes to engage audiences. A video by Ron Evans. May 2011.
MusicThinkTank.com. Online marketing, career-building, PR. Sample articles:
"6 case studies on successful online marketing," by Jill Haverkamp (Feb., 2011).
"How artists can profit from file sharing," by Jim Grobecker (Jan., 2011).
"How to post a perfect press kit on your website," by Ariel Hyatt (Oct., 2010).
CyberPR. Online marketing tips and guidance by Ariel Hyatt.
Better Arts Marketing Via Three Tips, by Adam Thurman.
Resume, bio, cover letter tips and resources:
Institute for Music Leadership. Resources from the Eastman School of Music.
Music Career Handouts from the New England Conservatory of Music.
Why do you need a bio? by Dan Kimpel.
Writing the Dreaded Cover Letter, by Katharine Brooks, Ed.D.
Other important music career resources:
FracturedAtlas.org. "Access to funding, healthcare, education, and more."
MusicianWages.com. "How to make a living as a musician" (all styles).
KnowtheMusicBiz.com. "An online community and resource center."
Hypebot.com. "The new music business." Also see Digital Music News.
MusFormation.com. "The daily DIY guide to the new music landscape."
The DIY Musician Blog.
Guidance on promotion, marketing, & more, by CDBaby.
Echoes - the Disc Makers blog.
ASCAP. BMI. Music career resources, tips, advice.
National Arts Marketing Project. A program of Americans for the Arts.
Artists House Music. Articles, videos, advice, tips.
Music Career Juice. Articles, advice, and tips from Peter Spellman. Also see Spellman's article 5 Essentials of Music Career Success.
Career tools from MindTools.com.
The Future of Global Music, by Dave Kusek. Slide presentation (2011).
How to Call Attention to Your Music, by Derek Sivers. A free 70-page ebook.
“How to Pursue a Career in Orchestral Music.” “Pros and Cons to a Career in Orchestral Music." By Douglas Yeo, Bass Trombonist with the Boston Symphony.
"The New Rock-Star Paradigm." Damian Kulash, of the band OK Go, on "how to make it without a record label." The Wall Street Journal (Dec. 17, 2010).
Chronicles of a Cruise Ship Musician. Succeed as a performer on a cruise ship.
Arts Journal. A digest of arts journalism.
Books about Music Career Development & Entrepreneurship
Beyond Talent: Creating a Successful Career in Music (2nd edition), by Angela Beeching (Oxford, 2010); classical & jazz oriented. Companion website.
The Savvy Musician, by David Cutler (Helius Press, 2009). Companion website.
Fans, Friends, and Followers: Building an Audience and a Creative Career in the Digital Age. Free 35-page preview of the 188-page book by Scott Kirsner (2009).
Preview: Disciplining the Arts: Teaching Entrepreneurship in Context, ed. Gary Beckman (Nov. 2010).
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Music Career Resources and Tools
Sources for Grants:
New York Foundation for the Arts Source.
Carolina Institute for Leadership/Engagement in Music; see Funding Databases.
Foundation Center. Low-cost memberships available. Free training resources.
SavvyMusician.com. Links to diverse funding resources.
Build a Website (see also Technology resources):
1)
Tech-challenged musicians: Weebly.com; Wordpress.com.
2) Tech-knowledgeable musicians: Wordpress.org , a free platform with diverse themes and plugins (differences between WP.org and .com are explained here).
3) Tech-savvy musicians: Buy a domain name & hosting plan: GoDaddy.com. Web design software: Adobe.com.
Free web-building tutorials: W3Schools.com.
4) Search engine optimization tips: The Beginner's Guide to Seo (free).
Direct-to-Fan Platforms:
Nimbit.com. "Complete direct-to-fan marketing, sales & distribution."
TopSpinMedia.com. "Professional-grade software for artists & their managers."
ReverbNation.com. Tools for artists, managment, venues, labels, and fans.
InstantEncore.com. For classical artists and arts organizations.
SongKick.com. Help fans track your appearances.
RootMusic.com. Band pages on Facebook; integrates w/ TopSpin, SoundCloud.
Additional Important Career Tools:
Eventbrite.com. Ticket and promote your events.
PayPal for business. Accept credit card payments online. Easy setup.
TuneCore.com. For a small annual fee, TuneCore distributes your music to iTunes, eMusic, Amazon, and all the major sites; you keep all royalties.
Mixonic.com. CD & DVD production made easy and inexpensive.
Business cards & printing: Moo.com. VistaPrint.com. PrintPlace.com.
Email marketing: MailChimp.com (free for lists <2000). ArtistData.com.
Jango.com. Get your recordings played on Internet radio alongside the tracks of established artists.
BachTrack.com. Announce and discover classical events.
Fanfunding Resources:
Kickstarter.com. ArtistShare.com. FracturedAtlas.org. RocketHub.com.
Articles: "The Musician's Guide to Fan-Funding," by Jonathan Ostrow;
"The Crowdfunding Quandary," by Ariel Hyatt.
Locate Presenters/Promoters/Resources:
The National Association for Campus Activities. "The premier not-for-profit organization for previewing and booking talent for college and university campuses across the U.S." Also an artist matching service.
U.S. Regional Arts Organizations. Learn about programs and resources at state, regional, and national arts agencies; research performance venues in the US.
Association of Performing Arts Presenters. More than 1,400 members.
International Performing Arts for Youth. Annual showcase.
MusicalAmerica.com. Extensive information about presenters and performers. Classical and jazz oriented; free and subscription offerings.
SonicBids.com. "Helps bands get gigs and promoters book the right bands."
The Jazz Site. “Information on British jazz musicians, venues, promoters, educators and much more.”
The Indie Bible. The Indie Venue Bible.
Music Teacher Resources
MusicTeachersHelper.com. "Your music studio manager." Create a website, handle scheduling, accept credit card payments, and more.
MusicAcademySuccess.com. Marty Fort's comprehensive system. Learn how to run a successful music academy.
Additional Resources
SoundExchange.com. Learn about and collect digital performance royalties.
HarryFox.com. "Intellectual property management for the music industry."
American Music Center. Learn about new American classical and jazz music.
Bakitone.com. Index of competitions for classical musicians.
Promote and discover: Grooveshark.com. Hitlantis.com. TheSixtyOne.com.
A Career in Music Therapy, from the American Music Therapy Association.
Arts Entrepreneurship Educators Network.
The Association of Teaching Artists. Information and links. Eric Booth describes the work of teaching artists in brief videos on the Weill Music Institute site.
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Job Listings for Musicians
Bridge: Worldwide Music Connection. Job listings from NEC. Free trial.
Musical Chairs. Jobs and directories for classical musicians.
MyAuditions.com. Listings for orchestral musicians, music educators, and arts administrators. Registration required.
International Musician. Orchestral and other union jobs. Online access requires AFM union membership. Print edition available in most music libraries.
League of American Orchestras. Membership required.
Orchestras Canada Job Board.
Music Council of Australia.
College and university music teaching job listings: Chronicle of Higher Ed, College Music Society (members only), HigherEdJobs.com, InsideHigherEd.com, Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Music Council of Australia.
K-12 music teaching jobs in the US: NAfME jobs list. ASTA job opportunities. k12Jobs.com. NAfME career resources
BackstageJobs.com. Backstage.com. Jobs in musical theater and theme parks.
ProShip Entertainment. Oceanbound Entertainment. Performance staffing for the cruise industry. Also see Chronicles of a Cruise Ship Musician.
New York Foundation for the Arts. Diverse arts jobs & internships, mostly in NY.
Internship listings from the Eastman School of Music.
Internships.com. YouTern.com.
National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Jobs for church musicians. US only.
U.S. Military Music Organizations. Courtesy of RileyGuide.com.
Jazz Jobs. From pdf Jazz Music.
U.K. Music Jobs. Registration required.
Rhinegold Recruitment (UK & EU).
More job search tools: Monster.com. CareerBuilder.com. MusicianJobs.org. MyMusicJob.com.
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Legal Advice for Musicians
Legal resources. Art-loving attorneys. Courtesy of Self Employment in the Arts.
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Resources, links, and directories to legal services in the U.S., Canada, & Australia.
Music-Law.com. Articles and advice.
Music business tips, advice, checklists. From MusicCareers.com.au
MusicLegalForms.com. See the Contract Package for Bands & Working Musicians
Copyright information and links from the National Association for Music Ed.
Copyright Made Simple. A basic introduction from the IMSLP.
Preview The Teacher's Guide to Music, Media, and Copyright Law, by James Frankel (Hal Leonard, 2009). Purchase from AbeBooks.com.
Fair use evaluator. Valuable insights into the U.S. Copyright Code.
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Tax and Bookkeeping Tips for Musicians
Tax Issues for Musicians (U.S. & Canada), courtesy of Howland Tax Service.
Bookkeeping for Artists, by Maggie Kruser.
Accounting and tax resources collected by Self Employment in the Arts.
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Employment Statistics for Musicians
“Occupational Outlook for Musicians, Singers, and Related Workers,” 2010-11 edition, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “During the 2008–18 decade, most new wage-and-salary jobs for musicians will arise in religious organizations.”
“Occupational Employment and Wages: Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary,” May, 2010. From the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"Facts and Figures Concerning Music and Higher Education in the United States"
From the College Music Society; revised January, 2011.
Salary Resources. Links to salary data compiled by the Eastman School of Music.
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Volunteer Opportunities for Musicians
"Healing with Music." An article on The Musician's Way Blog.
United We Serve (U.S.). Search for and post volunteer opportunities.
Corporation for National and Community Service (U.S.).
Youth Music (U.K.). Extensive resources and links.
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Music Advocacy
Advocacy resources from: National Association for Music Education (NAfME);
American String Teachers Association (ASTA).
SupportMusic.com. Created by NAfME and NAMM.
Save the Music Foundation. "Dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in America's public schools."
Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education. Online booklets and resources.
Future of Music Coalition. "Education, research, and advocacy for musicians."
The Performing Arts Alliance. “The coalition of performing arts advocates.”
The American Music Conference.
The Texas Music Project. A model of music advocacy on the state level.
The International Society for Music Education.
The Coalition for Music Education in Canada.
The Canadian Music Educators Association.
The Music Education Council (U.K.)
The Music Council of Australia.
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