Reading time: 7 minutes 👓 I've not talked much about short-form videos on the podcast, but it is a relatively new format. Full disclosure, I've shot only a handful of Instagram Reels, have yet to create a YouTube short, and am not active on TikTok. But don't let that turn you off. I've done a lot of reading on the topic. Here's fodder for getting your music out there with short-form video. Instead of approaching this topic from the perspective of how musicians can or should leverage...
5 months ago • 6 min read
Hey there, Happy Tuesday from Spain! I'm celebrating a big birthday with friends and family. Reading time: 4 minutes 👓 I recently researched donations as a monetization option for independent podcasters. It has since occurred to me that donations also work well in the independent musician world. The general idea is that donations can play a role in sustaining your creative endeavors. Note that in some cases below, we can substitute the word "tips" where I've used "donations." I can hear some...
5 months ago • 4 min read
Hey there, Hope you're doing well today. Here's the latest I've dug up for you on music publishing. Reading time: 3 minutes 👓 Music publishing is about protecting and making money from a composition (i.e. a song), NOT just the recorded version. Recorded music consists of two parts: the composition and the master recording (aka the master). The composition is made up of the melody or melody and lyrics. It is an independent piece of intellectual property with its own set of rights, protected by...
8 months ago • 3 min read
Reading time: About 5 minutes I've spoken to dozens of independent musicians about songwriting, but I've only personally written a handful of songs. Like with so many things I write about, I'm learning with you. More importantly, I'm sharing what I learn from others. You may not consider yourself a songwriter, but maybe you should. Writing music or lyrics can be very fulfilling and helpful to your creativity and critical thinking. Getting started can be as simple as improvising riffs on your...
11 months ago • 2 min read