What can songwriters and musicians learn from Neil Peart? On January 10th, news broke that Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart had passed away three days earlier after a three-and-a-half year battle with brain cancer. Rush had announced they would stop touring in 2015, and in early 2018 they officially disbanded. They were the rare …
The post Five lessons songwriters and musicians can learn from Neil Peart appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.
Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock & Roll” is an undeniable classic. It’s a high-energy, feel-good song that’s hard not to like. You can’t help but hear Seger’s raspy voice when you read those enduring lyrics, “Still like that old time rock n’ roll / That kind of music just soothes the soul.” And music truly …
The post What are the mental benefits of playing an instrument? appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.
This post was originally published at the Unsigned Guide. How do I get on the bill at a U.K. music festival? If you fancy playing on a festival line-up or several next summer, then you’re in luck! There are hundreds of UK festivals with slots up for grabs for unsigned and emerging bands and …
The post How to apply to music festivals in the U.K. appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.
How to plan your next single release: promotion and distribution tips for a standalone track. It all starts with a song. You write a song, or you find a song; the song moves you and you want it to move the world. So you record and distribute that song as a single to platforms like …
The post Releasing a single song: The 10 best strategies for 2020 appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.
A free way to create eye-catching cover art for all your releases. One of the most common places artists get stuck when signing up music for distribution is the cover art. I get it. Most of us are musicians first and designers second, third, tenth, or dead last. Hiring a good designer can be expensive, …
The post How to make cover art for your album or single — for free appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.
How platforms like Spotify and Apple Music define a “single.” A brief history of the single As the oldest format for distributing recorded music, the single is something of music industry royalty. To review what we discussed in our look at the EP, the single was the only format for the first 50 years …
The post What is a single? appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.
The streaming era is driven by singles, which means you should be releasing standalone tracks. But let me clarify something upfront: Albums are still important. The album format gives you a better chance to shape a story around your music, define your sound, get press coverage, and sell merch. Plus, many streaming platforms still prioritize …
The post Seven reasons to release a single appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.
Everyone has shared their 2019 Spotify Wrapped, we rang in the new year, and now we’re at the start of a whole new decade. Artists are scratching their heads wondering how the music industry, music production, and songwriting will change in the next year. As trends ebb and flow, catching the next wave in 2020 …
The post Music Trends 2020: Where is the industry headed? appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.
A look back at the decade that was. The music industry is no stranger to change in the past five decades. While the vinyl record dominated recorded music in the first 90 years of its existence, the cassette tape finally posed a threat in the 1970s, 10 years after its invention. But at the start …
The post Music industry milestones in the 2010s appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.
Why making acceptable cover art is so important. In the streaming era, you need cover art for every single and album you release. Not only should that artwork LOOK good; it also has to meet the visual guidelines of the big streaming platforms if you want your music to stay available online. Does cover art …
The post Cover art design tips to ensure your music goes live appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.