This book comes in the form of a PDF file, and lets you know the top 20 things musicians often do which stops them from getting where they should rightfully be. Thankfully, it also lets you know what you should be doing instead.

Are you doing any of these harmful things? You’ll only know if you read the book:

Download Music Career Killers now.

This book is a real eye opener, so I suggest you give it a read. Just be sure to apply anything you learn.

Feel free to share this around with any other musicians you know, either by showing them this page or by sending them the file directly.

From my personal experience, I found that Topspin has given me better results than Nimbit. I do not have a big email list or a boatload of fans on Facebook, nor do I have a big email list. And until I used the Topspin platform, I never sold a single ticket to any shows.

But just a few weeks ago, I did a pre-sale and sold 6 tickets. That was HUGE for me!

I had the knowledge to do this as I took the Topspin course at Berklee. I also took 2 additional courses:

1. The Future of Music (Taught by the founder of Hypebot, Bruce Houghton) and
2. Music Marketing: Retail, Press, Promotion in order to be “certified” as a Topspin Marketer.

I believe my success is mainly due to my new found knowledge regarding certain marketing practices. Probably, if Nimbit had a course at Berklee I would have taken it and had satisfactory results with that tool as well.

I see it like building a house. It’s one thing to have the tools, but you don’t start building a house without building plans do you? Plus, you can’t just build a house with only a hammer. You have to have nails, saws, wood, etc etc.

The Cost Of Music Education – Is It Worth It?

I hear many artists complaining about the cost of the courses or the cost of promotion in general. Let me ask you this; How many thousands of dollars are spent on gear?

I am married to a keyboardist who owns a number of vintage keys , outboard gear, mics, cables, the list goes on. I mean, even if you are not a “gear-head”, you probably have a guitar or maybe a drum set that cost at least $2000 right?

I have made 3 CD’s, spent $1500 on both to be professionally mastered, plus had 1000 of both printed up at Discmakers. Tally it up. It’s well over what my education cost at Berklee. In the long run, I will actually save money because I will never make these expensive mistakes again. I wish I would’ve taken some classes before I got in the studio.

The thing is that us creative types are dreamers. We sometimes can’t (Or we just refuse to) see things as they really are. I will say that I was kind of depressed after I took the courses because it made me see that it takes nothing short of a small miracle to “write, record, and release” plus a small fortune to promote / market. After whining I just realized that if I believe in my art, it’s my responsibility to simply do the best I can with what resources I have been given.

The truth is that we have to be open to income coming in from multiple streams:

• Direct To Fan,
• Film / TV placements,
• Joint ventures,
• Etc.

Just like other successful artists Jimmy Buffett (Who has Lagershark, Margaritaville liquors and restaurants, and his own label), Justin Timberlake (Invested in an LA restaurant), Beyonce (New perfume line Heat). These artists are doing thing, just on a larger scale. They are nothing more than “artist-preneurs”, which is something we all can and should strive to be.

Artists should think about having their own “music business”, and that includes everything from creation (Of a product; songs), to marketing (Advertisements of your services), which will convert into more sales.

In the end, no matter if you are on a label or DIY, you got to look at the bottom line. If there are no sales, you’re going to get dropped. And if it’s DIY and there are no sales, it’s a hobby, not a business.

If you do treat it like a business, you have to wear many hats. Yes that’s frustrating sometimes, but successful business owners learn what hats they want to wear, and find others who’ll wear the hats they don’t want to wear.

The most important thing is to be a professional. When you act like a pro, then success, no matter how you define it, will find you eventually.

Editor’s Note: If you like the idea of taking a course to help you learn the music business, check out the IMA Music Business Academy. This is our course, and one that 150+ musicians have used to forward their career.

About Coco, The Author

Currently, I am a Web Producer for AEG ( Anschutz Entertainment Group ) and the new ticketing website AXS. You can find out more about me on either of my websites below.

Artist Website: http://cocooconnor.com Portfolio Website: http://zumuloo.com

If you are a musician trying to making a living in the competitive music industry, you may have come across the Musicians Union (MU). The Musicians’ Union is an organisation that protects the interests of musicians in the UK, providing legal advice, education and training, insurance, and much more. Even if you aren’t from the UK however, you may still want to read this article. It can give you an idea of the type of services that are out there for musicians, and allow you to know what to look for in your own country.

So, what are the benefits of joining such a union? Well, this is exactly what we look at below. I hope this article will give you a better idea of what help you can get as an independent musician, and show you that professional help isn’t as unobtainable as you may have first thought.

Legal Advice

A lot of musicians are only really interested in one thing: Making great music. Most of us are creative types, and don’t always like dealing with the business aspects of the industry. While professional legal advice is something any level of musicians making money should have access to, these kind of services can be expensive. Music industry lawyers, for example, can easily cost in excess of £100 per hour.

This is far too expensive for most musicians, and a ‘luxury’ that most people don’t end up taking. With the Musicians Union however, professional legal advice comes as part of the package. They can help with contract disputes, fees recovery, and many other legal matters. If this is something you’re interested in, make sure you contact them first to make sure they can offer the legal support you require.

Careers Guidance

As an independent musicians, it’s becoming increasingly important to diversify your income streams. There are a lot of jobs in the music industry that can tie in with your role as a musician. Sometimes, during early stages you may need to do more then one music related job to earn a full time living.

The MU can offer career advice, and assist you with realising opportunities. They will be able to offer advice about the expectations of different areas of the industry, as well as inform you of relevant training available.

Contract Advice

As a musician, you may find yourself dealing with performance contracts, record contracts, publishing contracts, and other types related to the music industry. The contract advisory department at the Musician’s Union can offer you advice and guidance regarding the terms of the contracts offered to you.

As mentioned before, music industry lawyers are expensive, so it’s wise to get professional advice before signing any type of contract. As a MU member, you also get access a catalogue of ‘ready-made’ contracts that you can download and use. These are legally binding, and hold more weight than a contract you may have put together yourself.

Networking

As we all know, the music industry is built around contacts. By joining the Union, you are putting yourself in the ideal position to make new contacts. You can do this by attending their in-house events, and by getting involved in their online community. You can also discuss industry related matters with other professionals in your sector, which can be hugely beneficial. The MU has regional offices, making it even easier to network with musicians in your local area…

Insurance

As a musician, getting appropriate insurance to cover your equipment etc can be a challenge. Many insurers see musicians as high risk, as often you have expensive equipment travelling around from location to location. Once again, this is something the MU can help you with.

They have negotiated special insurance schemes for musicians. In fact, by becoming a member, you are automatically given public liability insurance up to 10 million pounds. This means that if someone injures themselves as a result of your actions, you have some protection in place. This covers you at a range of locations and in a range of situations.

Industry Contacts

Often, finding the right person to talk to within a company can be difficult. To help with that, the Musicians Union publishes lists of contacts to their members. This is a reliable source of up to date contact information of managers, labels and much more.

Education and Training

As I previously mentioned, the Union puts on a range of industry events themselves. These include seminars and workshops, and give you access to training that call help you in the music industry. They also provide a lot of advice specifically for music teachers.

A good amount of musicians earn money from teaching music. The MU advises music teachers on the issues of teaching in schools, colleges and from home.

Musicians Union Rates And Conclusion

If you’re at the stage in your career where you’re looking to deal with contracts and need additional support, the Musicians’ Union could be for you. You can access all of the above for £177 per year, or only £20 per year if you’re a student. If you’re still studying, there’s no reason not to snap up this low rate asap. If you’re not a student, you may want to think about whether the MU is worth the cost at this stage of your career.

If you have the money and want additional help from experts, the benefits are clear. If you are earning money from music, joining the Union may well be worth the outlay. Even if you’re an amateur musician, it may still be beneficial for you to sign up. You can develop your knowledge of the industry, and make contacts to enhance your career. Ultimately, whether or not you decide to join will depend on your personal circumstances and goals. One thing that is clear, is the Musicians Union plays a vital role for UK musicians. After all, 30,000 members can’t be wrong.

This has been a guide by Sam Chapman of Music Live UK, the place to go to hire great wedding bands or wedding singers for your big day.

The IMA Academy is a course that aims to tackle that, giving musicians the music business knowledge they need to succeed in a fraction of the time. If you have talent but aren’t sure how to get people to pay attention to your music, this could be the course for you!

What Is The IMA Music Business Academy

The IMA Music Business Academy is an online study course, teaching musicians the business side of the industry. New lessons are delivered on a weekly basis, and are available by logging into your private members area. Each lesson will go in-depth in an area you need to be aware of. At the end of the lesson, you will be given a task to complete that will help push your music career to the next level. You can see a full list of the weekly lessons on The IMA Music Business Academy home page.

As well as having access to weekly lessons, you also get access to a private support / community forum. Here you can get help with any of the lessons, discuss the latest music business tactics, mingle, and network with like minded people. This is great for getting different views of things, and advice from people who have done it already. Who knows, you may even make a few friends and important contacts along the way.

Why Is An Academy Like This Needed?

The IMA Music Business Academy is needed for one major reason: Music business knowledge isn’t something that we automatically have in us. Despite that, if you want to start making money from your music career you need it! It’s as simple as that.

If you want to be more then a part time (Not making any money) musician, you need to learn how to get your music out there. On top of that, you have to make yourself likeable and make people want to buy into you. These are skills that can be learnt, but only with the right guidance.

This is what we aim to teach you in the academy. We give you the skills to take your talent, and turn it into a brand people are going to be interested in. We will teach you how to sell, what you should be doing in order to make the best use out of your time, and how to get people coming back to you time and time again.

Many musicians tend to fail because they don’t know what direction to go or don’t have the right support. Don’t let this be the case with you, enrol into the IMA Music Business Academy today.

What Can You Learn From This Online Music Business Course?

The IMA Academy aims to be a complete guide for the independent musician. We walk you through what you need to be doing from start to finish. We go over the best practices in each area, so even if you’re already using the studio for example, you may still want to read that section so you can find out how to record faster and spend a lot less money.

Here are some of the things you will learn on this course:

• A strategy that will allow you to easily find out what your market want and give it to them.
• Where you should be putting your time and effort to progress in your music career.
• How to minimise your expenses when using the studio, creating artwork, and much more.
• How to turn passers by into lifelong fans.
• How to get the most out of each fan you gain.
• Online and offline marketing tactics.
• How to create your own high converting website.
• How to make money from music royalties.
• How to get gigs, and how to make money from every one of them (Even if the venue owner doesn’t pay you directly).
• How to improve your on stage presence.
• Out of the box tactics that will have you making more money from your music.
• And MUCH more!

You can see a full weekly lesson plans on the IMA MBA home page.

Why Is The IMA Academy Different From Other Courses And Books?

OK, so there are other music business courses and books out there. So why should you chose The IMA Music Business Academy over them? Simple, because only we provide you with the practical information you need as an independent musician!

There are two other types of courses and books on the market:

• The ‘record label’ type book
• The ‘social media’ type course.

The record label type book will tell you how record labels work, and what tactics they use to get out there to the masses. Unfortunately, while often a good read, they don’t leave you with much you can apply to your own music career. They’re based on big budgets, and a set of tactics that won’t work for most of us.

In the academy however, every week provides you with practical advice you can go out and start working on straight away. What’s more, they will help you now and are scalable for the future.

With the social media type courses that have sprung up, you are told that online promotion alone is largely the way to go. Apparently, networking on Facebook and Twitter all day will get your music out there, and have you earning money in no time.

Here at the IMA MBA, we don’t think that’s true. Yes Facebook and Twitter have a role to play in your marketing campaign, but probably not in the way you’re using them now. We teach you how to leverage these accounts, and how to get people coming to you rather then you sitting there and adding them all day. We also provide you with cheap and free offline marketing tactics that still work, and teach you how to leverage other people to get them doing your promotion for you.

In short? We teach you what no one else does: How to become an all round musician!!

Where Can I Enrol For The IMA Music Business Academy?

If you’re ready to enrol into the academy, you can do so here.

The IMA Music Business Academy Bonus Offer

The IMA Music Business Academy will only be open for a week, from today (18.10.2011) till 24.10.2011. After that we will be shutting out doors to any new members. This is so we can give the best support possible to any current members, and give them the attention they deserve.

When we re-open the course (Date TBC, it can be any time from a week after the 24th to a few months) we will be raising the monthly price.

If you want to lock in the early bird price for life and save big, then enrol into The IMA Music Business Academy today!

Below are some of the options available for increasing your music business knowledge.

Online Music Resources (Free)

While online only resources can be very useful, I advise you to be critical of it. Not everything on the internet is true (gasp), but a lot of the information out there can be helpful. Test any new idea available for free off the internet with all of your previous knowledge, and if there appear to be gaps or conflicts, look for other sources. If you have no prior musical knowledge, I do not recommend learning the basics online unless you are pointed to a specific website by a professional.

DVDs, Books, and Online Music Lessons (Not Free)

There are a lot of good music books, music DVDs and music courses that you can get hold of, but there are also a lot of useless ones. A good one can give you all the knowledge you require for your area of music, while a poor one isn’t worth the time it takes to read it. So how you you pick out the good ones that will actually push your music career forward?

Well, it’s always a good idea to get feedback from other people who have taken these courses before, or at least make sure you have seen enough of the course provider’s work before you decide to join. This way you know you will be getting a good deal.

Private Music Lessons

While this is probably the most expensive option, I highly recommend this option for anyone starting to learn their first instrument. There are so many aspects of instrument technique and musical interpretation that are critical to your growth as a musician. Even if you have a great book, guide, or DVD, it can only help you so much. It can tell you what to work on and how to play properly, but it can’t tell you what mistakes you’re making or how to improve the subtle aspects of your musicality.

Of course, not every instructor is great or reliable, and that is why you must be picky when it comes to choosing one. You need to be clear in understanding your goals as a musician, and how you want your private instructor to help you achieve them. Also, asking instructors for good resources (online, books, etc) is always a good move. This means you can carry on learning even when you’re not with them any more…

Higher Education

In high school alone, you can learn a lot about music e.g. how to play an instrument. Even if it isn’t the instrument or style of music you would like to make a career from, learning how melodies and beats work can be carried over to the type of music you do want to make. In college however, you will have quite a few options in terms of musical courses you can take. Here are just some of them:

• Music Theory – While not a course everyone will like, music theory can change your life as a musician. Essentially, the class explains written music through patterns and formulas, somewhat similar to what you would find in a maths class. But why go through all that trouble? Well, the better you understand music and the relationship between what’s written and what’s heard, the better you can play music in any environment and on any instrument. Knowing scales is always helpful, but knowing chord progressions and the rules that bind them are vital for anyone with an interest in writing music. Also, most music theory courses emphasize listening and aural exercises, which will result in a better musical ear and intonation.
• Music Ensembles – This should go without saying, but it may be a good idea to join any musical ensemble that interests you. Even if an ensemble isn’t exactly the style of music you’d like to start a career from, you can learn valuable lessons about the rehearsal process and playing with others. This will make a huge impact with how you play and correspond with future musicians.
• Music History – While not every musician needs to know the details of baroque or classical style, understanding the history of how music has progressed can make you a better musician. Admittedly, this isn’t the most vital course for all musicians. Still, it will open your mind to different possibilities and styles of music. This in turn will make you a more versatile, clever song-writer.
• Music Appreciation – This is a course that most universities require, but it’s probably something you’ve been doing for decades if you truly are the musician you aspire to be. Essentially, courses like these will require you to attend performances and perhaps write about them for a grade. Attending and studying performances is vital for any musician of any level. Being critical of others’ performances will lead to you being critical of your own. From here, you can learn from the mistakes of both other people and yourself.

Music Courses Conclusion

Learning is an essential part of your music career. While some people will naturally pick up good business habits by watching other musician, this isn’t true easy for everyone. In this case, it’s a good idea to get additional help to make yourself a more all round musician. So have a look above again, and see if any of the mentioned types of music courses are for you.