ing authentic small businesses whose products are music, live performances, merchandise
and more. Online tools, such as Topspin, ReverbNation and FanBridge, are constantly be-
ing developed or improved to help them do it.
Is it easy? No. Profitable? Perhaps. When a band decides to go it alone it means that
in addition to rehearsing, performing, writing and all the other musical tasks, they also
need to handle all the tasks normally done by the record company. Those include tasks
such as marketing, public relations, networking, schmoozing the media, keeping an eye
on the books and managing the financial end of the business.
And then there’s distribution. How will the artist get their music into the hands of the
fans? Selling CDs out of the trunk of one’s car is always an option, although somewhat
archaic. Volume becomes problematic, as well. The typical trunk will only house so many
CDs between a spare tire and various other paraphernalia. Once again, the Internet comes
to the rescue. With relative ease, bands can sell downloadable versions of their music on
their website, Facebook, MySpace, Topspin and such. Selling CDs, t-shirts and other
merchandise at live shows and websites is a natural. But, more on this later.
Within these pages you won’t find much, if anything, about music theory, composi-
tion or becoming a better musician. There are plenty of books and resources available to
help you with those points. What you will find is a blueprint for starting your career in
music, how to set goals, deal with the business issues, develop a sensible, sound plan for
success and implement action plans.
Also, it should be noted that many of the quotes and references within these page are
related to rock music. It’s what I know best, so it’s what I wrote. But, the core concepts,
tools and techniques will work for a musician or solo artist working in any genre.