Derek James

"I can't wait to quit my day job and do music full time!" How many times have you said that to yourself and everyone around you? The necessary evil of a day job that has nothing to do with music can make you feel you're never progressing fast enough to get your career off the ground. It takes up too much of the time you could be spending practicing, writing new songs, networking, engaging with your fans, or anything else in the world that's more important than what you do. Bu

Making it as a musician isn’t easy. It takes a lot of grit, determination, and long hours to make your mark and, if you’re lucky, start seeing some financial gain from it. But I’m a firm believer that you can make a living as a musician if you’re willing to get creative and step outside the box of what you think that looks like. At the very least, you can certainly add some extra income to your pocket, and a lot of times, you can do it without even leaving the house. (So, no

In today’s world, musicians are expected to be a one-stop shop for their own marketing, production, PR, and everything in between. Long gone are the days of A&R managers, discovering your raw talented un-branded and undeveloped. As if it weren't hard enough to complete your demo, you also have to figure out how to promote it and when you should follow up. Today, there are so many tools that offer ways to automate these added responsibilities, but they don’t handle everything.

Most audio engineers will tell you that there’s a right way and a wrong way to record music, and if you’re going into the studio to make an album, it’s worth taking the time to do things right. Not every great album, however, was recorded using the “right” methods. In fact, some of the greatest albums of all time were recorded in ways that would seem totally wrong to most experienced audiophiles. Here are some of the best examples of albums that used the wrong techniques to g

As a musician or music artist, you're going to be taking a lot of photos with your fans. This is an undeniable fact whether you’re just starting out and your fans are just your friends or if you’re one of the biggest superstars on the planet. It’s something that comes along with creating music and performing live in front of an audience. If you’re extremely camera shy, you’re going to have a problem, but for most people, taking selfies with other music lovers can be fun. If y

Even if you're just a casual user of the photo-sharing platform Snapchat, you've probably heard about Spectacles. This special pair of glasses manufactured by Snap Inc., Snapchat's parent company, allows users to snap hands-free with a quick tap. Until recently, these chic gadget accessories were only available from roving bot kiosks, but as of last week, they're now for sale online. You may already be using Snapchat as a way to share your daily musical activities, but with S

Timeliness is the most impactful coverage factor for your band. The "new" in news emphasizes right away how important it is to have something fresh to catch a journalist's eye. If you have nothing new to promote, then chances are blogs aren't jumping on board to cover you. Try these five newsworthy ideas to spark media interest and earn coverage for your music. 1. Release an album or EP An album or EP is one of the best ways to draw media interest, but you need to start promo

It's probably no surprise that breathing is an essential building block for healthy vocal production. It may be a surprise, however, that breathing takes as much practice and fine-tuning as producing a nice, full sound. As a singer, you're an athlete – plain and simple. You need agility, dexterity, and above all, stamina. Enter breathing. Breathing is the single most important element to sustain notes, color in all those funky riffs, and get through a phrase without a huffing

We all know the music industry is tough to break into, and even tougher to make a living out of. Many independent musicians juggle day jobs just to keep the lights on, and no matter how much you love music, there are days where it feels like the battle is too uphill. But even on the toughest days when you feel like giving up, these quotes will remind you why you're following your passion. 1. "Being in a band turns you into a child and keeps you there." - Thom Yorke 2. "My who

Waking up is hard – we can all agree on that. If you have to do it, you might as well do it the best you can, right? Starting your day off right is important, especially when you’re making a go of doing something on your own for a living, like being a musician. You need to be creative, productive, and not overwork yourself (at least not too much). It’s a tough thing to balance, and you only have so many hours in the day, so make sure you’re using them all as logically as poss