Having been in the music industry for 30 years, Rick Barker knows a thing or two about what works when it comes to being a successful musician.

The music business today is ever-changing so I asked Rick Barker to share his thoughts on some of these changes and what that means for musicians in our season opener of Indie Interactive. Although his extensive knowledge has helped big name artists get record and publishing deals, he is most proud of the courses he has created that help musicians build, grow and monetize their fan base. Helping artists navigate the music business and get their music in front of the right audience is what he thrives at. He was also a big part of our Profitable Musician Summit back in May and I have had the pleasure of being on his podcast. The following information is just a sampling of what we covered in our episode of Indie Interactive.

Should artists still make CDs?

  • Fans are purchasing CDs for mementos, not for listening to
  • CDs are used in merch bundles (t-shirts, cds, books, etc)
  • If your audience likes to collect things, you’ll still sell cds
  • Invest in CDs instead of download cards

Talking to Music Professionals

  • Lead with the fact that you did your homework, have an understanding of the industry
  • Approach with a question or compliment
  • Don’t ask them for opinions on your music, especially if they are not in your demographic
  • Do not offer your music to anyone who doesn’t ask

Soundcloud or Spotify?

  • If you use Spotify, a playlist doesn’t matter
  • Use any place that allows you to get in front of an audience
  • In Spotify, you cannot upload your music yourself. With Soundcloud, you can
  • Don’t put demos on Spotify

Facebook Groups

  • Everything you post in your group will be seen
  • Livestream concerts
  • Interact with fans every day
  • The members of your group will set up house concerts, buy t-shirts, buy CDs

Using downloads as freebies

  • Emails for downloads doesn’t work anymore
  • Fans want exclusive offers (behind the scenes, unreleased music)
  • Utilize pixels for retargeting people who have expressed interest
  • All in the verbiage used

Resources

Rick Barker’s Music Business University

The Music Industry Blueprint Podcast by Rick Barker

Resources

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Show Editing by Jen Edds at 317 Sound Design
Music by Stella Ronson

ABOUT HOST BREE NOBLE

Bree Noble Female Entrepreneur MusicianBree Noble is an entrepreneur, musician and speaker. She founded Women of Substance Radio, an online radio station that promotes quality female artists in all genres, in 2007.  She launched the Women of Substance Music Podcast in November 2014, a 5 day per week show which promotes Independent female artists. Her podcast has hit #1 in New & Noteworthy for the Music, Arts and Society & Culture categories and #4 Audio Podcast on all of iTunes. She draws on her extensive experience running her own music business, both as a solo musician and as an Industry professional, to train and mentor other female musicians. Learn more about the station, the show and the artists atwww.wosradio.com. Connect with Bree on Twitter @BreeNoble or on Facebook or on Instagram