Top 5 Resources for Independent Musicians and Music Professionals
Introduction
Sifting through every search engine result that pops up when looking for easy guidance as an independent musician can be overwhelming. Everyone's always trying to sell you something or give you advice that was only valid until 2016. It's annoying, isn't it?
From my continual research in the music industry, I've compiled a list of the top 5 resources for independent musicians and music professionals. The starting points below are helpful for those looking to play more, gain traction in their streaming and sales numbers, or pursue a seat at the table of label shareholders.
Berklee Online Courses
Berklee College of Music is the leader of the contemporary music college space and remains a top institution for jazz musicians as was intended upon its foundation in 1945. Building steadily since 2022, the college's digital branch, Berklee Online Courses, has spread the knowledge and practices of music, musicianship, and the music business to wherever you are. In addition to learning about Guitar Scales, Ableton Live Fundamentals, Writing Hit Songs, and Introduction to Music Theory, several Music Business courses contain integral knowledge for independent musicians.
If you plan to commit to these incredible classes, these are the ones I would choose:
Music Business 101
Music Career Strategies: Brand Identity Development for Songwriters, Producers, and Artists
Modern Music Marketing: Music Promotion, Fan Relationships, and Direct-to-Fan Strategies
Keep an eye on the Berklee Courses, as they occasionally offer free classes.
Songtrust
Songtrust is a Publishing administration company and a subsidiary of Downtown Music Publishing. On their quest to "build a better music business," Songtrust focuses on providing transparency to independent musicians with their accessible rights management system built to guide users on understanding their rights and collecting royalties. This further amplifies their inherent goal to disentangle the industry's complexities, making it easier to unite the everyday musician with the global publishing industry.
Songtrust has a blog and a Resource Center with excellent materials for independent musicians. It contains a large selection of crash courses and downloadable guides and videos to help you stay informed. Some of the topics covered are:
Music Publishing 101
How Do I Get Paid By Spotify?
Sync Crash Course
Press Releases
Industry Interviews
Split Sheets
Song Registration Checklist
They can also estimate royalties for already published songs!
In Pink by Gritty In Pink
Founded by Shira Yevin, In Pink is a platform reclaiming the power of the male-dominated music industry and returning it to the hands of women. Yevin's homegrown network of "girl-driven live music mayhem" under Gritty In Pink unifies women of all backgrounds and locations, allowing for diverse hiring practices within the entertainment space.
A pioneer of Warped Tour, Yevin's ShiraGirl stage provided a dedicated space for female artists like Katy Perry and Joan Jett and female-fronted bands like The Dollyrots and Paramore to give it their all in those heat-waved parking lots with just as much enthusiasm as anyone else. The ShiraGirl stage even held a spot in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame's Warped Tour exhibit.
Stay in the know on women-centered industry roundtables, all-girl jam sessions, fundraisers, festivals, and suites at conferences like NAMM to meet with real women with real industry veteran status on their events page. Through InPink, you can search for talent or join to search for jobs that speak to you in Music & Audio, Graphic Design, Media, General Music Business, and other corners of the industry. You also keep 100% of what you earn on InPink - imagine that! Sign up for the platform here or opt into Gritty in Pink's Newsletter.
Bandzoogle
The platform Bandzoogle's motto is "to empower artists to build effective websites for their music." Led by CEO Stacey Bedford, Bandzoogle has "expanded the platform to include everything a musician needs to run a successful business online."
Bandzoogle has an incredibly helpful blog featuring tips on how to build your website, grow your fanbase, write better lyrics, and stay productive in an oversaturated music market. You can check out the blog here. Some of my favorite posts include:
You can also take free webinars and read news features on anything from how to use smart links for promotion to Google Analytics for musicians. They also offer a 30-day free trial to experience their services without commitment!
Indie on the Move
Self-proclaimed as "The Music Industry's Destination for Show & Tour Booking," Indie on the Move is an incredibly handy back pocket secret for people interested in the live music industry. The gigging indie musician, the starting artist manager, the talent buyer, and the leaders of music venues all have a place here, as this is a platform for the exchange of skills and knowledge for all to thrive in the live music ecosystem.
IOTM's directories allow venues and bands/artists to unite and easily fill concert bills. Their quick submit tool eliminates the arduous task of locating the correct contact to pitch your band and fill your show calendar. The site also allows venues to find artists to fill their next bill with a quick search!
The platform's social aspect makes it stand out amongst this list. Platform members will leave their experiences about venues and festivals they have played, convening in the forums about best practices.
Their community-based blog is a huge winner, answering questions like how to monetize your music and what songs you can and can't use on YouTube. They even provide guides for musicians navigating the ever-changing industry on their own and gig contract templates. Even if you're a bedroom musician (and not playing live anytime soon), this is a great way to take the temperature of the waters before you dive into more social music endeavors.
Bonus: EJC Marketing
It's me, hi - I'm the resource, it's me. As a grassroots independent artist, I have chronicled my journey through musicianship in the real world and have several guides and packets available for download right now! My guides on Navigating Spotify, How to Network Online or In Person, Branding Basics, and others will allow you to sift through the information stress-free and learn something new.
Need something more personalized? Set up a free consultation call to discuss your goals and how we can get there.
I know these tools have all been helpful for me, and now I hand the power to you, my friends. What are your favorite resources for independent musicianship? What is something you have been looking for help for but haven't been able to find? Have you trusted a source that failed you? Let's discuss in the comment section.
