Resources
We understand that independent metal musicians are known for getting away with “free” or “cheap” for as long as they possibly can. We’ve put together a little list of resources to help you out a bit. Some are free. Some are cheap. Some are just part of a necessary evil when dealing with the music business.
When you’ve outgrown free & cheap, and are ready to invest in a serious music career, please consider our Premium Services for professional metal musicians.
The Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center is an up-to-date, comprehensive and unbiased database of health care resources for artists, performers, freelancers and the self-employed.
Gain exposure to military men and women and the satisfaction of performing for a most appreciative audience.
Musicians should only enter data once! Auto updates artist websites, social network profiles, concert databases, Twitter, official news feeds, iCal, local press, fan newsletters, and even tour books.
Helping musicians and music entrepreneurs create sustainable careers. Links to Musician’s Strategy, Marketing, Production, Music Business, Legal, Education, Careers in Music, etc… Each one of those links leading to tons of articles and/or videos related to sub-categories thereof. One of my favorite places on the web!
Performing rights organizations are businesses designed to represent songwriters & publishers and their right to be compensated for having their music performed in public.
BTTV is a community of free places to stay for bands on tour
Couch Surfing is a worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the communities they visit. It allows the travelers to stay at their home for free and make new friends in that community.
Eventful allows you to post for free your live music listings for upcoming concerts. They also syndicate this info to 2000 other national and local event listings.
GigNation allows you to type in a city you want to play and see the other 5000 plus GigNation bands in the database and you can email them to see if you can play with them. Great for breaking into a new market!
HFA is the foremost mechanical licensing, collection, and distribution agency for music publishers in the U.S.
MusicPro Insurance Agency LLC was formed with a single charter — to provide convenient, affordable insurance to meet the needs of working music professionals.
Music Publishers’ Association of the United States
Founded in 1895, the Music Publishers Association is the oldest music trade organization in the United States, fostering communication among publishers, dealers, music educators, and all ultimate users of music.
Hands down, the best site with the best tools to market your band across the internet. Unlike typical “closed” communities, artists use ReverbNation as their home base for approaching marketing and promotion across the Internet as a whole — be it via social networks, blogs, or the artist’s homepage. The recent merger with Bandzoogle gives artists the ultimate, near perfect band promotion package!
The Rumblefish Music Licensing Store SM claims to be the best way to find and license great music for any project—TV shows and advertisements, movies, websites, video games, podcasts, and more.
SoundExchange is the first organization formed in the United States to collect performance royalties for sound recording copyright owners (SRCOs), featured and nonfeatured artists.
Career tips and development tools for indie artists & labels. George “GiBi” del Barrio, Geebz for short, educates through a serious of videos, and live webinars.
The Texas Music Office (TMO) is a state-funded business promotion office and information clearinghouse for the Texas music industry. This site contains 15,962 business, band or event listings totaling 3,028 printed pages. You don’t have to be from Texas to benefit from most of the contacts and business guides listed on this site!
United States Copyright Office
A copyright is a form of intellectual property law that protects original works of authorship (fixed in a tangible medium of expression) including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. While registering a copyright is not mandatory, there are certain benefits for doing so.
United States Patent and Trademark Office
This government website is helpful to see if your name is taken and how to trademark your name so no one can take it and all the forms you need.
YouLicense is an online music licensing marketplace for Film & Television, Advertising Campaigns, Music on Hold, Mobile Phone Content, Web Content, Audio Projects, or a small business in need of musical content.
SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMS
Denny’s adopted bands eat for free at Denny’s while on the road and get to host after parties for their fans at local Denny’s.
If your band is located in The USA, plays 6 – 10 shows per month, all band members are 21 or older, and you have a love for Jägermeister, you just might have what it takes to be a Jäger band!
Corporate sponsors want to pay the cost of your next album production. If you are serious about your music career, have a CD, and can sell or give away 300 or more CDs a year, you just may qualify to have your CDs produced free of charge!
