15 free video answers to your music questions

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Do you have questions about how to independently produce and promote your music?

Questions about songwriting, recording, how to make your albums sound professional, and ultimately growing a fan base?

If you do, then you’re not alone.

A few weeks ago, I put out an offer to answer questions from my loyal subscribers. I wanted to do something special for those that have subscribed.

Well, the response was great, and to make a long story short, I ended up making 15 free videos for you…

Here’s how this all started…

I get a lot of questions every day about how to record an album, make it sound professional, and how to get others to hear it. When I recently announced I quit my day job to focus on my music full time, a lot of you were inspired and had questions about how I organized and balanced my time to get it all done.

All great questions, the exact purpose of this blog, but not enough hours in the day for me to answer everyone individually.

With so many people wanting help, I turned to my subscribers first and asked them to fill out an online survey to ask their most pressing question.  I read all of them, boiled them down to their essence, and consolidated the questions when more than one person had asked the same thing.

When all was said and done, there were 15 distinct questions for me to answer. So I cleared my schedule on Monday, and spent all day making the following videos. I hope you enjoy them and learn a great deal from them.

Getting Started:

self confidence, experience is key, and the basics

 
1. Where should I see myself amongst all the other performers on the Internet stage? “Sometimes my motivation is rocked by the massive amount of talent out there and it gets intimidating to think I need to ‘swim’ in this.” (asked by Mark)

2. How early on should I start putting my music out there? “Do you think it is better for an aspiring musician to put their music online regularly or wait until they are very good at making music before they start putting it online?” (asked by Joe)

3. How do I get my music out there on a very limited budget? “I have struggled with recording and getting good sound quality with my limited equipment.” (asked by Stephen)

Songwriting:

songwriting tips, overcoming writer’s block, and finding your inspiration

 
4. How can I improve my songwriting and get over writer’s block? “In what way do you stay focused and organized with your song writing?” (asked by Christoffer, Mark, and Michael)

5. How do I find inspiration and what role should music theory play? “I quickly discover my key, time signature, general chord progression, and I find that keeping these things in mind helps me to developed the song further. Do you do something similar, or do you just write freely?” (asked by Austin, Brandon, Dan, and John)

Recording:

EQ tips and recommended software

 
6. How do I EQ different instruments to make a “fuller” sounding mix? “I really love your sound and am interested to know if you have specific tips about EQing and mixing guitar.” (asked by Andrew and Ben)

7.  What drum software should I invest in to go along with my DAW? “I find that not having a easy way to make electronic drum beats/samples halts my writing process.” (asked by Mark, James, and John)

Promotion:

The basics, finding your niche, creating a following, and giving away your music

 
8. How do I grow my listeners and how long should I expect it to take? “Sometimes I get overwhelmingly scared that what I’m doing won’t pan out. My instincts tell me it’ll be a success, but at the same time the fact is indie musicians sometimes have a really hard time making it big.” (asked by Anthony)

9. I have no following yet. How do I get my music known outside my circle of friends and family? “I’ve gotten great feedback from the people I know, but I just don’t know the right people to send it to to spread it around.” (asked by Ethan, Hunter, Magnus,  and Michael)

10. What should be my first step in getting people to hear my newly released album? “We have no following or fan base whatsoever and are aiming to start from scratch once the EP is finished. We want the EP to reach the right people but are unsure how to go about this.” (asked by Colm)

11. How can I benefit from giving away my music? “I am looking at giving away several albums. I have a couple ways to do this, and am considering using Bandcamp if it helps my rankings under ‘Best Selling’.” (asked by Tracey)

Balancing Music & Family:

Managing your time, setting priorities, and measuring your progress

 
12. How do I balance my time as musician, husband(wife), and father(mother)? “There seems to be days when there is simply no time…” (asked by Joel and Charles)

13.  How do I continue to focus on my music with a full-time job? “How much time a week or day do you think I should be spending on music with a full time job?” (asked by Casey, Dylan, and Keven)

BONUS Videos

The big picture, and being ready for next big opportunity

 
Just some more unsolicited advice from me

14. How to start bringing it all together, NOW, with whatever you have!

15. Identify your dreams and be ready!

So… was this helpful?

Well, that’s it for now everyone. Thank you so much for your great questions.

Now I have a question for you. Did you have have any “Ah-ha!” moments while watching these videos? Let me know in the comments below what you feel like you have taken away today. 

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