



"If you want people to start taking your music seriously, you will need to put good quality material out there. To record good quality material, you will need to spend money on studio time. While you can always go to a friends house because he has his own DIY ‘studio’, this isn’t recommended. Most likely the recording quality won’t be of the level needed, and will give a bad impression of you when you show people your recordings…But back to the point I’m trying to make. Don’t cut corners when it comes to making your music. There are ways to save money with some of the necessary expenses, but even then you will have to shell out some change."

"Even with the prevalence of home-based recording these days, sometimes there’s no substitute for the experience of recording in a professional studio, with an experienced engineer. A talented sound engineer can hear things in a track you can barely distinguish, and watching them work will only help to make you a better listener...When you’ve figured out your budget and narrowed down some studios in your area. It’s time to take a tour. Never book a studio without first going for a tour of it..."

Do you have a bag full of could-be hit songs? It won't matter if nobody can find information about you or your music easily (especially online). We live in a digital age. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have become a must-use outlet for promoting your music. If you're an overachiever consider setting up a profile for each major networking site, and automating your posts with software such as HootSuite to maximize your impact. Beyond social media sites it is also imperative that you set up a .com website. This website will serve as your "home base" allowing you to more easily sell your music using a completely customizable page. No matter what social networks may rise or fall in popularity your website will remain.Have you taken the time to copyright your songs? Before you can license your music for use in film or TV you will have to prove that you're the copyright owner. The cost is only $35, and you can register as many works (songs) as you want at one time. You can check out our Phosphene Productions Copyright guide here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-SOOFHpZic If you plan on making money with your music you'll need somewhere to keep it (not under your mattress!) After opening a dedicated bank account for your band you should keep your earnings separate from your domestic finances. With a dedicated bank account you will also qualify to begin the process of registering your band as a business.Is your band set up as a business? Setting up as an LLC is usually a good choice. A lawyer or accountant can help you with this, although it's not overly difficult to do yourself. Need new strings? Tax deductible. In ear monitors? Tax deductible. If you’re not doing this you’re leaving legitimate and legal money on the table.The music business can be an expensive business to break into. If you’re serious about climbing the next rung up the ladder you're going to have to save every cent you’re able to and make some serious sacrifices for your art. As with any business you will make an investment in your project in both time and money. If you’re serious about taking your music past the bedroom and start making money you will have to invest in it, it’s as simple as that. Want to make money off of your music without investing in it? Sorry to say, it simply doesn't work like that. Eventually you will probably incur costs such as recording studio time, professional CD pressing, a .com website, promotion materials, instrument purchase and repair - the list goes on. Although finding the money to invest is easier for some than others, it will need to happen eventually. If you were going to open a grocery store, it would never occur to a sane businessman to try to grow all of your own produce or raise your own livestock to save money. The time investment required to do so would leave you with no time to run the store! You would get food from suppliers, freeing you up to focus on selling your products. A music career is no different from any other business and artists need to realize that if they want to be taken seriously.Now I realize that with myself being an audio engineer, I may be a bit biased when it comes to investing in your band’s recordings. So rather than give you my opinion, here's what some other expert individuals from across the web have to say on the subject.Shaun Letang from www.independentmusicadvice.com says the following on the subject:Taken from the article Why you need to invest in your music career Mike Venti from www.waywardmusician.com says the following: