One of the biggest challenges musicians face is booking tours. Many bands don’t have a booking agent, so booking a tour can seem like a daunting task the first time out. Here are some key things to keep in mind to help you book a tour without a booking agent. Don’t Be Overwhelmed The first thing to remember is that you are only one person....
Read More
The nuts-and-bolts of promoting your music with social media It’s a busy life, being a DIY musician. Amidst all the booking, touring, songwriting, snapping Instagram photos, and hunting for mandolin strings at 11pm, it’s easy to forget the basics of social media marketing — or at least conveniently ignore them when your schedule is full. So here’s a checklist of social media musts every musician...
Read More
By: Zach Miller, Music Dealers “To be or not to be? That is the question,” wrote Shakespeare, a dilemma most artists have wrestled with at one point or another in their careers. “To work with an exclusive licensor or a non-exclusive licensor?” That is the question we’re exploring today with this quick breakdown. Exclusive Music Licensing Companies 1) Where Music Is Placed When the rights...
Read More
“Royalty Free” And Other Terms Entrepreneurs Are Too Embarrassed To Ask About By Christopher Rucks/ Music Dealers Licensing music like a badass means you have to learn the languages of sync licensing and music publishing. For those new to the rodeo, learning the language can be a bit daunting. Recognizing this, our goal is to reduce the amount your forehead crinkles in confusion as you’re...
Read More
Lady Gaga says paying tribute to the late David Bowie at the Grammys is probably the most challenging thing she’s done in her career because the icon influenced her greatly and helped shape her identity. Gaga performed an extended tribute to Bowie at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday, channeling the legend as Ziggy Stardust as she ran through his hits, including “Space...
Read More
You knew tickets for Beyonce’s show Friday, May 27 at Soldier Field wouldn’t last long. And they didn’t. You’re in luck, though: one of the biggest music stars on the planet is going to make a weekend of it in Chicago, also performing Saturday, May 28 at Soldier Field as well. Tickets (45-$305) go on sale 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. So you have more...
Read More
Time to plan the week. Here’s some of what we recommend: Through 2/27: Vertical Gallery (1016 N. Western) presents the Winter Group Show, in which all the participating artists contribute two pieces of work measuring 24 x 24 inches. Mon 2/15: The Annoyance Theatre (851 W. Belmont) celebrates the release of the Tumblr-turned-book Awkward Phase with performances from contributors Robert Bacon, Irene Marquette, and Wes Perry....
Read More
Gary Loizzo a major part of the “Chicago Sound” of the 60s and lead singer of the American Breed is dead at age 70. WBBM’s Bart Shore reports Loizzo died late Saturday night after a two-and-a-half year battle with cancer. He left the spotlight in the 70s and opened his own recording studio in Oak Lawn where he worked with REO Speedwagon, Styx, Bad Company,...
Read More
In 1980, David Bowie spent a month in Chicago playing the lead role in a production of “The Elephant Man” at the Blackstone Theatre (now the Loop’s Merle Reskin Theatre). Metro owner Joe Shanahan remembers the legendary English artist, who passed away Sunday after an 18-month battle with cancer, frequently coming to the iconic Lincoln Park nightclub Neo during his time in the city. “He’d...
Read More
On Tuesday, 1/26, we’re hosting our Music Tech Meetup, a State of Innovation-style look at one of the city’s hottest categories. (If you need proof, Chicago’s first music tech incubator, 2112, recently launched with a whopping 42 members; meet its impressive inaugural class here). At the meetup, we’ll be exploring the intersection of music and tech, spotlighting the companies and products that materialize when entrepreneurs...
Read More
