How To Make a Killer Gig Poster

 As much as we want to think otherwise, most musicians probably spend less than half their music-related time actually making music. The majority is spent humping gear, networking, attending wild parties, signing autographs, landing hot babes, and...making gig posters.

Creating a good gig poster is not as easy as it may seem. There is more to it than simply slapping your band name and date on a piece of paper. Below are my tips for making your posters more interesting and effective.

How Many Songs Does it Take to Get Rich?

The answer: one, if it's the right one.

I've heard it, you've heard it, we've all heard it....like a million times. Here is Franke Previte's income from "I Had the Time of My Life".

 Right place, right time, right song = set for life. Franke was definitely on board the Luck Bus that year!

Songwriting: a Pachyderm’s Perspective

There’s an old fable in which seven blind guys argue about what en elephant looks like. They disagree because each of them is feeling a different part of the elephant – the tusks, the ears, the trunk, and so forth. The moral is that a single thing can come across many different ways depending on how it is presented. So, do you want your song smooth and pointy, or flat and leathery?

Track Order in an MP3 World

Up until a few years ago the most popular unit of musical consumption was the album. On albums individual songs were components in a larger artistic vision, and artists very thoughtfully chose the order in which they played. But in today’s MP3 world, where consumers have the ability to cherry-pick individual songs, is track order still even relevant? Why yes…yes it is.

Catching The Luck Bus

There is no getting around it: success as a songwriter requires luck. It is the X factor, the big mystery, the leap of faith. Thinking about it can make you feel helpless, as if your success or failure is in someone else’s hands. But take heart, my songwriting brothers and sisters - this is only half true.

Legs: The 200 Year Marathon

Recently I was asked by a friend to name my top 10 favorite pop songs of all time. I compiled a quick list. After reading it, my friend asked me why I had not included Nickelback’s song “How You Remind Me”, which had just been named the top selling song of the 2000’s by Rolling Stone Magazine. That got me wondering - what exactly does it take for a song to become one of the best of all time? My answer: legs.

Song Wars: Revenge of the Demo

Before an independent songwriter can pitch a song they must record a demo of it. The function of the demo is to introduce the song to interested parties – publishers, artists, and producers. It stands to reason that the demo should portray a song in its best light, but now that demos are taking on a life of their own a rebellion has begun...

Publishing in a Nutshell

Confused about the difference between publisher’s rights and songwriter’s share? Still think that someone exploiting your songs is a bad thing? Here’s a quick and dirty post that explains in laymen’s terms what publishing is, and what’s in it for a songwriter.

Building Your B(r)and

“Building the brand” is such a corporate sounding phrase, isn’t it? Unfortunately, reading this post is a lot like saving all your gear receipts and keeping track of your mileage – it’s a necessary evil if you’re taking your music career seriously. I know it’s unpleasant….I’ll try to keep it short.