House shows are the New Frontier of the DIY

02-May-2018 By Guest Blogger

There’s a new way to get your band out there: house shows.

Playing local clubs and venues is certainly a must for any emerging band. But the networking opportunity that might spring from throwing house shows is something not to sleep on. It might seem counter-intuitive that playing a house show is more fruitful than a local club. It’s not, and here’s why.

It’s Cheap

Playing a house show is a great way for your friends and fans to save a ton of money. No cover charge or overpriced drinks to deter potential guests! Sure they are going to want to drink, but let guests bring their own beverages. And everybody knows that a six pack from your local store is cheaper than a tall boy at a bar. And most importantly, it lasts longer. More people are encouraged to come, have a good time, and spend the few bucks they saved on some merch.

You’ll Definitely Fill the Room

Second, unless your marketing skills are extraordinary or you are playing your hometown, your band is definitely going to have a better time playing in front of a house show audience than a half empty room at a club. And if your band is coming up in the club scene, check out our tips on how to ace those live shows. It takes practically nothing to gather 50 people to a house party, the only thing you have to say is “Hey, there’s a house party”. You won’t even have to add “Bring your friends”. That’s a given.

It’s Easy

Third, you are way more likely to build a fruitful relationship with other bands at a house show than at a local club. A party is a familiar environment, even for someone who’s somewhat of an introvert or just doesn’t know anyone else except their bandmates.

It’s a lot easier to go up to someone and chat at a house party than at a club with loud music playing, people sticking to their friend groups, and bands always busy loading their gear or getting lost at the bar.

In an era where DIY is king, house shows must be queen.

youbloom is all about helping bands build relationships in unexpected places. If you could see yourself hosting a show in your own space, check out youbloomConnect to see what we can do to connect you to a CityRep and a band near you.

Luca is a freelance writer, blogger, musician and songwriter. Born and raised in Italy, his passion for Rock n Roll made him move to London where he lived for one year and gained a certificate in Songwriting from ICMP. Luca relocated in NYC in 2014 to pursue jazz music and liberal arts at the The New School from which he graduated in December 2017. Luca currently resides in Nashville, TN.

youbloom Showcases Irish Artists at Germany’s Music Expo: Musikmesse

02-Apr-2018 By Robert Loustaunau

Musikmesse, Europe’s leading music production trade fair, is set to unveil its first-ever musical showcase

Set in the commercial hotbed of Frankfurt, Musikmesse is most known for its massive musical instrument expo. This year, the trade show will expand its scope with a live music portion showcasing Europe’s rising talent. Over the course of 3 nights (April 11 -13), leading music companies from Russia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Hungary and Ireland will be presenting their finest artists.

Last year, Musikmesse partnered with Prolight + Sound to bring in over 100 thousand visitors from 144 countries. As the trade show continues to revolutionize the music industry and tech scene, that number is expected to swell. And an audience rich with exhibitors and burgeoning artists makes Musikmesse a networking hot spot on par with SXSW.

youbloom, the international music company based in Ireland will be showcasing three emerging artists at this year’s Musikmesse: Dreaming Of Jupiter ,Shane Ó Fearghail and Candice Gordon.

youbloom will be featuring artists like Dreaming of Jupiter at the Musikmesse Festival 2018. emmanuel hammond photography blessedlens.

According to youbloom’s CEO Phil Harrington, “youbloom Dublin obviously has a clear interest in showcasing Irish talent abroad and Musikmesse -Frankfurt clearly offers a great platform for connecting our scene with potential new international business partners. Yet, there is more to it for the overall youbloom brand portfolio, as we’re currently launching a new online service, targeting musicians worldwide, called youbloomConnect.”

The showcases will take place at Hotel Maritim, right next to Messe Frankfurt, from 6:00pm – 10:00pm each night on April 11th,12 and 13th, 2018 .

The youbloomConnect Irish artists are:
Dreaming Of Jupiter – www.dreamingofjupiter.com
Shane Ó Fearghail – www.shaneofearghail.com
Candice Gordon – www.candicegordonmusic.com

For further details please contact:
Robert Loustaunau
robert@youbloom.com
phone: 657 – 348 – 9662
www.youbloom.com

About youbloom

youbloom’s vision is to make live music performance easier and better for all.

youbloomDublin launched in 2013, youbloomLA in 2014 and youbloomConnect in 2018, for more info, visit www.youbloom.com

youbloom was created and is supported by musicians and industry experts including Bob Geldof, Rupert Hine (Renowned Music Producer), Mike Bone (Music Industry Veteran) and Phil Harrington (Entrepreneur, Musician, and Founder of youbloom).

Connect with youbloom on social media for more music industry insider secrets on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & LinkedIn.

6 Digital Marketing Tips for Musicians & Bands

08-Aug-2017 By Guest Blogger

There’s absolutely no doubt that digital marketing is the key to success in the music industry. If you’re keen to make the most of each and every ounce of exposure you receive, if you are set on becoming the next big thing, if you are striving to live life as a full-time musician or band member, then you must embrace digital marketing and acknowledge all the concepts and trends currently relevant to your industry.

How do I get fans? Is it about quality or quantity?

The 1000 True Fans concept is the idea that as long as you have 1000 ‘true fans’, you are never going to have a problem selling your music and your merchandize online. These true fans will help create a fanbase and market for your music and products that will help you drive further sales and success.

The point of digital marketing is to make the most of the exposure you receive when you perform and find those magical 1000 true fans who will give you a musical career for life. In some ways, true fans are similar to the marketing concept of brand advocacy. Encourage loyalty, reward loyalty, and give freely.

Make the most of Facebook pages

Digital marketing goes hand-in-hand with social media. If you’re wondering how to get fans, you must build a platform that allows them to express themselves, to engage with you or your band, and to learn more about you.

Begin with a Facebook page. Facebook provides plenty of tools to assist you in keeping track of who is engaging with your posts, as well as allowing you to measure how successful your reach has been. Make your page super engaging with a ton of live video, music, photoshoots, and quirky outtakes from life ‘on the road’.

Don’t forget to sync up your Facebook page with offline activities like gigs and fan meetups.

Embrace Twitter & Instagram & share your story

No matter how good your music is, your fans will want to know you or your band personally. Facebook is good for finding out information about gigs and news. Twitter, on the other hand, is good for little bits of communication and for emphasizing your personality. You can also personally thank a fan for coming to see you, as well as share articles, images and updates that you find exciting. Many people use Twitter to tell others what they’re up to. If you’re writing a new song, you can share this in a couple of words with an appropriate hashtag.

Instagram is very similar to Twitter, but favors images rather than words. You can share pictures and videos of you or your band travelling to a gig, images of the audience from your gig, shots with collaborators, or pics of your latest merchandize.

Having an engaged social account is a great confidence booster, as well as a commercial asset. Nurture the community you’re building — and think twice before purchasing fans.

Get your stuff out on YouTube

Many gig organizers will use YouTube to check out your music before hiring you. YouTube isn’t always an easy platform for new bands and musicians, so don’t worry if you don’t get many views at the beginning. Instead, focus on releasing some of your tracks in high quality for gig organizers and potential fans. Be sure to add tags and keywords to your video to increase the likelihood of someone finding your video or even stumbling across it through YouTube’s autoplay feature.

The good thing about YouTube is that your true fans will happily do the necessary advertising for you. They will share your latest releases through their social media networks and their friendship groups. They will also add their comments and likes to your videos. This interaction between fans encourages a fan base to emerge, which will develop its own personality as it grows.

Create a killer website

Still trying to figure out how to promote your music independently? A strong website can make your music enterprise look professional and serious. If you truly want to commit to a musical career, ensure that you invest in a website that has intuitive navigation, accessible contact information, and ecommerce facilities that allow you to sell your albums and merchandize yourself.

Your fans will want to be able to make purchases easily and securely, so make sure that this is possible. If you’re looking to set up your record shop, you can sell music through your own store and get up and running in a matter of hours. Setting up an ecommerce site independently is a sure-fire way to take matters into your own hands, and get your music business on the right track!

In order for your digital marketing efforts to be successful, be prepared to fully engage with these tips. Going into marketing half-hearted is simply not good enough. Just like an instrument, grasping digital marketing can take time and practise.

Author Bio:

Victoria Greene: Brand Marketing Consultant & Freelance Writer.

I work with online businesses and entrepreneurs to create valuable content and marketing strategies that yield big results. I am always happy to share my knowledge and love discovering new opportunities for collaboration. I’m also a keen singer and guitar player, but that’s strictly for pleasure!

6 Apps That Are Helping New Musicians Succeed

01-Aug-2017 By Guest Blogger

While we see hundreds of music apps on the play stores and app stores for music-lovers to listen to and download their favorite songs, there aren’t many for budding artists and musicians.

These are the people who might be looking to connect with other music artists and succeed in their music careers.

However, in the recent past, new apps made their way into app stores for musicians to connect with each other in same vicinities, find local musicians and discover new spaces to display their music. Succeeding as a musician in a highly competitive world is no joke. But there’s a ray of hope for newbie musicians now.

Here are our 6 favorite apps that are helping new musicians succeed and get in touch with their contemporaries:

1. Jambro

Referred to as a ‘Tinder for musicians’, the app’s goal is to be the best possible solution for musicians at a time when quite often they are not given due worth, respect and opportunities.

Since one of the major obstacles musicians face is the lack of space to get together and play music, the founders of Jambro decided to help musicians get over this major obstacle. The makers of this app spoke about the vision behind Jambro and said that they want local musicians to get out of their comfort zones and get together as a community that loves and creates music.

Jambro is easy to use – whether you are a guitarist, singer or pianist, all you need to do is search the app to find other musicians in your vicinity.

2. BandFriend

This app presents a new way to local musicians to collaborate by providing them with a great opportunity to jam together, come up with a new band or even have study sessions together.

The app detects your location and subsequently shows you possible matches who share your skills, interests and favorite music styles. Even if you are new to learning an instrument and are an upcoming budding artist, the app still lets you connect with others to study and learn the instrument together.

BandFriend also has SoundCloud and YouTube integration which lets the musicians show off their talent online and also watch videos and listen to songs by other artists in an attempt to help them find the perfect match.

3. GigTown

Providing musicians with an opportunity to market themselves for free on a broader stage, GigTown brings musicians, venues and party planners together. The real power and strength of this app is in its ability to connect musicians, fans and venues in a brilliant manner.

Moreover, with the option to search musician profiles, this app is a great way to establish connections beyond the already established world of music. The app allows musicians to upload audio tracks, video performances and personal information, which besides helping them promote themselves, also connects them with other artists who share similar interests.

4. Musicr

If you are looking for awesome musicians to jam out with, this app will help you do just that. Musicr is designed to bring local musicians together for the love of music.

Users of the app simply fill a profile that showcases their interests and proficiency and the instruments that they like to play. Musicians can then search for people with similar music interests and connect with them, form a band together, practice with each other and also share music tricks and tips.

5. Indaba Music

This app is more like an online community that brings musicians, the general public publishers, and radio stations, together It is a wonderful platform for new and old musicians to collaborate, work on music recordings, and interact with music professionals and fans alike.

Users of this app can also add new tracks or work on existing ones in an attempt to make music with people all around the world who share similar interests.

6. Sonicbids

This is more of an interactive open space for musicians and promoters to help them get together, collaborate and come up with jamming sessions and gigs. It also allows budding musicians to get more gigs, attain industry exposure and network with other musicians. Sonicbids helps other people find talent on this platform, get in touch with those musicians and advertise playing opportunities. Additionally, independent musicians can also connect with promoters and music-loving audience to expand their music careers.

The music industry is growing industry which is in the process of expanding and reaching out to an ever-increasing audience. While these apps and platforms are definitely helping new musicians succeed in what they love and gain exposure, an underlying reason for the growth of this industry is music’s positive effect on brain health.

Author Bio

Kamil Riaz Kara is an HR Professional and Inbound Marketer. He has completed his Masters in Administrative Science from the University of Karachi. Currently, he is writing on mental health, fitness and lifestyle. Visit his company blog and check the latest post on Online Dementia Test.

How to Improve Your Singing Voice with Karaoke Machines

20-Jul-2017 By Guest Blogger

Karaoke machines. The wonder machines. They can make a timid person go all the way and release stress from within. It is fun, to say the least. However, it can also be disappointing at the same time, especially if you feel that no matter how you try, you can’t seem to get the right notes to sing a song clearly.

Well, there is good news for you! Anybody can learn to sing with karaoke machines. What it takes is practice, patience, and some singing tips that will bring out the diva in you.

What You Need to Do

It may seem a cliché, but practice really does a lot of things. If you are currently practicing now, practice some more. Sing anywhere, try different kind of songs. Sing anytime you can. In this way, your vocal chords get the training that they deserve. At the same time, you can discover the kind of songs that will match your vocals. The more you practice, the more you can expect your singing to improve.

This works well if you have your own best karaoke machine at home. Before facing an audience of friends or family, you can practice on your own. Some even find it effective to record their own voice while singing songs, listening to it afterwards to assess themselves. The more you practice a certain song, the better prepared you will be when you finally need to sing with other people.

Professional Tips

Your karaoke singing skills can also be taken to the next level with some tips. The goal here is to create a space within your body, allowing the songs to just effortless flow out. How is it possible?

You might have heard this before. Breathe using your diaphragm. This is done by filling your lungs up with as much as air you can. Afterwards, feel that certain space right below your ribs as it fills up with air. That space is the diaphragm. This should be expanded to bring in more air to sing well.

Another tip is to allow your soft palate, or that part of the upper mouth just in front of the throat, to rise. This will allow your throat to open up. This will allow for more space for your voice and sound to flow out completely, and with melody. The next tip is easy to follow. Allow your mouth to open up wide as you sing. This may take practice, but when you get used to it, the rest will follow.

If you feel that practicing alone is not enough, you may want to take some voice lessons, or have someone privately help you with this.

Practice with Patience

The most important thing here is never giving up with your goal. Singing is part of our daily lives. You have your favorite songs. Even without a karaoke machine, you can sing. Singing well is another story, however.

Hitting the right notes and feeling confident when singing with karaoke machines take some patience along with practice. If you feel that you cannot do it, it does not mean that you can no longer do it some other time. Some self-confessed karaoke divas admit failing a lot of times, but because they did not stop practicing, they started building up confidence.

After all, nobody needs to be perfect when it comes to singing with karaoke machines. What you need to work on is your confidence. Along with applying the tips mentioned above, you can feel better when singing along with a group of friends. This is the most important thing, after all.

Author bio:

Tereza is a passionate writer and Chief Editor at Top10Suggest. She tells the completely honest story of her personal experience. She shares useful strategies that actually work and help others.