Bandhive

Setting goals is an important part of any artists’ path to a healthy career.

But you can’t just say, “I want to be as famous as Green Day!” and expect it to happen.

Your goals have to be realistic, measured, and clearly defined.

So what can you do to set goals for yourself that actually make sense? Listen now to find out what our top tips are to get you on the right path!

What you’ll learn:

• How you can boost your growth by setting goals
• How to get a million Spotify plays
• Why you should have easy, repeatable goals as well as big goals
• Why building relationships is key to growth
• How to achieve your big picture goals
• Why marketing that doesn’t result in much is not wasted money
• How having an emergency fund can be your most important goal

For full show notes visit https://bandhive.rocks/56

30 years ago, being in a band with members spread out over multiple states or countries would have meant traveling for almost any group work such as songwriting or demoing.

Now, thanks to the internet, it’s possible for bands to exist without ever having met each other in person.

That’s not common, but there are bands like that out there.

What’s more common are traditional bands with one or two members living further away due to a move or other change in life circumstances.

That doesn’t mean the music has to stop – there are many opportunities to keep the show on the road.

Listen now to learn how you can become more effective and efficient in managing a long-distance DIY band!

What you’ll learn:

• Why each member of your band needs assigned roles
• How to pick fitting roles for the various bandmembers
• What you can do to nurture effective communication
• How you can stay in touch with everyone in your network
• Why having backups is extremely important, especially when working remotely
• How personal accountability plays into a long-distance band
• Why you should practice at home, and rehearse before tour
• How to have continued growth

For full show notes visit https://bandhive.rocks/55

Music is an incredibly personal form of expression. It’s like you’re opening up your soul to your listeners… So when someone says they don’t like a certain part of your music, it can feel like a personal attack that cuts quite deeply.

The good news is, most of the time that’s not how it’s intended, unless the person saying those things is a hater.

But for the mass majority of people giving you feedback, the ones who aren’t haters, they likely have your best interests at heart. Responding kindly to them will help you seem more reasonable, and give them a positive interaction with you – which you can grow into a long-term relationship with them as your fan.

So how can you harness criticism to create better music and grow your fanbase at the same time? Listen now to learn more!

What you’ll learn:

• Why criticism is a good thing
• The difference between an amateur artist and a professional artist when it comes to handling criticism
• How handling criticism poorly can burn bridges (directly or indirectly)
• How to use criticism to create a better product
• Why telling someone they “don’t understand art” is a terrible response to criticism
• How you can turn a hater into a fan
• Why songwriters like Max Martin are incredibly successful
• Why not liking a song isn’t a personal attack
• How blaming your fans for your failures is a highway to failure
• Why constantly learning and improving isn’t a sign that you’re bad at what you do… It’s a sign that you’re great at what you do!

For full show notes visit https://bandhive.rocks/54

For many artists, getting signed is a dream come true.

Record deals aren’t one size fits all, but there are a few basic types that are most common.

If you’re one of the thousands of artists hoping to get a record deal, do you know what kind of arrangement you want?

Matt Bacon of Dropout Media was kind enough to hop on a call and outline the three types of deal that you’re most likely to come across.

Listen now to hear Matt discuss the basics of record label deals so you’re able to scout out potential labels that fit your band’s needs!

What you’ll learn:

• How Matt Bacon got his foot into the door of the music industry
• Why you should be cautious of “new” types of record deals
• What the most advantageous type of record deal is for a DIY artist
• How you can sign a record deal with the least amount of drama
• How the relationship between artists and labels is changing
• Why not recouping your advance typically isn’t the end of the world
• Why you you need to find the right lawyer for your business
• How to avoid getting taken advantage of by a label
• How Matt Hoos and his band escaped a bad record contract

For full show notes visit https://bandhive.rocks/53

It can be scary to think about letting a stranger work on your music. What if they don’t share your vision? What about losing the feeling of accomplishment that you did all the work yourself?

Those are valid concerns – but that doesn’t mean they should stop you.

Building your creative team shouldn't be taken lightly, you need to do proper research and find people who will work well with you and understand how you want the project to turn out.

Ultimately, it's up to you to think “big picture” while letting experts do their job so your song or album comes out better than it would if you do everything alone.

Listen now to hear more about the advantages of hiring a team to work on your next project, so it can be your best release to date!

What you’ll learn:

• Why you need to learn how to relinquish some control if you want to have the best product possible
• Why teamwork makes the dream work
• How pacing yourself lets you keep the mental bandwidth to complete your projects
• How having a team working on your projects gives you a larger audience
• Why segmenting your project into separate parts (with different people working on each part) results in a better end product
• How you provide the ingredients, and a producer is the chef
• Why your fans could be let down by poor quality products
• How you can create your own graphic designs easily… But why it’s not always the right choice
• How to be the best musician you can be

For full show notes visit https://bandhive.rocks/52

Branding is often the last thing that musicians have on their mind…

But it’s actually one of the most important aspects of your business!

Having good branding not only sets career musicians apart from hobbyists, it also gives your fans a cohesive experience with you.

Some might say it shouldn’t matter for music, and that’s likely true… But that doesn’t matter, because there’s no changing it: without good branding, your chances of success are extremely low.

So what does branding even mean? What does it involve? In a way, many little things that add up. Listen now to learn how you can create a brand for your band!

What you’ll learn:

• How you can grow your band’s fanbase by having good branding
• Why having a mood/vibe on your social media is important
• How your performance ties into your branding
• What you can do to make your appearance fit your image and brand
• How you should approach your color palette
• How your sound is also part of your branding
• Why top bands put on a theatrical performance instead of a musical performance
• Why embracing your band’s backstory and history can be a good thing
• Why consistency is the key to good branding
• How to avoid major mistakes on your printed CDs and merch

For full show notes visit https://bandhive.rocks/51

A lot has changed in the music industry over the last decade – we’ve learned a lot in that time, and whether it’s due to the changing environment or just plain old experience, hindsight is 20/20.

For the 50th episode of the Bandhive Podcast, Matt (Alive in Barcelona) and Aaron (Suburban Samurai) each came up with three things they would’ve done differently when starting their band if they had the knowledge and experience they have now.

Join us as we reflect on the early days of starting a band, and learn what pitfalls you should avoid so you don’t have the same regrets five to ten years down the road!

For full show notes visit https://bandhive.rocks/50

It’s November 2020, and you haven’t played a show in over half a year.

That also means you haven’t sold merch at a show in that same amount of time.

Over the last few years, sales have been moving online – but the pandemic is forcing everyone’s hand to make the jump now.

There’s a reason Amazon is doing more business than ever before.

Are you going to take advantage of this shift and start growing your online merch empire by promoting it on your social media, during your live streams, and to your email list?

Or, are you going to sit idly by thinking, “I don’t need to do this… It’s too much work”?

There’s a clear winner here, and it’s the artist who sells their merch online.

Listen now to learn more about why you need to sell merch online in 2020 and beyond, and how you can increase sales in your existing store!

What you’ll learn:

• How you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t sell merch online
• Why it’s good to have merch sources all over the country
• Why you should never underestimate the power of merch
• How the pandemic has forced online merch sales to become a necessity
• Why every store needs to have a free shipping offer
• How you can increase your sales with two simple techniques
• What adding value in your customers’ orders does for your business
• How you can sell more merch by understanding your fans’ needs
• Why you need to eliminate objections on your site
• Why sales are sometimes the worst thing you can use to get more orders

For full show notes visit https://bandhive.rocks/49

It’s not often that a band celebrates their 25th anniversary – it’s a special milestone for any business, but especially in the music world it’s truly incredible.

Ballyhoo! is one of the lucky few that has made it to this milestone, and they’ve done it based on the commitment, sacrifices, and pure drive of their members.

Howi Spangler, singer and guitarist of Ballyhoo!, joins us on today’s episode to discuss the band’s longevity, adapting to COVID-19, and how they have managed to make a living as creatives.

Listen now to learn more about Howi and Ballyhoo! and find out what you can do to grow your own business into a great career!

What you’ll learn:

• What Ballyhoo! did to adapt to live streaming when the pandemic began
• Why Ballyhoo! started hosting an annual Hoolloween show
• How adaptation is one of the keys of Howi and Ballyhoo!’s long-term success
• How you can monetize your band’s live streams
• Why you should build a community for your fans
• What Howi attribute’s to the longevity of his career
• Why taking risks within reason is necessary for your business
• Why changing your sound needs to be natural – but you shouldn’t be afraid of losing fans
• How to become a successful artist or creative
• Why you should just do it – start planning a live stream for your band today!

For full show notes visit https://bandhive.rocks/48

You’ve probably heard of major artists pulling their music from streaming platforms, selling only one unique copy of an album, or some other creative stunt.

These are great ideas for major artists. But if you, as an independent artist, decide to withhold your music from Spotify you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Don’t do that!

We always like to say DIY musicians should watch major artists closely and learn from what they do, but today we’re presenting four things you should not copy from the major acts (yet).

That being said...

Major acts do some things you should focus on before turning to big marketing stunts.

Intrigued? Listen now to learn more!

What you’ll learn:

• Why many great marketing ideas are not the right marketing move for your band
• How Taylor Swift earned platinum status faster than any other artist in 2017
• How Dr. Dre built his empire and kept his music exclusive to Apple Music
• Why some rappers are the smartest acts in the game
• How having human qualities boosts a person’s goodwill in the public eye
• Why quality relationships with your fans are a key to long-term success
• Why being a go-giver is the path to lasting relationships

For full show notes visit https://bandhive.rocks/47