Category: Music Advice

Band Advice: Picking The Best Band Name

Posted on by IndieSound

How To Pick The Best Band Name

Selecting the best band name for your brand can be fun and exciting, but it’s challenging and tricky too. That’s why we have outlined some ideas on How to pick a band name below. With any luck, your band’s name will be around for a long time, so it’s important to get it right. As well as choosing a band name that is meaningful to you and your bandmates, you’ll want something which reflects your style and appeals to your audience as well.

Don’t rush it

Waiting for inspiration to strike can be frustrating, but don’t pick a band name on a whim. Patience will certainly pay off because having the right name can increase the success of your group. Providing your name reflects your music, you’ll find that you reach a wider audience and, more importantly, you’ll reach listeners who favor your genre.

Whilst it’s not impossible to change your band name, it can make things more difficult. If fans already know you by your original name, switching to something else could mean you get lost in the mix. you may be eager to get your name sorted straight away, sometimes taking your time can help to ensure you get it right the first time.

Write music first

Chances are, you won’t be able to pick the perfect band name until you’ve written a fair amount of music together as a group. If you’ve only just teamed up with your bandmates, you’ll need to give it some time until you stumble across the right name. Only after writing some music, rehearsing, and getting to know one another will you be able to choose the correct name to represent your band.

Get local inspiration

Many bands name themselves after the location they originated from, so this might be something you want to try out. If you and your bandmates hail from different parts of the country or even various continents, try melding two locations together and see how it sounds. Alternatively, use the location where your bandmates first met or where you rehearse to find a meaningful moniker for your group.

Try a band name generator

An online band name generator is a great way to come with a name if you’re struggling to find something that fits. With endless suggestions, it won’t take long until you find something that reflects you and your bandmates as individuals, as well as your group. Choose to stick with a suggestion from your online band name generator or add a unique twist to add personality and character to your band name. If you’re still unsure on how to pick a band name then a great place to start is using our new band name generator by following the link below.

https://www.indiesound.com/band-name-generator

Keep a list

You might come up with tens or even hundreds of band names before you decide on the right one, so make sure you keep a list of contenders! There’s nothing worse than thinking of a great name for your band and then having it go clean out of your mind. Jot potential names down on a piece of paper or record them on your phone or tablet, and you’ll always have a handy reminder of what you’ve come up with.

Be unique

You can’t choose a name that’s already in use, but you won’t want to pick something which is too close to another band name either. If people confuse you with another band, you could miss out on support from your fans, or end up with disappointed punters at gigs. Whilst it’s fine to use generic words that other bands have used in their names, ensure your group’s title is as unique as you are.

Look for inspiration

Band names can come out of nowhere, so keep your eyes and ears open for inspiration at all times. Whether you want a one-word name, a longer moniker or you want to invent a new word yourselves, you never know when inspiration will strike. Check out some classic literature, poetry, or old movies and you’ll be surprised at how well the lyrics and dialogue can work for musical bands and groups.

Get feedback

If you’ve come up with a shortlist of your favorite names, make sure you get some feedback before you make your final choice. Asking friends and family members what they think can be useful, but remember they may not be your target audience. Where it Pop, Electronic, EDM of heavy metal, find fans of your genre and ask them to give you honest feedback about your suggested band names. It’s also a great idea to ask your friends for their suggestions on how to pick a band name.

Protect your name

Once you’ve come up with the perfect name for your brand, you’ll want to ensure you protect it. It may be possible to copyright your name, but you can also register it as a domain and on various social media sites. With your band name settled, you’ll be ready to start promoting your music and booking your first professional gigs, so having your online identity in place will be a great way to get your band name out there.

Nicole Cumming of Indie Sound. First posted on IndieSound.com
[Editor’s Note: Slight edits to spelling; grammar; punctuation and SEO]

How to start your music career working from home

Posted on by LoveOfBands

By Greta Larsen (Guest Author)

If you are passionate about music and would like to turn it into a career, do not expect an easy route. There are plenty of other talented musicians who have had a head start and are on their way to the top.

On the other hand, even if the music industry seems a bit oversaturated right now, the time to start now is pretty great. Why? Well, the ongoing pandemic is making people stay at home, and for some, music is one of the best ways to forget about their woes, even if it is only for a while.

Music fans are eager to discover new artists on the internet. If you play your cards right and get a bit of luck, you can become a recognizable musician. However, you will need to work hard to reach that point. Here are some ideas on how to increase the odds of succeeding as a musician.

Get Reliable Equipment

The first thing you need is proper equipment. Do not think that purchasing a cheap microphone and recording your voice on a computer will impress others. Unless you are super talented, you will need a proper microphone, headphones, and music editing software. 

A computer is also a must. If you plan to work from home, a PC should be the go-to choice. On the other hand, you may need to travel eventually and work remotely, meaning that investing in a laptop is not a bad choice either. 

MacBook Air could be one of the options. Besides work, you can also use the computer to video chat with fans or other musicians who may want to collaborate so long your Mac is functioning properly. In case you run into issues like macbook air microphone not working, you may need to take it to a computer service store or look for a solution yourself. Overall, though, Macs are quite reliable, and various performance problems occur rarely.

Set Small Goals

Once you set up your equipment, start writing a goal list. Working without a clear idea of what you should do is not the right approach. Besides, when you reach a certain milestone and cross it off the list, it will give you motivation as you will see clear progress. 

As a rule of thumb, it is recommended to start small and be realistic. A goal can be as simple as having your first view on YouTube or a positive comment below the recording. Finishing a song and recording it is another great example. 

There are many aspiring musicians who believe in having what it takes to succeed, but they never get past the first hurdle, which is making actual music. 

If you succeed as a musician, it will be interesting to look back at your early goals and see how much you have managed to achieve. 

Look for Opportunities to Perform

The opportunities to perform live are pretty much non-existent for many professionals because of the pandemic, meaning that the situation is even tougher for amateurs. 

Nevertheless, if you get an opportunity to showcase your voice to other people, do not hesitate and go for it. The performance can be as simple as singing karaoke in a bar or having a get-together with your friends and letting them know about your dream.

The goal here is to let reveal your skills to as many people and have them become interested in hearing more from you. 

Grow Your Network

Once you have a few performances lined up (even if they are relatively small), make sure to interact with people and grow your network. It can be fans, other musicians who may wish to do some stuff together in the future, or people from the music industry that could help with your career.

Similar to growing a fanbase, networking will also lead to growing your brand and leading to more opportunities to perform. Even a small connection could prove to be significant in what it does for your career.

Establish Online Presence

It is still too early to tell when the pandemic is going to disappear. Thus, you will need to put most of your resources into establishing an online presence. And it is not just about developing a decent website.

No, as a musician, you have opportunities to reach audiences on platforms like Spotify and Soundcloud after creating a profile and uploading your music there.

YouTube is another great example. Some world-famous musicians have started their careers on YouTube. Uploading a video where you perform and having the video go viral is pretty much all one needs to become a star.

Lastly, there is Twitch TV. Even professional musicians are joining the platform to keep in touch with their fans and make money at the same time. 

How to create a YouTube channel for your music/band

Posted on by IndieSound

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If you are a musical performer, whether solo or in a band and you don’t have a YouTube channel yet, you’re missing out on an incredible way to build your fanbase.

It’s understandable why you might have avoided YouTube up to this point, maybe you saw it as only the realm of vloggers or live streamers, a place where video creation reigns supreme and you’d be right. 

However, what you might not realize is that YouTube is also the single biggest platform for streaming music online. It offers up the opportunity to become part of a huge community of other creatives and artists and you can directly access and engage with your audience, a proven method to building a loyal fanbase.

It’s never been more important for independent artists to have a strong social presence and if you want to be where the people are, build a presence on YouTube. 

 

Steps to set up channel

So now we have you convinced, let’s look at some of the steps you’ll need to take when setting up your YouTube channel.

Step 1: Branding

Branding is an important consideration not just from the perspective of starting a YouTube channel. You want to maintain a brand that reflects your style and sound. 

This goes from your name to your logo and album artwork, as well as your overall digital presence. Check out our article on how to pick a band name if you need help on that front.

Where YouTube is concerned, consistent branding takes into account your logo, banner, video thumbnails and endscreens. 

  • Logo – Your logo will set the expectations for your audience in terms of the sound they can expect from your music. Make sure your logo reflects your style and doesn’t clash with an audience’s expectations. You don’t need to hire a designer to create a great band or artist logo.
  • Banner – The YouTube banner or channel art is a great place to include information on upcoming tour dates or album or single releases. Make sure to keep it on brand but use the opportunity to promote to your audience.
  • Thumbnails – Thumbnails should be eye catching and should make an audience want to click. Tease the story of your song or create mystery or intrigue. Make sure to take pictures specifically with the thumbnail in mind.
  • Endscreens – The end screen is a great chance to get viewers to watch another video or to give them a reminder and the opportunity to subscribe to your channel.

Creating all these assets doesn’t need to be an expensive task, nor does it need you to have any design skills at all. Online design tools such as logo makers and YouTube thumbnail makers make creating brand assets easy and affordable. 

The main thing to remember is to create a brand with colors and a feeling that reflects the style and sound of your music.

 

Step 2: Content/Programming strategy

Official music videos are great. They can be highly polished works of art that perfectly compliment your track, pulling in audiences and getting hundreds, thousands even millions of views.  Unfortunately, they take a long time to make and can be an expensive creation.

Viewers will only keep coming back if they have new content to consume. We suggest treating your official music videos as ‘Tentpole’ or ‘Event’ videos that you build other content around. 

What other content you ask? 

There are tons of different ways you can fill out a YouTube channel, all you need to do is get creative. Here’s a few suggestions to get you started:

 

  • Lyric videos
  • Live shows or song performances
  • Acoustic sessions
  • A recurring Vlog when you’re touring, recording or writing
  • Interviews and Q&A content
  • Your own versions of popular songs
  • ‘Making of’ videos

 

Step 3: Creating videos

One of the biggest barriers that stops people getting started on YouTube is they don’t know how to produce good videos. 

Professional quality video doesn’t need to be an aim, audiences can be quite forgiving when it comes to how well your videos are filmed, and the quality will doubtless improve over time anyway. 

Here’s a few things to consider before pointing a camera that might give your videos a little polish from the start:

  • Record in a space that’s on brand. Maybe you have regular access to a studio or cool rehearsal space. Find somewhere that ties into your brand image, or at least is clean and neutral.
  • Use your phone to record the video, in almost all modern smartphones, the camera will be good enough. Make sure to use an external microphone, if you’re going to spend any money improving an element of your video production, spend it on audio!
  • Spend a little time learning basic video editing. There are hundreds of hours of free courses on YouTube, or if you would rather, Fiverr has a host of creative professionals who can edit your clips for a low price.

 

Step 4: Relevancy

The key to success on YouTube is putting out content that is interesting to your target audience. Keep this in mind when you’re deciding on your video titles and tagging your videos. 

While you will almost definitely want to title official singles, ‘Name – Song title (Official)’ or ‘Song title – Name (Official)’ that same strategy might not work for your other videos.

Think about a potential viewer’s search intent. Are they looking for a particular genre of music or a mood that the music might invoke? Include keywords that might relate to their search intent in your video titles and try to come up with ones that might intrigue or entice someone to click.

 

Official artist channel

Have you browsed the YouTube channel of a favourite band or artist and noticed the little music note next to their channel name? And have you wondered what that note is and how you might get one?

Well it’s not just a cute musical addition, the ‘upgrade’ has some serious advantages for musicians on the platform. Let us tell you not only what that is, but how you might go about getting one of your own.

The note shows that this creator is part of the YouTube for Artists program. It’s similar to the blue tick on Instagram, letting viewers know this is an official, verified channel. 

But that’s not all it does, this little note also upgrades your channel to include more music specific features unavailable to your run of the mill vlogger or gamer.

An Official Artist Channel makes it easier for artists to manage their music on the platform, gives you more control over what your fans see first and also gives fans a single destination where they can go to listen to your music and engage with you as a creator. 

Here are the requirements to be considered for an Official Artist Channel:

 

  • The Channel must be managed by you, your label or manager
  • You need to have released at least one album
  • You have to have uploaded at least 3 videos of any kind.

 

Once you’ve upgraded, an Artist topic card is automatically generated, this appears on the top right-hand side of the screen when someone searches your name and contains any official music videos or art tracks you have uploaded to YouTube.

The upgrade also comes with some new layout options for your channel. Top shelf and feature video where you can put whatever videos you want. A channel trailer, latest single or announcement video are some of the best uses for this slot. 

The next two shelves auto generate:

 

  • Official music – this will feature videos pulled from any official sources related to your music
  • Discography – this will feature your songs organised by album

 

As well as this, YouTube for Artists gives you access to custom analytics with breakdowns of top songs, top music videos and in-depth geographical data that could help with tour planning and targeted promotion.

Your official profile on YouTube also acts as a press kit giving you increased visibility and letting you add images of yourself or your band that are different from your channel icon and banner.

  • Images should be rectangular and in landscape mode
  • Size must be at least 5120 x 2880 pixels.
  • Resolution must be at least 150 dpi.
  • You can only upload JPG or PNG format images.
  • Your image will be cropped into a square and a circle, so make sure you have enough space around the edges of your image.
  • Images must show your face or faces in the profile image – do not use text or album art.

YouTube For Artists also allows eligible artists to promote their concerts and tours next to their videos. An option can be accessed to allow viewers watching official music content to see a shelf containing tour dates just below the video. To access this feature you must:

  • Have an existing Official Artist Channel
  • Have a music attraction ID with supported ticketers.
  • Have an upcoming concert in any of the supported countries.

An official Artist Channel also gives you greater control over the way your music is accessed and used by others on the platform. Once you have Content ID, you can manage your music rights at scale and earn revenue from videos that contain your copyrighted content.

 

Promote your channel

Your channel is an amazing place to house all your content in an accessible and easy to navigate location. In addition to the music itself, you can also update your bio/about me page to include your story, talk about your journey as an artist and the influences on your work.

Check out our advice on how to write a bio for an overview of what information to include. You can also tie-in to your wider digital presence, including links to your website and other social channels in your bio and in all your video descriptions. 

YouTube is an amazing place to build an audience and develop a community around you and your work. Engage with the audience in the comments section and on the community tab, find out directly from them what content they would like you to produce and use their insight to guide your creative journey moving forward.

A final consideration is the other promotional means available within the platform. Cross channel promotions are a great way to access the audience of a similar artist or group. Collaborate with other artists, cover each other’s songs, interview one another. 

Find any opportunity you can to trade audiences with other musicians and your own fan base will grow as a result.  

 

Summary

There you have it, some of the main considerations when setting up a YouTube channel. We know that’s a lot to take in, so let us sum it up in three key points:

  • Start Creating – Consider consistent branding, make sure all the visuals on your channel are consistent. Implement a content strategy and consider how to improve the quality of your videos, but ultimately, just start getting content on the site!
  • Become an Official Artist – There are many benefits to becoming an official artist on YouTube, not least, a greater chance of exposure. But you also gain greater control of how your fans consume and engage with your music.
  • Promote – Promote the channel itself across all your other social platforms, but also promote yourself within YouTube by collaborating with other artists to tap-in to their audiences.

 

Good luck and always keep creating!

 

IndieSound
https://www.indiesound.com/blog/feed