60 - The Lost Art of Using the Phone to Book Music Gigs

Sure, you can send email or use Twitter to reach people. It's easy and fast. But is it effective? On this episode Billy and Bob discuss the lost art of using the telephone to connect with venues, the media, and more. Billy also shares the story of how one phone call he made lead to the sale of 450 CDs. Don't miss this one.

59 - Working with Music Booking Agents

On this episode Bob interrogates Billy and forces him to spill the beans on everything he knows about getting paid gigs through booking agents. Did he ever deliver: how agents operate, what to look for, what to avoid, and the do's and don'ts of starting relationships with them. A must-hear episode for working musicians everywhere!

58 - Pinterest for Music Marketing: Let's Get Visual

It's not just for moms looking for recipes and hair style ideas. Pinterest has 47 million users and growing (83% of them are women). So this social sharing site deserves your attention.

But, no matter what you think of Pinterest, you should get more visual online - whether it's on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr. Billy and Bob share some visual marketing best practices on this episode.

57 - The One True Path to Music Success!

Are you looking for the magic bullet? The Holy Grail? The easy-button solution to building a career in the music business? Bob and Billy have the answer. After decades of research and real-life experience, they deliver the answer you've been looking for. The one true success route, finally revealed!

56 - Turn One Song Into Multiple Income Streams

A lot of musicians are sitting on top of moneymaking opportunities and don't even realize it. Often we can't see what's right in front of us. On this episode, Billy and Bob dissect Bobby Borg's recent blog post about the many ways to make money from a single song. Take notes!

55 - Using YouTube Videos to Land Paying Gigs

By now you should know that video can be used in all sorts of ways to promote your music. On this episode, Billy rips through a high-speed collection of gig-booking best practices using video, as Bob hangs on for dear life. They cover what to include, what to leave out, and what's most important to booking agents and venue owners.

54 - How to Engage a Live Music Audience

Each live show offers an opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind experience for your audience. Are you making the most of it?

On this episode Billy and Bob share their best advice on how to get comfortable with stage banter (something that strikes fear in the hearts of many performers), as well as other ways to make your live shows engaging and memorable.

53 - How to Use Craigslist to Book Music Gigs

Yes, you read that right. Craigslist! It's not just for buying and selling your old gear and finding dates. Billy explains how he recently started using this free site to find paying gigs, as Bob pulls all of the juicy details out of him.

52 - Physical Press Kit or EPK?

It's should be obvious to you that we live in a Digital Era. So, do you even need physical music promotion materials anymore? Do you even need to ask: Physical or electronic? Paper or plastic?

This week Billy and Bob tackle these questions and reveal some important things you should still make available in physical form.

51 - Mind-Expanding Music Marketing

This episode is all about generating breakthrough ideas. Billy and Bob deliver some passionate advice on going beyond lazy, knee-jerk thinking (including some tough love for musicians who have creative amnesia). Use these tips to come up with blockbuster ideas you can use to promote yourself better and grow your music career.

50 - Working with Your Family in Music

On this milestone 50th episode Billy and Bob cover the pros and cons of making music with your family or significant other. What do you need to know to make it work? How do you avoid the pitfalls? What are the unique dynamics of couples? How can you make family music-making a blessing and not a curse? Listen and find out!

49 - The Do-Nothing Guide to Music Success

The typical approach to building a music career is work, work, work. You write, record, perform and promote nonstop. That's great, unless you forget to add another important element. On this episode Billy and Bob explain why sometimes it's best to do nothing to be more productive. That's right, nothing.

48 - Is Your Music a Business, Hobby, or Side Hustle?

This week your co-hosts tackle some important questions. Are you an amateur or a professional? Are you doing music as a hobby or as a serious business? How do you define these labels? Is it based on money or effort or some other measuring stick? Can you be a part-time pro? Listen up. The answers may surprise you.

47 - Are Music CDs Dead?

On this episode, Billy and Bob dress in black and prepare to attend a wake for the troubled CD format. One of them is very pessimistic and thinks you might be better off releasing new music on vinyl. The other is more cautiously optimistic, especially since he just ordered 1,000 copies of a new album. What does the future of CD sales hold? Is it a dying breed, or is it already extinct?

46 - Should You Run Paid Ads to Promote Your Music?

Here's a good question, submitted by a musician listener named Morlok Von Grimorog (visit him at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=399974). As you'll discover on this episode, there's no one right answer. But that didn't stop Bob and Billy from sharing their perspectives, along with some important decisions you need to make BEFORE you start running any paid advertising.

45 - Music Biz Goal Setting Tips for 2015

It's that time of the year. Have you set your music career resolutions for 2015? Heck, maybe you've already given up on them. Most people do.

Regardless, hurry up and listen to this episode, as Billy and Bob dish out their best advice on setting goals and making progress. Both of these guys are pretty damn productive, so you just might learn something.

44 - Should You Play Music for Free?

It's an old story: "Hey, we can't pay you, but the gig would be great exposure." What should an artist do? On this episode Billy and Bob give you their best advice on when to play for free, how to determine the right situations, and where to draw the line. Thanks to Andrew from Room 24 in Austin for getting this conversation started.

43 - Music Predictions and Trends for 2015 and Beyond

On this episode Billy and Bob get out the crystal ball and discuss what's in store for music in the year ahead. You'll get an earful of trends related to the growth of streaming services vs digital downloads, the continued resilience of vinyl, smart homes and cars, wearable technology, catering to individual fans, and going old school with your marketing!

42- What You Can Learn from the Music Biz Highlights of 2014

Before we rush into the new year, Billy and Bob take a look back at 2014. They dissect the music biz highlights of the past year and discuss new album release formulas, examine the growth of podcasting, and reveal the Top 10 most popular episodes of "Music Marketing Monday" to date.

Marketing Lessons from Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift?
You mean that pop star?
Have Billy and Bob lost their indie cred?
No!

Regardless of what you think of her, the young Miss Swift has proven to be a smart and savvy artist.

On this episode, your hosts examine what musicians at all levels can learn from this chart-topping phenom.