Rising Star Systems

Venues and Artists – A Complex Relationship

Last week, an interesting conversation erupted on a music list-serve that I participate in. I think there is much to be learned from this both by the Venue Owners/Bookers and the Performing Artists who depend on those bookers for their gigs. I have removed all of the names/locations because the real issues here are applicable across locations, genre and venue size. If you are a performing artist looking to book gigs – I strongly recommend you read on – don’t make these mistakes yourself! And if you are a venue owner or booker – you may also find this informative.

If You Build It, They Will Come

Or Will They?

Many artists in the music industry believe that all they have to do is record a CD and their audience is sure to show up. I believe that this mythology has had a detrimental impact on the DIY musicians’ success promoting their music. So, let’s deconstruct this idea and really take a look at it.

Top 5 Twitter Mistakes

I’ve been using Twitter for just over a year, now. And I admit it, I’m hooked. Twitter represents an unprecedented opportunity for connecting with your fans, creating new fans and promoting your music or business for little or no money. But I see a lot of people making the same mistakes over and over. And it’s such simple stuff to fix. Here are the top 5 Mistakes and how to fix them:

How to Get Started on Twitter

Artists MBA, Professional Program

I’ve done several calls over the last 2 years that refer to Twitter directly or indirectly, and there have been folks on those calls who either JUST started or have not yet started their Twitter account. If this is you, what are you waiting for? Feeling overwhelmed and just don’t know how to get started? Well, this is the call for you.

Marketing for Musicians

This is a post I put up on the FAR-West list-serve (Folk Alliance Region-West).  It got a fair bit of reaction and so I thought I’d share it with you. Warning – a bit of a rant here… And I expect I’ll be flamed, but that’s just fine with me, because one of my jobs […]

2 Lessons from American Idol – Top 11

In last week’s episodes, I felt there were 2 themes worth exploring. The first has to do with the choices the Contestants were making – and you’re making as an artist whenever you create.

3 Lessons from American Idol – Top 24

For Season 9, I will be commenting on AI every week, so I’ll catch up shortly. I’m sure many blogs will be talking about this – but I will be looking at what lessons a music business professional can learn about how to create success promoting your career and your music.

Debra Recommends Music XRay

music business, A&R

I have recently been listed as an expert – under career coaching for Music Xray. Music Xray is a resource for both musicians, composers and the buyers of music to connect in a professional and transparent environment.  Music industry professionals use Music Xray as the preferred, direct and transparent method for interacting with artists. Music […]