Rising Star Systems

Social Media – An Interview With Ariel Hyatt, CyberPR

social media, Ariel Hyatt, Internet marketing

Twitter, My Space, Face Book, oh my! Social Media is everywhere – but what is it really? And how do you incorporate it into your smart marketing plan, efficiently and effectively? Debra interviews Ariel Hyatt from Cyber PR

Debra Russell Recommends Indie Band Manager

sales, marketing, administrative

My friend, Charlie Cheney, designed this system based on filemaker Pro for his own career in music.  But when he saw how many musicians, agents and other professionals in the music industry needed this product, he made it available to the public. This program is a comprehensive contact management, booking and tour management system. And […]

PR vs. Advertising

Small Business owners who do not have a background in marketing often confuse PR (public Relations) and advertising.  Advertising refers to a very specific thing – buying space/time in a public medium such as print, radio, TV, or billboard.  Public relations refers to everything else we do to promote ourselves and our business. Frankly, unless […]

Debra Recommends TAXI

marketing, business

I’ve been working with TAXI as a speaker for the yearly conference, the Road Rally, since 2005.  I’ve come to know many TAXI Members, as well as Michael Laskow and the other staff who tirelessly work to help their members create a prosperous living doing what they love. I can without hesitation recommend TAXI Membership […]

Debra Recommends Ruthless Self-Promotion in the Music Industry

promotion, marketing

by Jeffrey Fisher Product Description from Amazon.com Despite the ever-changing nature of the music industry, one constant remains: you must become a ruthless promotion fanatic to achieve success. There are no quick fixes or shortcuts to fame and fortune in the music business. But if you truly desire success and are dedicated to putting your […]

Debra Recommends Music, Money and Success

business, finance

The Insider’s Guide to Making Money in the Music Industry by Jeffrey Brabec and Todd Brabec My friends, Jeff and Todd, have written a comprehensive and incredibly informative book about the world of music licensing. From Amazon: The music and entertainment business means money for songwriters, composers, recording artists, musicians, music publishers and record companies. […]

Debra Recommends All You Need To Know About the Music Business

business, administrative

An entertainment lawyer whose clients include many from the top of the music charts, Passman has written a book that sets out to give musicians, performers, and songwriters the tools to hire advisers, market their careers, protect their creative works, and generally cope with a complex industry in a state of flux.

Debra Recommends Folk Venue List Serve

A list serve for folk venue promoters – primarily a place for them to discuss amongst themselves the issues that they face as venues. This is NOT a good place to promote your act – but is useful for market research.