Helping independent musicians since 2004
Get your music heard
How to Promote Your Music in 2026: The Independent Artist's Playbook
A no-hype promotion plan for independent musicians: release strategy, playlisting without payola, short-form video, email lists, and what to skip.
Music Promotion
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The Band Email List Stack: From Merch Table Clipboard to Send Button
The exact toolchain for building and running a band email list: capture at shows, a free-tier provider, a welcome email, and a sending rhythm you'll actually keep.
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Your First 100 Fans: The Unglamorous Playbook That Actually Works
Forget going viral. Here's how a new band gets its first hundred real fans: people who show up, buy things, and bring friends. Field-tested since the flyer era.
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That Time Our Band Was in a Mountain Dew Commercial (and I Got Mistaken for a Blues Legend)
A true story about saying yes to weird opportunities: a Macy Gray commercial, fifteen years of residual checks, and a case of mistaken identity on The Gear Page.
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Stickers, Flyers, and a Newsletter: The Unsexy Promotion That Kept Our Band Working for 20 Years
A case study from Evil Jake: the three analog promotion tools that outlasted every platform, algorithm, and trend since 2004, and how to run them today.
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How to Promote Your Music in 2026: The Independent Artist's Playbook
A no-hype promotion plan for independent musicians: release strategy, playlisting without payola, short-form video, email lists, and what to skip.
Releasing Your Music
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CD Baby vs DistroKid: Pay Per Release or Pay Per Year?
The two default distributors for independent musicians compared honestly: pricing models, who keeps what, and which fits your actual release pace and catalog plans.
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Pre-Saves, Explained: What They Actually Do for Your Release (and What They Don't)
How Spotify pre-saves really work under the hood, why they matter for the algorithm, which pre-save tools to use, and the honest limits of the whole tactic.
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How to Pitch Spotify Editorial Playlists (The Only Way That Actually Exists)
The step-by-step walkthrough of Spotify's official pitch process: timing, the form fields that matter, the Release Radar guarantee, and what to skip.
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DistroKid vs TuneCore in 2026: Which Distributor Actually Fits You?
The two biggest DIY music distributors compared on real costs, what happens when you stop paying, and which artist each one actually suits.
Home Recording
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Kill the Hum: Fixing Ground Loops, Buzz, and Noise in a Home Studio
A diagnosis-first guide to home studio noise: telling hum from buzz, finding ground loops, the fixes that work, and the one 'fix' that can genuinely hurt you.
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LUFS, Explained: How Loud Your Master Should Be for Streaming (and Why Louder Loses)
What LUFS actually measures, how Spotify and the other platforms normalize loudness, and the practical targets that make home masters sound bigger, not smaller.
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SM57 vs SM58: Same Mic, Different Hat (Mostly)
The two most famous microphones on earth are nearly identical inside. Here's the real difference, and which one to buy when you can only buy one.
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Studio Monitors vs Headphones for Mixing: The Answer Depends on Your Room
Why good headphones beat good monitors in most home setups, when monitors become worth it, and how to mix on headphones without nasty surprises.
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How to Record Good Vocals in an Untreated Room
No acoustic panels, no vocal booth, no problem: mic choice, placement, and cheap physics that get clean vocal takes in a normal bedroom.
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Do You Need an Audio Interface If You Have a USB Mic?
Short answer: no, and you usually can't use one with it anyway. Here's what a USB mic already does, its real ceiling, and when an interface makes sense.
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Behringer UMC22 vs Focusrite Scarlett Solo: The $40 Question
Behringer's ultra-cheap UMC22 against the Scarlett Solo: preamp noise, driver reality on Windows, and when the cheap one is the smart buy.
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The Budget Home Studio Guide: What You Actually Need (and What Can Wait)
A complete home recording setup for under $500, chosen by what actually affects your recordings, not by what looks good on a desk.
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Focusrite Scarlett Solo vs M-Audio M-Track Solo: Is the Cheap One Good Enough?
The $140 Scarlett Solo against the $50 M-Track Solo, compared on the things that matter: preamps, recording quality, drivers, and who each one is actually for.