Time Is Running Out, Indie Artists!

We told you guys about our contest in this blog last month. Well, our song contest ends in just three days!

It's very easy to enter. Once you visit our page, you can enter in just four simple steps:

1) Record a song using any Bari Beat.

2) Upload your song to YouTube. Include 'Bari Beats Contest' in the title. Include http://www.BariBeats.com in the description.

3) Like our Facebook page and introduce yourself by dropping a comment on our wall.

4) Send an email to BariBeats@gmail.com with the subject 'Fall Contest Submission.' Include a one paragraph bio and the link to your YouTube video.

All of our prizes include Bari Beats. But the no. 1 winner will receive $500 cash, an exclusive month-long feature on our site, mixing and mastering for 16 tracks, a spot on our Bari Beats mixtape, and two 100% custom Bari Beats. We're basically giving away the farm to one deserving indie artist. We support the indie music industry--and we want to pick someone who shows promise, believes in their talent, and has true grit in the face of adversity. The more original you are, the better. We don't want to hear anything we've heard 100 times over.

Aside from the top prizes, we are also offering

• 2nd Prize​​: 8 exclusive Bari Beats and our music marketing manual​ 
• 3rd Prize: 4 exclusive Bari Beats 
• Consolation Prize: 1 exclusive Bari Beat

Remember--time is up this Thursday, Nov. 21, at midnight PST.

Throw Your Album Release Party Professionally

As an indie artist, you've probably spent several months (heck, maybe even years) putting together a dope album. After putting in such a huge investment, part of your return is your release party. Just like any big event, you have to consider who will be there, why you want them there, and what it means for your career.

1. Plan your date and stick to it. Unless it's a family emergency, there's no reason for you not to follow through on your plan. Lack of funds? Throw a Kickstarter campaign and blast it on social media. No publicity? Start hitting up all your local alternative weeklies, and get your fans to promote your party on their social media profiles. Excuses don't make dollars.

2. Pick the right venue. For you, that is. This doesn't mean you have to rent out an expensive club or go so cheap that you're using your cousin's basement. Just do your research and figure out

• Where does your fan base hang out?
• Could you network your way into a better rate for a venue? Who do you know?
• What are the rules and requirements at the venue you want?
• Is the venue in a safe enough area?
• And any other relevant questions you can think to ask yourself.

3. Make that money. Try to sell your album as your ticket sales in advance. This does three things:

• It ensures you cover the cost of the venue.
• Your fans get something tangible for their cash. People love receiving gifts, so they'll be more likely to show.
• You can promote your entire album, not just the select songs you perform.

4. Get your "hype" team together. Enlist a few local bloggers, social media mavens, and a fan or two to help you put your show together. You'll need folks to help with the publicity, because you can't do it all on your own. Someone needs to man the tables when people line up to come into the party. You'll also need a hand (or several) when setting up the equipment, too. Preparation and manpower are key.

5. Put together a short list. It's a given that you want your existing fans there. But what about generating a new fan base? Or which media professionals would be willing to write up a piece about you? Write down the names/contacts of the people who you would like to attend and send out personal invites, especially to popular bloggers, radio personalities and music producers. You are throwing a show, but it's also the perfect opportunity to sell yourself.

Some other great resources you can check out are Hypebot (written by indie rapper @koshadillz) and Music Think Tank (it's a couple years old, but still very much relevant) for more tips.

8 Free Tools to Boost Your Music Career

Welcome to the Bari's Blog. My name is Jabari and I will be your survival guide in this beautiful treacherous world of music. I am a songwriter and producer of all genres, a graphic and web designer, and an internet marketer. Most of my posts will focus on helping the indie artist to navigate this highly competitive, ridiculously expensive, and over saturated business that is the music industry.

As a do-it-yourself (DIY) musician, the bills can run up quite fast. Everything cost money and paydays and investors are hard to come by. So to help ease the pain here are

8 Free Tools to Boost Your Music Career 

1.      Hypebot.com – A huge resource for music news, technology, and business.


 

2.       Musicradar.com – A great source for music news, reviews, instruments, and software.

 

 3.       Musictheory.net – An in-depth, easy to use tool that teaches you the mechanics of reading and playing music. Covers all skill levels from beginner to expert.

4.       Lynda.com – A highly professional library of instructional videos covering just about every piece of software and technology out there. This website is a little expensive but comes with a 1 week free trial.


 

5.       Pointblankonline.net – A progressive online music school with dozens of free courses.


 

 

 6.       Reverbnation.com – A one stop shop for musicians providing a platform to host your music, videos, and photos. A vast music community with dozens of premium features. 

7.       Bandpage.com – A free music platform integrating all the social media and web content of an artist or band into one easy to manage website.

8.       Mailchimp.com – A free email and newsletter service that is quick, effective, and easy to use.
of music peers to network with, a website builder, integrative presskit, promotional ads, and much more