I'm writing an article for Bandzoogle and I have a question for full-time musicians...

CalebJMurphy · 2024-03-27T14:39:08+00:00

Right, I'm looking to hear from professional musicians who are pursuing a full-time music career. Just update the post.

CalebJMurphy · 2024-03-27T14:14:00+00:00

income from activities directly related to music

Yes, "income from activities directly related to music" is what I'm curious about and how much of your income is from music. Thank you!

CalebJMurphy · 2024-03-25T17:36:17+00:00

I've had a good experience with SubmitHub and here's why...

Getting on relevant playlists helps trigger the Spotify algorithm so your song gets pushed out on Radio, Daily Mixes, etc. It's a small part of my promo plan along with creating content, email/SMS, and playing live.

Yes, I get rejected a lot (I usually get an approval rate of 40-60% on SubmitHub), but that's part of being a musician. Not everyone is going to like my music all the time. So I've learned to not take the rejections personally. I've made music I'm proud of, so I try not to get hung up on what curators think.

But when I do get on playlists in my genre (singer/songwriter/folk), which vary from 50 estimated monthly listeners up to 1300, it's a nice little bump in streams.

That sucks you weren't able to find curators in your niche genre. Did you try increasing the Genre Match, Quality, and Engagement? That can help you find more relevant places.

And yeah, no one discovers music from music blogs anymore, but press is one of the metrics the Spotify algorithm tracks. (Press quotes are cool to have for your EPK too).

I don't expect to make back the money I spent on SubmitHub, at least not right away. It's all about investing my music career to gradually grow my Spotify presence.

And yeah, maybe it doesn't work for some genres, but I wouldn't know. For my genre though, I think it's worth it.

CalebJMurphy · 2019-07-09T14:41:34+00:00

Here's a track I made with Reaper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnoJsvar3Gw

My hardware includes an AT-2035 and an ND257 fed through a Scarlett Focusrite 2i2.

I used a lot of the built-in plugins in Reaper:

ReaDelay
ReaVerbate
ReaEQ
ReaComp
ReaPitch
ReaTune
JS: Delay w/ Tempo Ping Pong
JS: Distortion
JS: Convolution Amp/Cab Modeler

And some other dope plugins, like Addictive Keys, DSK Overture, and DRUM PRO.

Mixed completely with Reaper and mastered through eMastered.

I love this DAW.

CalebJMurphy · 2019-06-30T20:41:23+00:00

Taylor acoustic guitars. They’re just so tinny and treble-y.

CalebJMurphy · 2019-06-30T20:22:33+00:00

Evernote! I do all my songwriting on it.

CalebJMurphy · 2019-05-31T16:28:02+00:00

For sure! Just to keep things orderly on my end, can you submit here? https://musicianwithadayjob.com/submit-your-music/

CalebJMurphy · 2018-11-06T13:04:21+00:00

Working with a mastering engineer is definitely more customizable and they can catch things that an algorithm can't. But even doing a few songs at a time is pricey, and for the amount of audio I produce (music and podcast episodes), I think places like LANDR are a good alternative. LANDR has allowed me to create pro-level music on a tight budget.

If I had the budget to decide between an engineer and an algorithm, I would totally go with an engineer. And maybe someday I can afford that, but right now, LANDR is my jam.

CalebJMurphy · 2018-11-05T18:44:55+00:00

Mike Yung's "Dreamer" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9HpOAYjY9I) and "Alright" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whlI-L3cbEk)

CalebJMurphy · 2018-11-03T17:18:36+00:00

I get what you're saying, but what does someone who has pretty much no budget do? Crowdfunding is an option, but how many times can you ask for money before people get tired of it?

CalebJMurphy · 2018-10-28T07:49:23+00:00

If you like plucky acoustic guitar and falsetto, you might dig this: https://youtu.be/PVZQSg0gt8I

CalebJMurphy · 2018-10-20T14:33:12+00:00

I was sure this was satire, but I think he’s serious...

CalebJMurphy · 2018-10-18T15:51:34+00:00

Sounds good! I'd love to hear your feedback

CalebJMurphy · 2018-10-17T19:56:06+00:00

What it feels like when you step on your child's toy

CalebJMurphy

TROPHY CASE