There are a wide array of incredible music tech tools out there today. They range from distributing your music, mastering, backing up your project files, and even automating your life with IFTTT. Everybody, especially musicians, is always in a hurry and very busy with their daily schedules, so online tools that make tedious and time consuming tasks easier are often well received by consumers, especially with industry professionals.
Every industry has their respective online tools, and sometimes it can be difficult to find one that fits your specific needs, especially within the music industry. Making things easier and more efficient for artists, artist managers, publicists, or label owners can greatly aid in the success and efficiency of their business.
So, in this article we’ll share a few of our favorite tools, which include sharing your project files, promoting your music and growing your fans, as well as receiving feedback on demos you submit to various playlist curators, blog writers, and label A&Rs.
Splice
Collaboration is one of the key methods in artist growth these days. It allows you to reach an entirely new audience and hopefully attract a few newer fans from their fan base. Collaborating with these artists can be somewhat challenging. It doesn’t have to be, though. Splice is like the Google Drive for your project files. Simply install the application, and it creates a folder called, you guessed it, Splice on your computer. When the application is running, it will upload the project files you add to it to your account. Additionally, it’s free, and you have unlimited storage for all of your project files. Plus, there are a ton of add-ons that can place Splice as a one-stop-shop for any musician.
It’d be silly not to save all of your projects to that Splice folder.
Audius.co
Major music distributors, streaming services, and the like don’t always have the artists and creators that use their platforms in their best interest. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a platform that did, in fact, put the artists and creators at the forefront? Well, Audius does. The platform uses an advanced blockchain infrastructure to power it. Furthermore, once you’ve uploaded your content to the platform, it’s backed up and saved forever. That’s neat, huh? Audius was started by electronic music powerhouse 3LAU.
If you’re looking to step away from platforms that don’t have creators’ best interests in mind, check out Audius.
Editframe
One of the newest tools to the game and a must have for every musician is Editframe. It’s a meme maker and a video generator tool that makes content creation incredibly easy. It’s as simple as grabbing the URL of a YouTube video, or uploading a GIF, adding some music, some text, and selecting the social media platform you want to export for. Editframe will then process your “frame” and save it to your profile, where you will then be able to download it to your device to share on the social media platforms. It’s totally free, lots of fun, and will let you take your marketing to the top. You can resize videos, crop videos, add text to videos, convert images to video, or even just mute videos – the options are limitless with this meme maker and video generator tool! It pretty much makes it 10 times easier than using iMoview or FinalCut to create amazing content.
This is a tool that can fit the confine for anybody, including food bloggers, Mommy blogs, musicians, podcasters, vloggers, and many more!
Stem.is
Monetizing your content in today’s digital realm can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Stem.is takes a unique approach to digital monetization. Simply put, Stem.is allows you to upload your content, invite shareholders (collaborators), manage your contracts with those collaborators, and get paid. Furthermore, you can split the earnings between all of your collaborators. Stem.is is on the cutting edge of technology in terms of collaboration between peers and also getting paid. Who doesn’t love money?
For creatives looking for a different approach to digital monetization, Stem.is is a phenomenal alternative.
LANDR
Part of providing fans and supporters with your music is getting it distributed to the digital service providers like Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more. In addition to providing distribution services for musicians, LANDR will also master your track(s). While it’s not mastered by a human; rather, LANDR applies a complex algorithm that is best for your track. After the track is mastered, you will be able to download a high resolution MP3 and/or WAV file for distribution.
In addition to the online mastering services, LANDR has creative tools to help promote your music after it’s released. This includes a smart link, which allows artists to add the hyperlinks to the various services. This is a service that all musicians should try.
Anchor
With the rise and continuing success of podcasting, many tools have become available to provide simplistic podcast distribution and maintenance. However, not many are as easy, efficient, and effective as Anchor. It’s completely free, but its limitation is that it’s only available for mobile devices. It makes up for the lack of a web tool via its enhanced analytics, editing tools, effects, and incredible simplicity, though. It’s by far the easiest and quickest way to get up and running for a podcast, regardless of whether you’re a complete amateur or a podcasting veteran.
Plug in your earbuds (that have a microphone), download Anchor, and hit record to share your stories with the world… for free!
RECESS
When you’re on tour or putting on a show in your local area, then finding brands and companies to sponsor and show up to your events can be a daunting task. If you have ever wondered as to how to get sponsors for an event, RECESS event sponsorship platform has revolutionized that landscape, making it easier for event promoters, managers, and artists to garner the attention of prolific brands for your events. In layman’s terms, you create a profile, Recess will present your profile and event to the potential brand partners, those interested will show up on your profile and you choose to accept their offer or pass on it. It’s almost like AirBnB but for brands and event organizers.
Don’t overwork and stress out the tedious task of getting sponsorships anymore. Focus on what’s important: the event.
Universe
Once you’ve released a smashing new song, promoted it, and are starting to see some traction, you may want to have a “home base” where your fans can discover, follow, and support you. This is why it’s super important to have a website, and Universe is providing you with the simplicity, efficiency, and power of a website… built from your mobile device. Showcasing your work, including your music, is a vital step in your marketing strategy that can make or break you. Ensuring that you’re discoverable, followable, and presented professionally is one of the key steps to success.
Rid the code and time consumption. Add simplicity, speed, and professional presentation with Universe.
Stereoload
The digital realm can prove to be fruitful if its technologies are used properly. Growing your social media profiles can be difficult, especially if you’re just telling fans to “like my Facebook page.” Why not provide give your fans a free song in exchange for a like on Facebook, follow on Twitter, or a repost on SoundCloud? Stereoload is one of the best programs out there for this. They have a slew of highly interactive and in-depth tools that musicians, managers, and labels can leverage to greatly grow their brands and marketing efforts. From collecting emails for an email list to garnering followers on Instagram, Stereoload does it all. It’s also incredibly easy to setup and get started.
Fluence
A tedious always-on-the-back-burner aspect of any industry is public relations. Nobody wants to take the time, put in the effort, or even spend the money. However, public relations can be a huge benefit for your music and brand. Getting your name on some of the most prolific publications can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Fluence is a one-stop-shop for public relations. Bloggers, playlist curators, technology gurus, and many more professionals can be found on the site. Basically, the aforementioned professionals have a profile, which contains a bio, their specialty, a link to their site, and how to submit your content to them. If, for example, you’re looking for coverage on Dancing Astronaut, then you would find a blogger that writes at the site and submit your track via the link. The blogger will be notified, and you will receive feedback from them.
Instead of blowing up a writer’s email, Facebook, or Instagram messages, which may or may not at all be the way they want to receive submissions, you could use Fluence to submit and receive feedback.
Epidemic Sound
Getting your music into films, advertisements, or short films can be an incredible source of income and exposure. So much so that you could easily retire on a solid placement. This can be tricky to get into because it’s hard to know exactly who to contact. Epidemic Sound, however, can help. The company was founded back in 2009 in Sweden. They began as a music library and have evolved into one of the most forward-moving companies in their niche. As stated on their website, “Our sole purpose is to help individuals and companies soundtrack their stories with quality music.”
Don’t just write and release music for the digital service providers. There are far more opportunities for you to earn revenue, and Epidemic Sound can be a go-to resource.