by John Foxwhorthy, Publicity and networking are the two most important parts of any successful music project. Unless you lack aspirations to venture beyond your local scene, your career risks stagnation without them. This is why it's important to get a handle on how to conduct yourself when interacting with radio, publications, labels or any other facet of the music business ... otherwise you chance snuffing your credibility before you even get out of the gate.
by Jaci Rae,
Finding a distributor is hard. It can take months and months before you find and secure a distributor, which is not an easy process for independent labels or individuals.
Don't give up or get discouraged; keep plugging away, even if
you can't find a
distributor after months of searching.
Distributors get a lot of packages on their desks every week, so it's imperative
that you contact them first before you send them a package. When calling a
distributor, you may get them on the first try, or it may take you weeks before
you get a live person to talk to.
By Keith Holzman, The marketing of music for independent labels has become considerably more difficult during the last few years due to increased competition and because the major labels have driven up the cost and reduced access to most general and music media.
So what's an indie label with limited resources to do?
 You know your songs are great (and so does your girl/boyfriend, family, pets etc), and you finally decided to record an album in a real studio. That's great! But what actually happens when you get there?
When you finally do pick the perfect studio, one that you feel comfortable at, there is a certain routine that must be followed in order to get the best performance and the best recording for your budget:
We've all been there: trying to get those last few demos done and in the mail for a publisher/venue/A&R rep. You carefully peel off the CD label so it doesn't curl ... lay it as flat on the thingamagig as you can ... center the CD and then carefully ... lower ... the CD ... onto ... the ... label ... and ... voila! There is a wrinkle or it's off kilter or an edge rolled back or you put the label on the data side of the CD! You throw another page of (expensive) label stock in the printer and voila! The black in cartridge runs out! Then it's off the Staples or Office Max for another package of expensive labels/ink/CDs. Yes, we've all been there ...
PR 101: A Primer In Publicity 
Publicity and networking are the two most important parts of any successful music project. Unless you lack aspirations to venture beyond your local scene, your career risks stagnation without them. This is why it's important to get a handle on how to conduct yourself when interacting with radio, publications, labels or any other facet of the music business ... otherwise you chance snuffing your credibility before you even get out of the gate.
We've all been there: trying to get those last few demos done and in the mail for a publisher/venue/A&R rep. You carefully peel off the CD label so it doesn't curl ... lay it as flat on the thingamagig as you can ... center the CD and then carefully ... lower ... the CD ... onto ... the ... label ... and ... voila! There is a wrinkle or it's off kilter or an edge rolled back or you put the label on the data side of the CD! You throw another page of (expensive) label stock in the printer and voila! The black in cartridge runs out! Then it's off the Staples or Office Max for another package of expensive labels/ink/CDs. Yes, we've all been there ...