Remember when I said ReverbNation was like the web-genius best friend you never had hooking you up with free help? Well part of having a profile on RN means you’re just three clicks away from having free customizable widgets for everything from music players, to tour calendars, to mailing list registration widgets. They are a great way for you to put your band’s stamp around the web, the further they spread the more people you will be exposed to. In this second installment of the series covering all things ReverbNation, Brian Speronello shows you how to promote your band effectively using widgets and exclusive content for your devoted fanbase.

I came across an excellent blog post over AudioTuts today. Adrian Try lists twenty tips for keeping up your chops as a musician. On the surface, these tips seem pretty simple and obvious, but when you read through his descriptions of each tip you start to think about your playing and your career on a deeper level. At least that’s what I was thinking as I read it! I came across an excellent blog post over AudioTuts today. Adrian Try lists twenty tips for keeping up your chops as a musician. On the surface, these tips seem pretty simple and obvious, but when you read through his descriptions of each tip you start to think about your playing and your career on a deeper level (at least that’s what I was thinking as I read it!).

As songwriters, we often put practicing our instrument technique on the back burner to spend our time writing and composing new songs. That writer’s bug may never go away, but it’s important to take some time to hone your chops. Your songs will certainly benefit, not to mention you will surely put on much tighter performances.

If you’re not yet on Twitter, you must have heard about it by now. The Twitter phenomenon is in full swing. The faster it’s popularity grows, the more effective it can be for promoting your band online. Online music promotion is all about spreading the word as far as possible. By using Twitter, you can grow your band’s following and network with others around the world at the same time. Here’s how to get the most out from your presence on Twitter.

Here’s an informative talk from a panel of web music industry insiders: Terry McBride of The Nettwerk Music Group, Paul Brown of Pandora and Slicethepie and Peter Leathem, from PPL. Topics include finding new income streams for musicians, artists, and bands. How to maximize your revenue from various online services, and chasing your income where income is due. Interesting stuff.