It might seem easy for some artists to get their music uploaded to all digital platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, but it can be a very daunting process. Even with experience, artists can still find it difficult.

When I first started putting my music on digital platforms, I had my husband do it because I just really had no idea. It was all a bit overwhelming, and he had some experience with recording, so I thought it was best to leave it to him. That is until I decided I wanted to take over the process, so I knew how to do it myself. 

I felt a little insecure and dependent on people when I first got into my second marriage because my confidence had taken such a knock when I divorced. I was pretty scared I would do something wrong and create a crap life for my kids! 

As an independent artist, you want to take control of every aspect of your career. So it's important to know how to do these things; even if at a later stage you pass the task onto someone else, I think...

Have you released music before, and all you heard were crickets? If not, let me ask you this! Have you posted on social media, and all you heard were crickets?

It's bloody frustrating! I know! I spent years trying to get my audience to engage with me. I know how critical engagement is, and if you're building a music career or at least trying to, you've probably heard about how important engagement is too. 

And it's essential for a few reasons. But the main reason you need people to engage with you is to grow your fanbase, and you want to grow your fanbase so that when you spend all of that time and money on creating your art and recording your music, people are going to listen!

Don't make the mistake of thinking that people should listen just because you record something. I think they should! But in reality, we are bombarded with choices, and if someone takes time to listen to your music, then it's a real privilege. 

When I released my first single, I was SO excited! I...

Have you ever been so overwhelmed that you look at everything you have to do and although you're excited about releasing that first song... the overwhelm kicks in! Fear, self-doubt, there is just so much to do, learn, organise, and so in the end .. it's easier to do nothing... but then you feel guilty because everyone else seems to be able to do it? Well, you're not alone, and many of those artists who manage to get out their first song undoubtedly struggled with a lot of the same feelings. 

There are still days in this Shape Music business where I feel overwhelmed. This week is one of those weeks. I feel like there is so much to do, so little time to do it, and I feel like I don't even know where to start! But the difference is that I have felt this many times in my life, and I have put measures in place to help me move past it. My students tell me that they feel like the process of releasing their first song is just so overwhelming that they don't bother to start because...

Firstly, a publicist is a middle man between you and the media. 

It is the job of a publicist to build and maintain their relationships with the media. They continue to grow their database of contacts and their relationship with those contacts. 

Do you need a publicist? 

When I started, I hadn't even heard of the term publicist. Everyone just kept saying you're gonna need a publicist to release your music. So I hired one, and she was amazing! 

Now to answer the question of whether you need one or not really depends on a few things. 

Firstly, determine your goals for your release. What is it that you are trying to achieve? Is this your first release? How serious are you about it?

Second, how many of your own contacts do you have? If you had your music sent to media, could you then follow it up on your own? Could you successfully land your own interviews? 

Third, is it time in your career to be trying to take the next step? Have you done all that you can...

Singles vs albums, this has definitely changed a lot over the past five years. Majority of the time, you are always going to get more for your money when you buy in bulk, and generally speaking, that is the same for recording. The question is, however, should you be releasing them all at once as an album or should you release singles? 

In today's world of streaming, it is singles for the win. Sure if you really want to, then you can put all of the singles together and put out an album after you release each song. 

Here are three reasons to release your songs as singles: 

1. People have less to detract their attention. When you release a single, so one song, the focus is your one song, it's not the other five on your EP or album. When someone is focused on the one song, they can pay attention to it, decide if they like it and then start streaming it. Giving your audience too much choice at one time means that you have to consistently be creating more, whereas if you...

What the hell is the difference between a record deal and a distribution deal?

I used to have no idea, but when I signed my very first record deal, I quickly learnt the difference between the two of them. Here is what they are and what you need to consider before ever signing one:

Recording Contracts. Record deals or recording contracts aren't seen nearly as much as they once were. A record deal is a contract between you as an artist and the record label, not always, but usually, a record contract is where the label will pay for you to record your album, they will also pay for the distribution and the marketing of the product, this also means that they own the copyright in the records and also the masters, meaning they can do pretty much whatever they choose to with your music until the end of the contract. They can put it on the shelf never to be released if they want to. 

I was fortunate with my recording contract; I was signed with a great label who worked very hard...