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DIY Music Resource Library
Looking to navigate the music industry as an independent artist? This collection of resources is designed to empower DIY musicians with tools, knowledge, and connections to help you succeed. Whether you’re looking to learn music theory, mastering your first track, or need to clear a sample, we’ve curated the best guides, links, and tips from professionals to help you thrive in the DIY music world.
Bookmark this page and check back often for updates and new links that will keep your music journey and career moving forward.
Resource Library for DIY event organization coming soon!
Have a useful link to share? Head to the bottom of the page and submit it for listing.
Industry Overview
Music Industry 101
Soundcharts - 10 part mechanics series, each exploring a facet of the industry, including the processes and people involved, and how the money moves
Exploration Group - Guides to many aspects of the industry, including the Bird's Eye View of money in music if you like flow charts
Music Industry Glossary - A comprehensive glossary of music industry terms from Clip
Career Guides
Gen Admission - In-depth industry job descriptions, detailing each role's place in the process, general qualifications, and daily responsibilities
Berklee Career Center - Overviews of industry roles, with at-a-glance requirements, and links to professional groups and clubs for each
musiccareers - Guide to Working in Music with lists and links of top cities, companies, and careers in the industry
Careers in Music - Career finder and pages for different roles, with detailed career paths
Industry News
Music Business Worldwide - News and insights covering the worldwide music business
Music Ally - Real-time analysis for the global music business
Digital Music News - News, industry analysis, and business intelligence
Hypebot - Chronicles the new music industry, trends, and changing technologies
IQ Live Music Mag - Global news for the live music business
Contacts
Future Music Business List - A database of music industry organizations with women and nonbinary people in positions of power. Created by ZIEMBA.
Music Connection Industry Contacts - Directories of industry companies sorted by sector with contact information. Also includes a guide to digital resources and the “Directory of Everything Indie” intended specifically for DIY artists. Requires email subscription only.
The Unsigned Guide - Database of over 8,500 contacts spanning 50 areas of the UK music industry. Filter contacts by genre, UK towns & cities and more. Paid subscription required.
Music Business Registry - Calendar of upcoming music related conferences. Also publishes up to date industry contact lists for purchase.
DIY Music General
Blogs
The Unsigned Guide - Articles and guides on a variety of topics
DIY Musician - Blog by cdbaby with guides and career tips on a variety of topics
Hypebot DIY - 100s of articles with guides, advice, news, and opportunities
ReverbNation Blog - Articles and in-depth guides on variety of topics
Songtrust Education Center - Youtube channel with video conversations covering many topics, including royalties
Bandzoogle Blog - Articles covering a variety of topics, but especially use of digital marketing (website, EPKs, socials)
Ditto Unsigned Advice - (UK) Articles, guides, and updates on opportunities for unsigned artists
Podcasts
CD Baby DIY Musician - over 350 episodes covering a huge variety of topics relevant to DIY artists
The New Music Business Podcast - hosted by Ari Herstand, author of How To Make It in the New Music Business. Guests include both artists and industry vets
ReFolkUs Podcast - A podcast by Folk Music Ontario, where they talk to artists and industry professionals about building sustainable careers. Focused on folk music
Pro Advice
The Creative Independent - Interviews, wisdom, and guides that illuminate the trials and tribulations of living a creative life, as told by working artists
The Route - Insight and tips via interviews with industry professionals
Creative Boom Podcast - Conversations with creatives (mostly designers) with insights, advice, and reassurances for your creative life and career
Inspiring Women - A series from Music Business Worldwide profiling female executives in the music business, highlighting their career journeys
Gear
Reverb - Marketplace to buy and sell new or used gear
MusicRadar - Help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high-quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts, along with tips and artist interviews.
Equipboard - Find out what gear, tools, and products are used by your favorite musicians
Learning Music
Learning Music from Ableton - Super cool interactive website by Ableton to learn the basics of music making from beats to scales and chords to song structure. Plus a sandbox “playground” that brings all the tools together, and some advanced topics as well.
Your Friendly Introduction to Music Theory - An easy to follow, simply worded guide to basic music theory. Plus, check out the huge page of interactive tools to help you learn.
How to Write a Song - A step-by-step guide from StringKick broken down into chord progressions, lyrics, and melody
How to make music - A guide from Splice on making music from start to finish using a DAW
Gigs, Touring, and Performance
Guides + How-To
Booking Your Own Concerts and Tours - Basic steps to booking gigs from the Texas Music Office
A Comprehensive Guide to Booking Your Own Tour - Article by Josiah Garrett, detailed, with lingo and examples
The Mechanics of Touring - Details key players and general tour cycle with a simplified budget simulation
How to Book a DIY Tour - Article by Miss Eaves with personal experience
International Touring: Tips and Strategies - Guide providing an introductory blueprint for navigating the complexities of global touring
A Beginner’s Guide to Settling Concerts - Explains how to settle a show, identifies terms and deal examples
How to Book Your First Music Festival Slot - Reverbnation article with a general overview
Tools
Indie on the Move - Searchable venue database with information for booking and reviews
Open Festival Applications Guide - List and links of music festivals currently accepting applications from artists. Largely covers UK, but opportunities worldwide
Recording and Production
Guides + How-To
How to Record Music at Home - A DIY Guide from Loud Women on how to set up and record in a basic recording space at home
How to Record Your Own Music Like a Pro - Recording guide from MusicProductionNerds that explains options you face when recording, the recording process, and editing recordings
Pro Audio Files - Long list of articles with guides and tips to recording specific instruments with nuance and examples. Also includes Production, Mixing, and Mastering sections
An in-depth guide to beat production - An intro to beat making guide from Splice, covering what tools you need and how to use them to get started
Step by Step Guide: How to Mix Music - Guide from Pirate and producer Gemma Whitfield that guides through a complete mix process
An Introduction to Mixing Audio - In-depth guide from Splice exploring the three key processes in mixing: balancing levels, panning, and applying audio effects
What is Audio Mastering? - Intro guide from iZotope, including prep, tools, audio examples, and links to their video series for more in-depth discussion
How to Master a Song in 7 Steps - Step by step guide by Pirate, explains what mastering is and isn’t, and guides through the process
Tools
Pianobook - Free sample library founded by Christian Henson and run by volunteers. Over 1000 virtual instrument samples created and uploaded by the community, how-tos, and a discord community
FreeSound - Find “any sound you like” in a collaborative collection of over 600,000 free sounds, all under Creative Commons licenses that allow their reuse
Citizen DJ - The Citizen DJ project invites the public to make hip hop music using the free-to-use audio and video collections from the Library of Congress
Distribution, Marketing, and Publicity
Guides + How-To
How to Release a Record - Website created by Zach Hangauer walking through the process from mastering, distribution, physical formats, and promo with a ton of detail and experience.
How to Release Music: A Step by Step Plan - Breaks down the process of and what you need to have in place to successfully launch a new song or album
What is Music Distribution - Article on exploration.io written for artists seeking an in-depth account of how to get their music into physical retail locations and onto streaming services
Music Distribution Companies Comparison - A comprehensive comparison of digital distribution options for releasing your music online from Ari’s Take
Creating an EPK - How to make an electronic press kit and why you need one.
Cyber PR Marketing Plan - Three part article with pre, release, and post marketing plans
Creative Juice Podcast - Interviews with musicians, industry professionals, and marketers. Looks inside the cutting edge of music marketing
Tools
Music Marketer’s Toolbox - Huge database of tools organized by Amber Horsburgh
FeedSpot - Database of music bloggers contains fully categorized lists of music blogs. Offers paid service to acquire blog contacts in bulk.
Publishing and Royalties
Guides + How-To
Music Publishing: Unlocking Music Revenue - Explains the power of music publishing and how to monetize your music. Explore licensing, royalties and copyright protection in this full guide
Music Royalties Explained - A long guide from Indie Music Academy explaining the types of copyright and royalties in music, how royalties are calculated, where to register, and how to get paid
Your music royalties explained and how to get paid - Guide by imusician explaining royalties, what you can get paid for, and estimates of what you can expect
Tools
Mechanical Licensing Collective - Sign up to receive streaming royalties and check on your song data to ensure you receive what you are entitled to
Licensing and Sync
Guides + How-To
How to get your music licensed - Guide by Josh Briggs of Terrorbird Media describing what is required to license your song and how to approach getting sync deals
Music Licensing 101: How to Sync Your Music - From Berklee, learn how to create syncable music, stand out to music supervisors, and negotiate sync deals with these tips and insights from music licensing experts
How to Clear a Sample for a Song - Covers what constitutes a sample, what licenses are required, and the process of clearing the sample
Cover Song Licensing Made Easy - Guide to the licensing required for releasing a cover song, including links to services that make it simple
Legal and Finances
Guides + How-To
Music Industry Contracts - From exploration.io, a basic overview of contract law, with a more detailed picture of the specific agreement types and clauses that are more relevant in the music industry.
Mastering Music Taxes: A Comprehensive Guide - Guide on US taxes specifically tailored for musicians from Augur CPA
Tax Write-Offs for Independent Musicians - Examples of possible write-offs for US musicians, including which box to enter each
50 Income Streams Music Creatives Should Know About - List from Sound Royalties of possible revenue streams broken down by role, many with links to more in depth guides
How an artist’s team is paid - Explains payment structures, such as commission and contracts traditionally used to compensate members of an artist’s team
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