Listen as business coach, public speaker, author, and sing/songwriter Matthew Moran discusses the importance of running your music career like a business as part of an entrepreneurial artist.

In this short interview, Matthew and Anna discuss some of the myths and most commonly made mistakes that prevent musicians from developing their careers. Matthew also shares his top actionable steps for getting started on your marketing efforts today.

To learn more about Matthew Moran, visit his website.

It’s 2015 and you’re ready to get serious about your music. You might have a multitude of goals you’d like to accomplish: maybe you’re ready to make the jump from hobby to career, maybe you’re ready to produce your album, or maybe you’re ready to play your first show.

So how do you do it? How can you accelerate your music career? How can you turn your dreams into reality and create a plan with actionable steps?

Your site can look great, but if it doesn’t have engaging content to keep people interested, that won’t matter.

Here’s a checklist of items and pages you’ll want to be sure you’re including on your site.

Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube, and the platform reaches more US adults aged 18-34 than any cable television network.*

Some of the biggest names in music right now got their start by uploading videos to different platforms like Vimeo, Facebook, and YouTube. Boyce Avenue started off recording cover videos and are now the most subscribed to YouTube artists. Tyler Ward will tell you that his social media fans are what made it possible for him to have a career in music.

So how can musicians utilize videos to their best ability? Here are just a few ideas.

Connecting with influencers in the music industry is one of the most daunting tasks for musicians. We tend to think, “if I could only get my demo in front of the right person, I’d be sure to land a record deal” or “if I had the right agent, I’d be selling out amphitheaters.”

The truth is, this is completely backwards from the way we as musicians should be thinking about connecting to powerful people.

The best way to connect with influencers in the music industry is to be able to bring value to them as well. Don’t just expect them to help you out, put you in contact with important people, or drop everything to listen to your cd. Read on for a few ways to make yourself more appealing to influencers.

You have a solid website and social media presence, but how do you get people there? How do you turn a fan for the day into a fan for years to come? One of the easiest ways is to connect with audience members and potential fans in person at shows and gigs.

Email marketing is one of the easiest ways to get new music, content, and announcements in front of an audience. Not only can your email list keep you in touch with your fans, but it can actually be a great selling point when trying to land gigs.

Your fans already respect you as an artist. Give them the chance to like you as a person.

While your website should tell your story and help people discover your music, social media should serve as a constant point of connection with your fanbase. Consider your website as the introduction, and your social media presence as the ongoing conversation.

When we consider the obsession our culture has with celebrities, it becomes apparent that people enjoy feeling like they know the people they respect. Even if you understand this, it may be overwhelming to try and pin-point the types of content you should be sharing. Here are a few tips on using your website and social media together to help you connect with your fanbase.