2000: N Sync caps an unrivaled run of prosperity for the music industry by selling 2.4 million copies of its album “No Strings Attached” in a single week. 2000: Radiohead’s “Kid A,” leaks on the Internet months before release, but debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard chart anyway with computer-savvy fans leading the charge. 2000: Metallica [...]

2. Describe Your Ideal Fan Once you have a handle on who you are musically, it’s time to paint a clear picture of your ideal fan. Can you articulate how your fans dress, where they work, what TV shows they watch, what they do for fun and who their favorite cultural heroes are? Observe the types [...]

You work hard because you know you have something of value to offer … and you want to reach as many people as possible with your music. Marketing is the thing that helps you reach that goal. But marketing is also a subject that confuses a lot of musicians. Songwriters and band members the world over [...]

More expensive doesn’t always mean better or more effective, especially when it come to music. Sometimes knowing who your audience is and targeting them can be much more effective than an all-out broad-based promotional assault. If your music is more niche than mainstream, there are several music-based social network sites that enable artists to target fans [...]

Tribute bands are like high-tech silicone sex dolls — it looks like the real thing, feels like it, hopefully even sounds like it. Check out some of our other favorite lists like 100 Best Disco Songs Clearly, some of these musical facsimiles are more “essential” than others. So here’s a list of rock’s 5 greatest tribute [...]