Ari Herstand

The headlines this past week read something like: LA Band Faked Social Media Numbers to Book a European Tour That No One Attended. Nearly every music outlet in existence has written about this incredibly peculiar saga. MetalSucks, in particular, has devoted wall to wall coverage...

For the past few years the industry has been obsessed with Spotify. And rightfully so. It has proven to be one of the most powerful tools at, wait for it, making money in the digital age. I know I know, this is totally counter-intuitive based on all the headlines you’ve read si...

Your bio is your story. It should reveal why people should care about you. What sets you apart? Why are you unique? And if you have a new album, what is the album’s story? +Why No One Cares About Your MusicMake sure you have three bios: a long one, a short one (1 or 2 paragraph...

It seems every artist is trying to figure out how to get their songs licensed to TV shows, film, trailers and commercials. And rightfully so, there can be a lot of money in it. But it’s not easy. And there are only so many placement opportunities. Only so many songs each TV sh...

“From the point of view of the person doing the hiring, it is far better to contract with a competent player who has a great and professional attitude than with a brilliant but irresponsible and egotistical musician who will likely require reigning in and micromanaging. No matt...

Every small business needs a website. Similarly, every musician needs a website. If you're doing it right, you're operating your career like you are running a small business. Yes, Facebook is great and you should probably have a Page there. And yes, Instagram is the hottest thing...

When you have new, unreleased songs or demos you'd like to share with your team, you need a way to send them. Sounds simple enough, however, I can't tell you how many times I get sent broken links, 'empty' Soundcloud playlists or Dropbox links that won't stream - or are, gasp, 50...

Over the course of my 600 shows I've hired 9 drummers, 9 bassists, 7 guitarists, 5 keyboardists, 5 singers, 4 trumpet players, 2 trombonists, 2 saxophonists, 2 cellists and 3 violinists. Not to mention the various session players for recordings.I've also been hired as a trumpet p...

In the past, I would have told you all about the show I saw last night. From these great bands with a killer horn section, pocket drummer and bassist, angelic singer, yadda yadda yadda. Because the show was great and I’d really love to give props to the bands I saw. But I’m n...

The first thing that most young songwriters in the US hear is “you need to sign up for ASCAP or BMI to make sure you get your songwriter royalties.” I have to hand it to ASCAP and BMI’s PR departments. They do a great job of making themselves known. So much so, that most so...