Industry news & advice blog

12 long months ago in the dawn chorus of 2018, we compiled a list of our favourite resources for unsigned and emerging musicians. So jam packed was it with magical tools for your musical tool belts that we're thinking about making it a bit of a January tradition. So, dusted down and refreshed, here is a list of all the best places to head to keep your 2019 resolutions intact.


BBC MUSIC INTRODUCING
You're probably already well aware of the Beeb's platform for emerging artists. Since its launch in 2007, it has helped to propel countless artists into the mainstream including the likes of Florence + The Machine, Slaves, Everything Everything, Loyle Carner and George Ezra.

Submitting your music via the BBC Music Uploader can lead to airplay on local and national BBC radio shows, performances at BBC events and festival stages and inclusion on BBC playlists. So if you haven't already signed up and sent your tracks into your local show, what are you waiting for?


FRESH ON THE NET
Tom Robinson's Fresh On The Net website is another lovely way to get your tracks to music industry ears. Songs sent in by independent musicians are whittled down to 5 'Fresh Faves' each week, to be duly featured on the website. Make sure that you also check out the free advice section for some pointers on making and promoting music.


AMAZING RADIO
Amazing Radio is dedicated to playing music solely from new and emerging talent, so it is a great way to get some airplay for your latest release. There are specialist shows across the entire musical spectrum, including our very own Spotlight Show (aired on the second Monday of every month), so there are opportunities galore to get your music to some new ears.

All songs that feature on Amazing Radio have been uploaded to www.amazingtunes.com to be rated by the online community and the music team, so head over there and get uploading those gems.


MUSIC GLUE
Music Glue's direct to fan platform is used by thousands of artists, managers, labels, merchandisers and promoters worldwide to sell tickets, music, merchandise, experiences and more. As well as simplifying the e-commerce side of things for independent acts, Music Glue can also provide free, fully-customisable website templates, newsletter mail-outs and tracking/reporting tools.

If that isn't enough, there are live opportunities aplenty on their Apply to Play blog, providing artists with the means to send free applications to a bunch of music festivals including Kendal Calling, Live at Leeds, bluedot, Focus Wales and The Great Escape.


MUSIC FUNDING RESOURCES
It can be hard to know where to start when it comes to music funding, but don't give up! If you know where to look, there are countless resources to help make the whole shebang a bit less daunting. I've listed some of our favourites below:

Help Musicians UK have put together a great Funding Wizard to help with finding the funding most relevant to your act.

Leeds College of Music's guide to funding for musicians is also a great place to start. 

Here at The Unsigned Guide we’ve collated our own 48 page guide to help you out. Get your free copy of our Essential Guide to Music Funding here.


SENTRIC MUSIC
The wonderful world of music publishing is tricky to navigate but it shouldn't be ignored as it can be a vital source of income for artists in the early stages of their careers. From playing your music live at gigs to getting a spin on the radio for your latest release, Sentric Music can gather the royalties you’re owed.

If you really don't know where to start on claiming royalties, they can put in the legwork for you, as well as providing sync and licensing opportunities for your music. They also run a super blog that helps to make sense of all that publishing jargon that you hate, as well as a truck load of other general tips for independent artists.


SYNCR
SYNCR also provides emerging musicians with opportunities for live shows and the chance to have their music featured across TV, film, games and brand campaigns. Along with the premium briefs for paid subscribers, SYNCR also offer plenty of free opportunities that are worth keeping an eye on.


SPOTIFY FOR ARTISTS
Whether you're releasing your music through a label or independently through a distributor, if your tracks are on Spotify, their artist platform has plenty of features to build your audience. You can upload music direct to the platform if you prefer, as well as submitting music for playlists and keeping tabs on stats to see where your tracks are going down a storm.


APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS
You can also keep track of how your music is performing on Apple Music via Apple's own, 'Apple Music For Artists'. As well as personalising your artist profile, you can identify milestones and access other useful information such as where your listeners tend to discover your songs.


MUSICIANS' UNION
The Musicians' Union's 30,000 or so members benefit from contract, careers and legal advice, insurance, training and networking opportunities. Their website has full details of their services and some great advice on working in the music industry. You can look back on our past Q&A with the MU's Jo Laverty here covering everything Musicians' Union can assist you with, from getting fair pay for gigs to recording contracts.


MUSIC MINDS MATTER
Music Minds Matter is a free support line and service for the UK music community lead by music charity Help Musicians UK. They can offer emotional support, information, guidance and signposting to additional services that could be of help. If you feel you need a helping hand this year, or just somebody to talk to, you can reach their team of trained advisers 24/7 on 0808 802 8008, or by emailing [email protected].


THE UNSIGNED GUIDE
We're not one to blow our own trumpet, but it would be rude not to park ourselves on the end of this list. We're always looking to deliver relevant news and advice through our blogs and newsletters. And, of course, we also have a comprehensive list of UK music industry contacts available to our subscribers in our industry directory. We also select 5 tracks submitted by our subscribers to be featured in our Spotlight blog and sent on to music industry professionals each month. You can sign up here.

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