The Artist Quickstart Guide to Building a Brand Online will be available on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo devices on Tuesday, September 4th, 2012.

Having a solid and steady career in the music industry is what a lot of us have been striving to accomplish for years. With today's technology it's quite simple to put together some music and toss some vocals on top, then upload the final product online and call it a day. But what can you do to take your music to a completely different level within the industry?

The Artist's Quickstart Guide To Building A Brand Online

This ebook was written by Kevin Hite aka Zillz, along with IllMuzik's own Shadeed. Together they've teamed up to tackle this issue that's bee plaguing artists for a long time. Most artists tend to think that by uploading their music and then spreading the word about it through various social sites will bring the masses to their music, then they'll be doing tours and the money will be falling into their lap. The sad truth is that most artists will never be successful on that level and this ebook explains why.

Branding

The authors do a great job at explaining everything in simple detail so that it's straight to the point and easy to dissect. They explain about the importance of building and maintaining a personal brand, as well as why you even need a brand in the first place. "Your brand is a collection of elements. As a musician, it is your music, sound, image, marketing materials, and your behavior. Your brand is NOT just your logo, it is much more than that", a quote from their brand-building chapter.

Business

What's important to remember above all else is that you are running a business. If you want to make beats all day or go into the booth at the studio and lay your vocals over a track, then do nothing else - go ahead. But once you decide that you want to take that step forward, it becomes mostly about business. The authors explain about structuring your business, with topics such as:

• What are the benefits of being a sole proprietor?
• What is a partnership?
• What is an LLC?
• What does it mean when a business is incorporated?

Social Networking

They also cover the social networking aspect with topics like "Internet Etiquette", "Social Networking Worst Practices", "Measuring Social Influence. The Next Frontier". Many artists don't realize that they're actually sabotaging their social presence by posting too little or too often, or just straight up spamming their pages to the point where they could potentially lose fans!

Other Topics

The authors also discuss the differences of having your own website vs. putting your music on someone else's site, such as Reverbnation, for example, and the pros and cons of that. Quality vs. Quantity, Building Your Team, and creating a Media Kit are also talked about.

Conclusion

This ebook is a great tool for any artist looking to get some insight into what to do next in their careers. I would recommend it for anyone that wants a guide or just some tips on what they're doing wrong and what they're doing right. The book is well thought out and pieced together in a very easy format to follow and doesn't get complicated. With this book you'll be able to build up your brand, your business, and make your presence much stronger than it already is.

The Artist Quickstart Guide to Building a Brand Online will be available on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo devices on Tuesday, September 4th, 2012.