New Perks Added

We are happy to announce that we are in the process of adding new perks to our website to help incentivize artists and also reward them for their promotion efforts on their show!

We already have a HUGE list of perks that we have available on our site like, being added to BandsInTown, a free Facebook impression ad, social posts, and even refunds for promotional items when sales benchmarks are hit.

You can check out the list of all the perks that we have already available HERE.

The New Perks

We are excited to add a wide range of new perks to our site. In the beginning these perks will be listed here in this blog article. but eventually we will get them added to the page that we linked to above.

Post Your Flier

If you are able to get 10 tickets sold within the first week of being booked for a show all you need to do is, make sure that you have a flier created in your account (click HERE for tips with that), then just email your booking rep with the image of the flier and let them know that you reached the 10 ticket limit within your first week. We will then get the Flier posted to our social media. We will also make sure to post the link to your ticketing page for some extra sales!

Headliner Sales Status: Pre Show

For this perk we use your online ticket sales link as the main link when we create our Facebook event for the show. For these Facebook events we put all of the show information for fans to see in the event description, as well as the venue as co host (if they gave us that info), we list all of the main artists on the show, and lastly we post the online sales link for the top selling artist so far. This is great because if you are one of the artists that has gotten sales in advance then we use your ticket link as the main sales link for the show. That means that any fan that comes across the event on Facebook and buys tickets they will be brought your sales page and you will get credit for their purchase.

Branch Out Your Account

For this perk when an artist gets 30 or more tickets sold on their show we give them the ability to branch out their account to other cities. This means that originally your account may only be setup to receive show offers in one city (Say Austin Texas), but once you unlock this feature you can have another city like San Antonio added to your account for more show offers. So once you sell 30 or more tickets sold on a show just let your booking rep know of another city that you have a draw in (can bring fans to a show in) and they can add that city to your account and let you know the new cities booking rep to contact for shows.

Free Mixtape Submission

For any show that we book the top 3 selling artists will receive a free mixtape submission from our store. As a company we put out 2-3 mixtapes a year for artists to have their songs featured on. Usually we put out a Summer, Fall and Winter mixtape. Artists are able to purchase a mixtape submission from our store HERE. Now we are making the mixtape submissions available for free for the top 3 selling artists on a show. If you hit that top three mark, please make sure to let your booking rep know so they can get you in touch with our Mixtape team.

Artists To Watch

This next perk is given to all the top sellers on our shows over the weekend. So there is not a set number of tickets that need to be sold for the show. It is just being part of the top sellers for the show. For this perk you actually don’t need to do anything to initiate it. Our staff will reach out to all of the top sellers on the shows from the past weekend to request the needed info. However because we push these ‘Artists To Watch’ articles just about every week we will need to quickly receive the requested info in order to make you a part of the blog. So if you think you are a high seller on your show that you booked then please be ready to send over the info needed in a timely manner.

Headliner Sales Status: Post Show

There are many things that make up a good headliner for a show, but we want make sure that artists get the recognition that they deserve when they sell/promote like a headliner does. So any artist that gets 60+ tickets sold on any Afton shows that they are booked for will receive a free Featured Blog Article from our store.

In order to receive this all you need to do is, get 60 tickets sold for your show, then email your booking rep to let them know and they will get you in touch with our staff member that posts the blog articles on our blog. Then, they will reach out to you to receive the needed info for the post.

We are very excited to get to work on these new perks and hopefully artists will like them! If you have any questions about the perks please reach out to your booking rep so they can help answer them and when in doubt just remember anytime you think you met the criteria to receive one or all of these perks make sure you check with your booking rep so that it doesn’t fall the cracks and we are able to get you the perk[s] that you deserve.

Other Resources

Album Review: Love and Otha Drugz

The Rule of 7

Local and Livestream Shows

The post New Perks Added! appeared first on Afton.

Prep Your MyAfton Account

In this short article we will go over some important ways that you can make sure to prep your MyAfton account for your next show!

Your Ticketing Page

One thing that artists may sometimes overlook is their ticketing page. We have a section on the artists page where they can leave a message to their fans. Sometimes artists will fill that out and then when they book a second show they may forget to update that information to reflect the new show. This is important to do in case you have old information in that section from a previous show.

For help with editing your Online Ticket Page you can check out the below video for a tutorial on how to edit this using both a phone OR a computer.

Your Social Accounts

Anytime fans have the ability to find your social media accounts you should take advantage of that! Meaning you should always have them listed the most places that you can possible. Within your MyAfton account you will need to navigate to your ‘Artist Profile’ in order to make sure that all of these are filled out properly.

There are a couple different ways to edit your social links. The first one is on the second page of the contract when you are setting up your Online Ticket Page, we have a section on there that lists both a Youtube Clip URL and a Twitter URL. This is one section that you can fill these out on.

The second section you can access by logging into your account, then clicking on the circle icon in the top left part of the screen and clicking on Artist Profile from the drop down.

Then on the next screen you should see a section titled Your Social URL’s. Just click on the edit button near the top. Then you will be able to edit the full list of Social media URL’s that you have.

Create Your Flier

One of the most crucial promotion items that you can have for a show is a flyer! Flyers may have been around forever so they seem like they might not still be important but they are! Even if you are not planning to order a flyer from our print shop you still can take advantage of our Free Flyer Generator that is available in your MyAfton account.

You can access this once you are booked for a show by logging into your account and then once logged in, just click on Gig Offers on the top left side of the screen and then clicking the show that you are confirmed for (If you are confirmed for more then one show then just make sure to click on the show that you want to make a flyer for).

Then on the next screen you should see a giant rectangle in the middle of the screen that says ‘Why do we need a Flyer?’ and then below that there is a button that says Create a Flyer. Just click on that and it will walk you through the whole process of creating a flyer.

All three of these tips may seem like they are small things but they are actually all very important for both the help of promoting your show but also they will come in handy when you hit the benchmarks for certain perks which you can see HERE or even some of our new perks that we have added. You can check out the new perks HERE.

Other Resources

Album Review: Love and Otha Drugz

The Rule of 7

Local and Livestream Shows

The post Prep Your MyAfton Account For The Show! appeared first on Afton.

The Best Music Festivals

In this article we will be going over some of the top music festivals around the country. Whether you are looking to attend one of them or are looking to perform at one of them, read on to learn more about these festivals.

Rolling Loud Festival

The Rolling loud festival is a music fest that takes place in southern California. It is a relatively expensive festival but it usually backs up the price with a pretty great line up each year. For instance in the 2021 line up there were artists like Kid Cuddi, J. Cole, Future, Wiz Khalifa, French Montanta, Kodack Black and Playboi Carti.

In most cases it takes place around the beginning or middle of December, it is around the San Bernardino area and the price is usually around the $400 mark.

Pitchfork Music Festival

The Pitchfork Music festival is a music fest that takes place in the Chicago area. It is on the cheaper side which is great that are looking for some awesome music but are on a budget. When it comes to the lineup it covers quite a few different music genres so this is a great pick for those with a group of friends that have quite different musical tastes. The 2021 lineup includes artists like; Phoebe Bridges, Big Thief, Animal collective, St. Vincent, Angel Olsen, Thundercat, Danny Brown and Cat Power.

It usually takes place around the beginning of September near the Chicago area. And tickets are usually around the $100 mark.

Rolling Loud Miami

The Rolling loud festival is a music fest that takes place in the Miami area. Just like Rolling Loud Cali fest it is pretty expensive in comparison to some other festivals but it also has a strong lineup that makes up for it. For the 2021 festival it is hosting artists like; A$AP Rocky, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Roddy Ricch, Post Malone, Lil Uzi Vert and other massive names.

It usually takes place around mid Summer in the July time frame. The location is in the great Hard Rock Stadium and like the Cali Rolling Music Fest it is priced right around $400.

Rolling Loud New York

Next up is The Rolling Loud New York. I know we sound like a broken record but all the Rolling Loud festivals are quite solid, but with one of the headliners of 2021 being 50 Cent how can it not be? This festival takes place around the Queens area and usually comes with a ton of great headliners that you wont be disappointed with! The 2021 lineup has great artists like Gunna, Lil Durk, Gucci Mane, Trippie Redd, Rick Ross, Lil Yachty, Lil Tjay, A$AP Ferg, Travis Scott and other massive names.

It usually takes place in the fall around Halloween in the Queens area at City Field, and just like the other festivals of the same company it is right around the $400 mark.

Day N Vegas

The final music festival that we will be talking about would have to be Day N Vegas. This music festival is an automatic favorite to so many because of its location. I mean who doesn’t like a little gambling to continue the party after the festival is over? The lineup for this festival in 2021 is filled with awesome artists like Kendrick Lamar, DaBaby, YG, Travis Scott, Doja Cat, Tyler, The Creator, Sza and SO many more.

As mentioned earlier it is in Las Vegas around the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, it happens usually before Thanksgiving and it is priced just like the above festivals right around the $400 mark.

Festivals are a great way to meet fellow music lovers, hear new and upcoming artists and find inspiration for your own music. This is just a short list of top contenders, but definitely search for events happening in your area – music festivals could always use your support!

Other Resources

The Best Daws

The Best Microphones

Local Shows In Your Area

The post Best Music Festivals Around The Country appeared first on Afton.

The Best Microphones

In this post, we will be going over some of our favorite microphones. If you are a recording artist, these microphones will really up your game!

1. Neumann U87

The Neumann U87 is said to be the industry standard for microphones and has been for years. This is especially true for rap vocalists. The combination of its present mid-range and full body along with its three polar patterns (cardioid, omnidirectional, figure-8) make it a great choice for so many recording applications. For rap, lead or background vocals it’s by far one of the biggest champions in the industry.

My go-to mic for rappers is the Neumann U 87. It works for pretty much any lead vocals. It’s the standard and just has that ‘sound’! I never need to do much to it — just plug and go regardless of the preamp.

Eddie Sauncho

The U 87 is probably the most used hip-hop mic in history and for that reason any rapper using it will instantly recognize the sound from their favorite records. It’s able to capture aggression really well, keeping the rawness of the performance intact. Many mics tend to dull out the transients or sound harsh and ess-y, but the U 87 keeps chugging.

IsReal Foster

2. Lauten Audio Eden

The Lauten Audio Eden is said to be very versatile. Just like the above microphone it features multiple polar patterns (cardioid, omnidirectional, figure-8), but it also brings to the table a 2-stage pop filter for both kick or vocal. With this mic you also have the ability to select Forward, Neutral, or Gentle with the onboard Multi-voicing switch. This really helps to hone in on the right sound for your rap vocals. It allows you to bring to life either a classic sound or a modern sound.

Lauten Audio Eden is my favorite condenser mic. I love it a lot. I can throw that mic on any of my artists. Big body — when I put it on someone’s vocals, I can get the bigness out of it. The high end is super easy to control. I like the tube feel, and it also has three different settings, so you can get an older feel or newer feel. That’s a very cool feature.”

Jacob “Biz” Morris

The Eden has become my new favorite. Recently my friend and Grammy award winning rapper Lecrae tried out the Eden, which blew his mind. They shot it out against all of the classics: U47s, the Sony 800G, the U 87. It beat out all of them. They used the Eden on his vocals for his last album, which recently sold 500,000 records.

IsRael Foster

Mojave Audio MA-50

The Mojave is perfect for rap vocals by bringing incredible presence and diction. This helps your vocals to cut through on just about any track that you’re working on. Because of the transform-less design of this 3-micron, large-diaphragm, fixed-cardioid condenser it makes it a contender to greater priced alternatives. With the high SPL handling you will not have to deal with distortion even if the vocals are coming through very loudly. This device is on the cheaper side as well.

For those just starting out, I have had great success with the MA-50. For the same reasons I like the U 87, it’s very articulate and has a way of pushing the vocal forward without sounding thin or harsh. Rappers HATE thin-sounding vocals, and the MA-50 keeps the body of the vocal intact very good.”

IsRael Foster

Honorable Mention: Sony C-800G

This mic brings with it a certain status within the genre and it certainly backs it up. So many rappers are quick to say that this is the best mic for rap vocals in their experience. Rappers like Dr. Dre and 50 Cent can be found in interviews talking about this mic.

I like my vocals to sound ‘crystal. I use the Sony C-800G for vocals because it has a clean sound and about 85% of the people that get behind it sound great.

Dr. Dre

We hope this short list is helpful – but remember, always take the time to do your own research and ask around for advice on what is best for your music. Happy shopping!

Other Resources

The Best Recording Software

Tips For Promotion

Shows In Your City

The post Best Mics For Hip Hop Artists appeared first on Afton.

The Big 10K

When it comes to your social media and more specifically Instagram it is so important to try to reach 10,000 followers. Or better known as the big 10K. Your account will unlock a lot of cool new features that can help you as an artist! So today we will be going over your Instagram follower goals and why you should have them.

The Journey

We realize that right off the bat that number seems really high for a lot of people, but it for sure can be done (We actually wrote an article about tips on how to grow your Instagram followers which you can reach HERE). And we are proof of that. We had about 900 or so followers and when we started to tweak our posts and put on some fun contests we were able to reach that in just over a year.

What You Unlock

Normally Instagram only gives you the ability to have a link in your Instagram bio (within your account). And you are not able to post clickable links in other places. You can always just paste a link into the comments section or in the description of your post. However these links are not clickable on Instagram.

The main thing that you unlock when you reach 10K followers on instagram is the ability to share links to your story. At first this doesn’t sound like much, but really this is a HUGE benefit to artists. When you post a story you can click a button at the top of your story section and paste in a link. This gives the ability for your followers to be able to click straight to the website that you are referring to in your post.

Why Is This Important?

There are a ton of reasons how you can apply this feature and why it is important:

1. You can send followers to your merch page. Lets be honest just about all artists have some kind of merch that they sell and they can mainly only do so at a venue when they have a show. That is why this is such a huge win for the artist.
2. If you have a blog or a main website that you want to send fans to you can create a little image or video post about it with a ‘Swipe up” at the bottom that brings them straight to it.
3. If you are the kind of artists that is a bit of an entrepreneur then you can also use this feature to sell to others. So you can post about their product and then add the link to the sellers website.
4. Lastly if you are an artist that is on a label you can use this to help promote your label mates music to your followers and add the link so they can go straight to the music.

Don’t Buy Followers

We know that sometimes the task of reaching 10K followers can be a bit daunting, but whatever you do not buy followers as a shortcut! Even though you will reach the 10K amount faster and possibly unlock this feature who are you going to post to? After all when people buy followers in most cases those followers are just bots or fake accounts and they will surely not be interacting with your post.

Even though it sounds tempting to take a big shortcut and buy the followers to reach your goal it will not pay off in the long run. Organic growth is the best kind of growth when it comes to followers! You also build up loyalty form your fans when you do it the correct way.

We hope this article was helpful to you and that maybe it gives you a little bit more drive to reach the big 10K goal so that you can unlock the awesome feature!

Other Resources

Local And LiveStream Shows

The Rule Of Seven

Are Shows Still Happening?

The post Instagram Follower Goals! appeared first on Afton.

Afton Artist Tips 2!

We are continuing on with the Artist tips series! In this article we will show a couple other tips from some Afton artists! Take a listen as they have some great tips for up and coming artists!

Artist Tips From Manic Phase Tips

Follow Him:

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Artist Tips From Big Nic

Follow Him:

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

We hope that you found this second part to the artist tips series helpful! We will be continuing this series down the road with some more great tips from artists!

If you are need of some extra promo for your social media accounts be sure to pick up one of our Promo Blasts today! You can get one of those HERE.

Other Resources

Believe In Yourself

MyAfton Fall Mixtape

Local Shows In Your City

The post Afton Artist Tips 2! appeared first on Afton.

Daw Software

With such a big roster of aritsts on our site we often get asked the question “what is the best daw for recording music?”. Most artists are referring to when the go to record a song , but now that we launched LiveStream on our site aritsts use DAW’s for that as well.

Recently we wrote an article with what we think are the top four DAW Softwares on the market (if you missed that you can check it out HERE). In this article we will be going through another 4 of our top DAWS.

1. ACID Pro DAW

This program is a powerful piece of software, digital audio workstation that is considered (by a lot of people) to be the best on the market. Some of the great features are multi-track mixing, amazing audio loops, home recording and a very comprehensive MIDI sequencing setup.

Sometimes with complicated software it takes a bit of time to get things going, but the packages that comes with the program are filled with great tutorials for both beginners and experts. That way you can get started and learn the software in no time! Here are the main takeaways:

1. Midi Track Freeze
2. A dedicated Mixing Console
3. Tempo Curves
4. Input Busses
5. And a Great Format For Support

2. Steinberg Cubase DAW

When it comes to the software for something so important is crucial to get your monies worth. We think you will get that with Steinberg Cubase. It gives you a lot of options that other DAWS just don’t have. That is one of the main reasons that so many professionals use this software over others.

The software is broken up into three main workstations: Groove Agent SE, HALion SE and the prologue synthesizer. The DAW can be a little complicated to use at first but determined producers can catch on quickly. The key takeaways from the software are:

1. Groove Agent SE
2. MixConsole
3. Extremely Versatile
4. HALion SE 3 Workstation
5. Easy to Use Cord Pads

3. PreSonus Studio One DAW

As of recently a lot more producers have increasingly started to use this software. Other than the software in general people find the design to be very cutting-edge. This software was designed from scratch, that way it could give producers something fresh. And it achieves that!

With the single-window setup that means you are able to handle everything at one time with software. This prevents you from having to open multiple elements of a software which can save a lot of time for the producer. Because it supports audio up to 384 kHz it makes the audio very clear for the listener. It also comes with a lot of unique sounds, effects and samples that you are able to choose from. The key takeaways are:

1. Very Fresh Design
2. 37 Native Effects
3. Two Virtual Instruments
4. Pristine Audio Quality
5. Unlimited Tracks

4. Cakewalk Sonar DAW

Many say that this DAW is the most advanced and top-notch software in the market today! It comes with a membership option which enables the customer to download unlimited updates and patches that are put out. This will add new featured, fixed, tutorials and a ton more!

With so many new and improved advanced features it makes the software great for any level of expertise. The key takeaways for this software are:

1. ProChannel Module
2. Acoustic Guitar Presets
3. Mix Recall
4. Addictive Drums

We hope that this blog series was helpful to you in your search for a good DAW to use for your music production. Keep an eye for more blogs that we put out each week!

Other Resources

Local And LiveStream Shows

Are Shows Happening?

The Top Daw For Recording Part 1

The post The Top DAW For Recording Music 2 appeared first on Afton.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans have either lost their job or experienced a significant reduction in hours. Among this group of people are those who work in the entertainment industry, as Hollywood and other prominent entertainment sectors have canceled or postponed countless productions. 

If this is the situation you find yourself in, no one needs to tell you how difficult it can make things for you. Nonetheless, the opportunities for work in the entertainment industry have not evaporated. There are still jobs available, and there are still pathways to a successful career, especially when it comes to working from home. For those whose careers have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, here are a few work-from-home ideas worth looking into.

Freelancing

Though it comes with added responsibilities, becoming a freelancer can be a great opportunity to work and make money on your own terms. And you can become a freelancer in almost any field you can think of. For example, individuals and businesses across the globe look through freelance job boards to find writers, engineers, marketers, and the list goes on. In fact, most of the positions mentioned in this article can be freelanced.

Writing

There are tons of remote job opportunities for writing in the entertainment industry. Whether you want to write scripts, create content, or work as a journalist, companies (in television, magazines, news media, etc.) are always looking to hire writers to boost their exposure and grow their audience. 

While a bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, or communication can help, a degree is oftentimes not necessary. Just make sure that you are proficient in grammar, that you can write creatively, and that you can meet deadlines.

Video Editing

A lot of editing is required in order for a video to be of top-notch quality. This pertains to film, television, news stories, and any other types of video. And work-from-home opportunities abound for video editing. Expect to be involved in altering everything from content and storylines to color and effects. 

A good portfolio and a bachelor’s degree in video editing, broadcasting, or film is recommended. However, the most important thing is that you have technical skills and are able to operate specialized software.

Graphic Design

Graphic designers are used at every level of the entertainment industry and media. From website content to movie posters to product packaging, graphic design is involved with anything that requires digital art. 

Though most employers look for a candidate with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, there is additional technical training you can find that will help your prospects. And of course, it’s best to start building your portfolio as soon as possible.

Marketing and Sales

While they may not be the first jobs that come to mind when you think of the industry, marketing and sales play a major role in entertainment. Television, film, video games, magazines, and other sectors of entertainment depend on marketing specialists to develop strategies that help their product appeal to their target audience.

Sales executives are responsible for building relationships with companies and selling them advertisement ideas. Most of the time, a marketing specialist is expected to hold a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, journalism, or so on, but education requirements are more lax for sales executives. 

If you’re one of many in the entertainment industry who have been negatively affected by the pandemic, all hope for your career is not lost. Research the jobs discussed in this article to see if any of them sound like a good fit for you. Most importantly, keep your head up through these tough times and your eyes open for any opportunities that may come your way.

Other Resources

Local And LiveStream Shows

Some simple things YOU can do During Covid

COVID-19 is Hitting The Live Events Industry Hard!

The post Work-From-Home Job Ideas for Those in the Entertainment Industry appeared first on Afton.

Independent artists ask me every day, “Are my live streams and virtual concerts something my fans should pay for? Or should I give away my live stream shows for free?” I talk to thousands of independent bands, rappers, and musicians each week who are members of our MyAfton booking and live stream platform. So I think about this question a lot.

Should You Charge Fans for Your Live Streams?

Do you live stream on Facebook Live or Twitch for free? Or, are you missing out on huge revenue potential, in-stream tips, and in-stream merch sales by not charging $5.00 or $7.00 to watch your official live stream performance?

When I was asked to be a guest on The Business Side of Music Podcast, I was stoked for the chance to talk about this topic. I’m a big fan of this podcast that Bob Bender brings to musicians each week. So when he asked me to join him to talk about virtual concerts and live streaming I said – “hell yes Bob.”

As a musician myself, I experienced firsthand that the Music Industry as a whole just doesn’t give a ton of support to the unsigned indie musician. There doesn’t seem to be many resources for artists to learn how to better market, propel their career, or how to overcome obstacles and roadblocks that they’re facing. Trying to “make it” in our Industry is not just hard to do, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to even start!

What Was the Key Takeaway?

Bob and I talk on the podcast about many aspects to live streaming. But the key takeaway from our conversation was this:

Your music and content for your live stream virtual shows is not necessarily something you should give away for free.

There is a time and place for doing the free Facebook Live session for your fans. But don’t give away all of your streaming content for free. Your fans LOVE you and want to support you, after all, they are YOUR fans. So don’t underestimate their willingness to support you.

But is There Any Money in Live Streaming?

We’ve seen smaller indie artists using our MyAfton LiveStream platform who are making $130+ per live stream, and they’re only selling 10 tickets. Most of their income comes from in-stream tips from fans and fans tipping during ticket checkout. Artists that market their stream a bit better are seeing $250 to $500 per stream with just 30 tickets sold. More established artists selling 200 tickets per live stream are walking away with $5,000 per stream.

So don’t miss out on learning how to produce fun live streams and how to market them well – especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic and the live events ban. Fans are dying for that live music connection.

Listen to the Full Podcast Episode

Bob and I covered a lot of ground during our episode, and I believe it can help a lot of artists out there who have the capability and drive to succeed with live streams but may not know where to start.

So plug-in those headphones, go for a run, walk the dog, or just chill out on the couch and take a listen to some of the ideas we came up with. I hope this helps you as much as it’s helped the other artists I’ve talked to that have listened. They’re already putting these tips to use to make their next live stream concert the highest payout yet. You can do the same.

LISTEN NOW: EP #137 – In the Virtual World, You’re Worth Watching & Getting Paid For It

Leave a comment below!

The post In the Virtual World, You’re Worth Watching & Getting Paid For It. appeared first on Afton.

Artist Feedback

As a company, one of the best methods to grow and better brand is by getting artist feedback and find out what customers are saying about you. That way whether it be good feedback or constructive criticism you can take it and use it to your benefit. Some would even say it is one of the best tools to help a business.

We recently put out a blog article that showed some feedback that we received from our artists and we wanted to continue with that series by sharing a little bit more feedback from our artists.

Below you will find a short mash up of some of the great things that our artists submitted to us.

If are interested in booking a shows with just head HERE to sign up for free and you can start getting shows in just a couple days!

Other Resources

Watch Local And LiveStream Shows

Marketing Tips For Your Next Show

Get More Show Offers

The post What Artists Are Saying? 2 appeared first on Afton.