Posted on December 29, 2022

New Year’s Resolutions For Musicians

By Barbara Drews

Setting an intention for the new year should be your first step. Why do you want to practice more if you already do? What does it entail to “become a better musician” if you wish to do so? Whatever it is, let’s pretend that your basic New Year’s resolutions this year is to take greater pleasure in creating music.

There is no wrong answer, however here are some pointers: Being a better musician can involve improving your technique to play more closely to what’s in your ears, honing your ear to hear more complexity and precision, being a better collaborator or listener, and many other skills.

To increase your appreciation of music, try the following New Year’s Resolutions!

New Year’s Resolution #1: Improvise

By improvising, you can tap into your inherent creativity and let go of the need to “get it right.” Make it a point to set out some of your practice time for improv, and enjoy it! Choose a key and a steady rhythm, then continue. If you have experience improvising, challenge yourself by experimenting with other rhythms and genres.

New Year’s Resolution #2: Practice With A Metronome

Whatever your theoretical beliefs about Truth, it’s very obvious that proper intonation, rhythm, and timing are essential components of effective musicianship. It’s never too late to start using certain “truth-seeking” techniques in your practice if you don’t already do so regularly.

Here are some steps on how to level up your metronome practice:

• Take off the beats to increase accuracy.
• Tap tempo can be used to determine rhythms for practice.
• Practice gradually.
• Make changes to your subdivisions to reduce the click’s frequency.
• Use drum loops to practice.

New Year’s Resolution #3: Expand Your Musical Horizons

Now and again, change the focus of your practice. The aim is to experiment with different maneuvers that your muscles aren’t accustomed to making and noises that your ears aren’t familiar with hearing.

New Year’s Resolution #4: Explore New Genres

Producing sound is only one aspect of being a musician. Simply by listening, you can learn a lot and get inspiration. Your New Year’s resolution can be to double the number of artists you found this year and to completely redesign your 2022 Spotify Wrapped from your 2021 version.

New Year’s Resolution #5: Exercise

We frequently overlook the physical nature of music production. Be aware of any potential physical stresses that your profession can cause. Learn which exercises can help you build essential muscular strength and include those in your workout regimen. Of course, warm up your body before playing, and remember to stretch frequently.

New Year’s Resolution #6: Collaborate

By exchanging ideas, you not only improve as a listener and creator, but you may also create magic. 

Here are multiple different ways to collaborate: 

• Casual jam
• Co-write a song
• Remix a track together
• Swap gigs
• Share a tour

New Year’s Resolution #7: Find An Accountability Partner

Having an accountability partner is beneficial for giving your objectives guidance and assistance. Establish certain milestones you want to reach by a specific date with a buddy who shares your aims. Their goals don’t have to be the same as yours.  Put it on your calendars, remind one another, and encourage one another.

New Year’s Resolution #8: Experiment With DAWs

In 2022, if you’re not familiar with digital music creation, you should begin exploring the world of DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations). There is undoubtedly a learning curve, but computer music offers a wealth of opportunities that are all worth investigating.  Set it a mission to produce your tracks regularly, and you’ll acquire the knowledge and sounds as you go.

Here are the best DAWs for producing music in 2023:

• Best free DAW: Cakewalk by Bandlab
• Best for MIDI and film Scoring: Cubase Pro
• Best for power users: Reaper
• Best for live performances: Ableton
• Best for plug and play: Logic Pro

Key Takeaway

We hope that these musical New Year’s Resolutions have energized and inspired you for 2023! MusicPromoToday is a marketing agency that is committed to assisting musicians in maintaining their attention on what is most important: their music. Follow us on Instagram for relevant information on music marketing, and check our blog frequently for insights on other services that can help you advance your musical career.

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Posted on December 28, 2022

The Best New Year’s Songs To Countdown To 2023

By Barbara Drews

It’s pretty much a given that on New Year’s Eve, you will stay up until midnight, regardless of whether you’re throwing a massive house party for everyone you’ve ever known or just spending a quiet evening at home with a few close friends and family. We’ve gathered the top 10 New Year’s songs to countdown to 2023! So scroll down to listen to the ultimate New Year’s eve songs.

“1999” By Prince

Even two decades after Millennium Eve, Prince’s party song still resonates strongly each year. Just be careful not to take Purple One’s very fatalistic lyrics like “judgment day” and “dancing my life away” too seriously.

“New Year’s Resolution” By Camera Obscura

Want something Scottish and twee yet sick of Belle & Sebastian? You can start by listening to this 2013 song from “Desire Lines” by 4AD’s Camera Obscura, who have made five excellent albums of indie pop with titles like “Let’s Get Out of This Country” and “Underachievers Please Try Harder.”

“Let’s Start the New Year Right” By Bing Crosby

In the 1942 movie Holiday Inn, which also starred Marjorie Reynolds and Bing Crosby’s friend Fred Astaire, Mr. Holiday himself, Bing Crosby, sang this Irving Berlin song. The movie also included the Academy Award-winning song “White Christmas,” the b-side of which was also available on vinyl at 78 RPM (RIP).

“New Year’s Resolution” By Otis Redding And Carla Thomas

Stax Records united two of its top talents to put together an album in an effort to emulate the success of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell (as well as Kim Weston and other artists). In six days, Thomas and Redding recorded 1967’s minor soul hit “King & Queen” with the assistance of Isaac Hayes and Booker T & the MGs. A year before his terrible aircraft crash, Redding’s career was greatly aided by the LP.

“Happy New Year” By Abba

This anthem for the new year was included on the famed Swedish hitmakers’ 1980 album “Super Trouper,” which marked the start of the decade. The Euro megastars sing, “It’s the end of a decade / In another 10 years, who can say what we’ll find,” in a type of reflection on the end of the ’70s.

“The Final Countdown” By Europe

There isn’t much information about the Swedish rock band outside of Europe. Except for one thing: in 1986, they wrote this magnificent global hit that, upon closer study, appears to be about launching a rocket to Venus (!), but has been accepted forever as the thunderous official music to every celebration centered around a countdown.

“Auld Lang Syne (The New Year’s Anthem)” By Mariah Carey

In spite of the fact that it is definitely not a song for Robert Burns purists, she delivered the perfect Christmas song, which is close enough to the perfect New Year’s Eve song. There are countless variations of “Auld Lang Syne,” so it’s not surprising that Mariah’s 2010 house-inspired rendition caused some controversy. However, this has it all if you’re in the mood for a heartfelt, sing-along song.

“Bringing In A Brand New Year” By Charles Brown

Before being discovered, Texas-born blues musician and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tony “Charles” Brown worked as a mustard gas worker, high school chemistry instructor, and apprentice electrician in the 1940s. This is just one of the many holiday songs he has recorded over the course of his obscenely fruitful career as a solo artist and as a member of the Three Blazers, which includes over 100 singles on various labels.

“Funky New Year” By The Eagles

This tune, the b-side to the group’s 1977 single “Please Come Home For Christmas,” is a non-album gem from the L.A. white-funk lords. For their commercially successful 1979 album “The Long Run,” the band spent two years recording both holiday songs.

“Gonna Make It Through This Year” By Great Lake Swimmers

Americana for those who despise Tony Dekker’s Great Lake Swimmers can be characterized as Americana. The irony in that is that despite being from Ontario, Canada, the decade-old pastoral band is here showcasing the greatest features of our wonderful nation.

Final Thoughts

The holiday season just wouldn’t be the same without the above tunes! Make sure you check out our blog and Instagram for more music-related topics.

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Posted on December 27, 2022

5 Ways Musicians Can Prepare For The New Year

By Shawn Spence

The Festive period is rapidly approaching, and musicians all around the world are laying the groundwork in accordance with it now. Want to enjoy this Holiday season to the fullest? Here are a few ideas for prepping:

Promote Fiercely

One of the busiest times of year for music purchases is the holiday season. People worldwide are searching for the ideal presents for their music-loving friends and family, from CDs and vinyl to posters and souvenirs.

You should use this opportunity to spread as much of what you have as you can. But it doesn’t mean you should blare the same content across all platforms. There are many original methods to advertise around the holidays. Try, for instance, the following:

• Remind your followers that a vinyl copy of your most recent record would make the ideal gift topper.
• Post images of you lounging by the fire wearing your coziest apparel and include a link to your merch store.
• Offer limited-time discounts on your merch as your own unique present.

These are just a few suggestions to help you get inspired. Make it your own by considering what you want to see from your favorite artist.

Holiday-Themed Content

Will you be releasing a whole holiday album? Perhaps a single?  Whatever you want to do, think about doing something special for it. This might signify anything, but take into account some of the following examples:

• Every week leading up to the holiday of your choice, Livestream a new holiday cover.
• Make unique holiday merch.
• Try running a social media contest with a theme where the winners receive first access to your upcoming holiday single.
• Make a merch giveaway.
• Collab with other artists on holiday themes.

Release A Holiday Cover Song

It could seem nearly impossible to write an original hit that will knock people’s socks off given how much festive music is already available. For your benefit, there are several songs in the public domain that you can freely cover without worrying about legal consequences. 

Additionally, the holidays are all about blaring your holiday-themed illicit musical pleasures. Putting out holiday music of your own is a fantastic way to participate at this time of year.

Create A Holiday Playlist

Create your own holiday playlists to help ignite the holiday spirit! Remember that the greatest holiday music is suitable for dinner parties, cooking, relaxing holiday feelings, and joyful jams. Once you’ve put up the ideal playlist, post the link on Facebook groups, Twitter, Instagram Stories, or really wherever else you feel your audience will be most engaged.

You could even create a joint playlist with another artist to take it up a level and distribute it to further increase your audience…

• Spotify and Apple Music are two outstanding streaming platforms that include the functionality of collaborative playlists.
• Feel free to pick whatever one your soul catches because they both have the same principle and are quite simple to use.

Go Local

This holiday season, your community could have socially segregated activities depending on your state. There are various ways you may be involved in your community events, whether a location needs a live performance or just a piece of nice holiday music.

Reach out to neighborhood bars and check out Facebook groups for your community to learn more about what’s going on and how you can become involved.

In Conclusion,

Even if there is a huge amount of music on the market, there are other things you can do to maintain the momentum. Conduct research. Be original in your approaches, and the holiday season will undoubtedly be successful.

MPT Agency generates traffic to well-known artists, allowing them to focus on their work every day. Be sure to visit our blog and follow us on Instagram for more details on music marketing and to learn about additional services that can help you advance your musical career.

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