For February’s Blog Post of The Month I chose “Finding the Right Manager” on Raprehab.com.

I like this article because it details the importance of management, what qualities to look for in a manager, as well as some practical advice for musicians looking for management at different levels in their career.  It also gives a good explanation of what a manager does, and how manager’s get paid.  Overall, its very
comprehensive.

The article identifies 3 must have characteristics for managers: passion, connections, and funding.

As stated in the article:  If your manager has passion, he may be able to succeed without the others. However, if your manager is without passion for your music, your chances of long-term success will be reduced.

The best-case scenario is, of course, having all three.

January’s featured Blog Post of The Month is “The 3 Most Profitable DIY Revenue Streams, And Why Many Artists Succeed at Only One of Them” By Jay Frank (Sidewinder.fm).

In his blog, Frank discusses what he sees as the 3 most profitable DIY revenue streams for artists as well as which type of artist succeeds in each stream.

Frank points out that DIY artists living below stardom are consistently finding profitable careers.

I was finally able to connect with Jesse Dunn, front man for North Lake Tahoe based Dead Winter Carpenters!

DWC was named Volume 11’s 2012 band of the year due to their successful use of Kickstarter to fund their second album, as well as their general embodiment of what it takes for a young touring band with large aspirations to be successful in today’s music industry.

Jesse, how did the band come together and when did you originally play as Dead Winter Carpenters?

The band first came together at Bobolink Festival in Belden Town, CA. I was playing there with Montana Slim. Jenni was playing with a friend and sat in with Big Light.

Tahoe isn’t very far from the bay area, so as Montana Slim was slowing down playing shows, Jenni’s band Rusty Strings were also in the same phase. Our drummer Ryan was playing in Rusty Strings, so basically members of both bands merged.