Caleb J. Murphy

How to Pivot Your Music Career as the Industry Shifts

January 8, 2024

Photo credit: Possessed Photography A music career is like running a business. And every business owner will tell you, you have to adapt to the changes in your industry and in the world at large. So as an i... Read More...

How To Create a Memorable Concert Experience

Caleb J. Murphy

January 5, 2024

Photo credit: Jordan McDonald I recently went to a concert to see Kings of Convenience, a folk/pop duo from Norway. They’re one of my favorite bands, and I also learned some things from their performance. S... Read More...

How To Put On a Successful House Show

Caleb J. Murphy

December 18, 2023

Me at a recent sold out/at capacity house concert I recently played an at-capacity (AKA sold out) house show with a fellow musician. Some things went wrong, but mostly it was a successful and very fun eveni... Read More...

How To Take Care of Your Mental Health as a Musician

Caleb J. Murphy

December 15, 2023

Photo credit: Emma Simpson As a long-time independent musician, I know how hard this life can be on one’s mental health. I’ve taken a break before. I’ve felt like I should just quit. Things can get dark if ... Read More...

Understanding Music Copyright: A Guide for Independent Musicians

Caleb J. Murphy

December 13, 2023

Photo credit: Markus Winkler We’ve already seen so many court cases over copyright infringement. Sometimes, one artist has a similar idea to another artist and inadvertently makes a song that sounds similar... Read More...

Is Mixing Music Technical or Artistic?

Caleb J. Murphy

December 11, 2023

Photo credit: Erwi Mixing music can feel overwhelming to those who haven’t ever tried it. And that makes sense. It involves lots of tools and settings and technical stuff. But is mixing also an artistic end... Read More...

The Complicated Nature of Spotify Wrapped for Artists

Caleb J. Murphy

December 5, 2023

It’s that time of year again. Artists are posting their Spotify Wrapped, a collection, synthesizing, and summarizing of their streaming stats. For some artists, it’s an encouraging season and it’s fun to ce... Read More...

Can You Make Money From Live Streaming?

Caleb J. Murphy

December 4, 2023

Photo credit: Caspar Camille Rubin The internet has made it easier than ever to share your music with more people than ever. One way you can do this is through live streaming. Artists do make money from liv... Read More...

How To Make a Living From Busking

Caleb J. Murphy

December 1, 2023

Photo credit: Faith D Playing music on the street is a grind. It can take a lot of trial and error and days with little pay. On the other hand, you can have very good days where you pull in hundreds. So the... Read More...

A Case for Recording Your Songs Live (or Close To It)

Caleb J. Murphy

November 29, 2023

Photo credit: Ben Collins Theo Katzman is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, solo artist, and member of the funk band Vulfpeck. And he recorded the songs on his album Be The Wheel live, all one takes, wit... Read More...

Who Will Be Hurt by Spotify’s New Payment Threshold?

Caleb J. Murphy

November 27, 2023

Photo credit: Alexander Grey Spotify is making a few changes to the way it pays artists, and these changes are expected to take effect in Q1 2024. But the one change we’re going to talk about is its new pay... Read More...

Being a Full-Time Musician Is Not for the Weak

Caleb J. Murphy

November 17, 2023

Photo credit: Chris Ainsworth The end goal for many musicians is to go full-time. That’s my goal. I want to wake up every day, make music, and do all the things needed to build a sustainable music career. B... Read More...

Author Caleb J. Murphy