TikTok is a really interesting and exciting platform. Unfortunately, most bands and labels have absolutely no clue how to use it. With this short primer, I hope to demystify the platform for those of us who are DIY lifers.
Tag Archives: Pandemic
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on How to Pitch Music Festivals
As the year of COVID-19 seems to come to a close and we begin to have hope for a better future bands are once more starting to ask me how to pitch to festivals. I realized that I haven’t written an article on this in a good long while, and would love to help show you guys the light.
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on Lessons from Going Viral on TikTok
So I went viral on TikTok over the weekend. I know you’re probably tired of me writing about TikTok, but going up 900 followers over the course of a weekend ain’t nothing to sneeze at. So I wanted to break down for you some of how I did that and what I learned in the process.
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on Lessons from Tik Tok
As some of you may have noticed I’ve been taking TikTok a lot more seriously in the last couple of weeks. Once I hit 10,000 on Instagram, I had to find a new project, and it seemed like a serious growth opportunity for me. With that in mind, I wanted to share some lessons from my getting my first hundred followers.
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on His Favorite Books for Music Business Success
I frequently get asked about what my favorite books are for learning about business and the music industry. The books that act as guides to success if you will. I realized while I may have referenced these a lot, I have not actually broken down my favorites.
Live Nation CEO Predicts a Return of Concerts and Festivals “At Scale” in 2021
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino has been bullish on concerts and festivals returning in 2021 and now we have further evidence that he is convinced of this idea. According to a published report by Kerrang (via IQ Mag) Rapino spoke on an Investors call on November 5th in which he said expects concerts to return “at scale” next year, depending on the region.He further shared that the promoters were working on a “roadmap to get back to live safely”, with current “progress on testing technology treatments and vaccines” looking encouraging. Though Michael admitted the “exact timeline of this return will vary by region, and so we continue to focus on remaining flexible”, he added that Live Nation “expect shows at scale next summer”.
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on Non-Musical Skills to Learn During COVID
I was thinking about this as in many parts of the world we are facing a second lockdown and all that that entails. I wanted to break down – what are some skills you should have if you want to make your band progress and grow a lot faster? After all – the band who can do more on their own is often the band who succeeds. I didn’t want to do basic stuff like ‘social media’ or ‘practicing your instrument’ though those are valid. I wanted to get into some of the core skills that help.
BACON BLOODY BACON: Matt Bacon on What Makes Live Streams Great
So what goes into a good live stream? I’m not going to lie, I haven’t watched a lot. While I admire the format and have certainly seen some things that really impressed me, as a general rule I don’t really think they are for me. However – a lot of people really like them. And they are a great way to keep attention on your band during COVID. So I wanted to break down some of the things that make the good ones worthwhile.
PODCAST: Episode #128: Larissa Stupar of Venom Prison on “Primeval”, Activism, and New Music
Ghost Cult to catch up with Venom Prison’s vocalist/activist Larrisa Stupar to chat about their new album Primeval via Prosthetic Records (review here). We chatted all about the bands’ activism in the scene, the current state of the world in 2020: the failure of our leaders during the pandemic, fighting the patriarchy, and outing sex abusers, but also a lot of positive forces we have right now, such as music and art. Larissa discussed the pivotal role producer Tom Dring has, the art of Eliran Kantor, and the progress on a new full-length Venom Prison album out, hopefully, to be released in 2021. Support the band and purchase Primeval here, and listen to our conversation now. Continue reading
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Gruesome Drummer Gus Rios Hospitalized with Coronavirus
As first reported by Sick Drummer on social media, Gruesome drummer Gus Rios has been admitted to a Florida hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. Gus updated fans over social media and seems upbeat and positive he will beat this virus that as of today has killed 220,000+ Americans. We are big fans of Gus, the masterful Death metal drummer of many past bands, producer, and writer, who has two releases this year. He played on the Exhumed/Gruesome split and also wrote, produced, and performed on the excellent, but underrated Liquid Death album, Greatest Hates earlier in the year! Get well soon Gus!