Tools for independent musicians, DIY musicians, digital tools for musicians saralenaprobst.com, Blog about Music, Music Blog, BlackbirdPunk, Blackbirdpunk Consulting, Digital Consulting for the Music Industry, music industry digital entertainment agency, Berlin, berlin, digital, work digital, freelancer digital music industry,

Tools for independent musicians

Good tools for independent musicians can make or break your workflow. For once, having the right tools in your arsenal can save you lots of money.

Having the right resources can boost your career and help you work professionally. It’s also important to show your competence if you want to work with industry professionals like booking agents and publicists.

However, I see many clients that try out any new tool under the sun and end up having their information on 20 different platforms. Make it concise and only add a new tool if you are really going to use it. Now, search for tools that are multifunctional and that also work well on your mobile phone.

As a musician you are probably travelling a lot, may it be on tour or for music video shoots etc. Having online tools that work both great on your laptop as well as your mobile is essential in order to keep the workflow up.

Here is my top pic of tools for independent musicians, by all means, this list is not complete at all. There are so many great and helpful tools for independent musicians out there. However, here are some that I use every day in my work as a consultant.

Tools for independent musicians

#1 Canva

Canva is such a versatile digital application. For once, you can use it as well on your phone as on your computer. Next, the free version already gives you so much scope. However, if you feel like you need the pro account, it won’t break the bank either.

It gets better, you can share your designs with team members and really get a collaborative approach going. The brand kit within Canva is ideal for this. You can save your brand colours as well as fonts and logos. That way, everyone involved uses the same visuals. Vital in the digital age of the music business where having great visuals is half the deal.

Canva also has a really nice design school. Here, you can learn about all things graphic design, even if you are a beginner. What’s more, they also have courses on social media posts, for example.

#2 Ear Training apps like Better Ears

Having a reliable ear training app on your phone is essential in order to get that listening comprehension in every day. Even if you just have 10 min in the tube you can totally engage in some ear training. What is more, this will help your cognitive strength overall.

While repetitive, once you have mastered learning notes by ear, your brain will be able to process other problems, and will have developed some general skills, which can allow you to break down pieces of work and information for faster learning.

*Musical U

#3 Chartmetric or Soundcharts are great tools for independent musicians

Having all your digital data in one space available can be a lifesaver. Not only can you quickly check the newest developments, but you can also research streaming playlists and radio plays. What is more, competition analysis has never been easier than with a tool like Chartmetric or Soundcharts.

Alternatively, you could also build your own data desk with a tool like Dash This, for example. Here, you can combine all your data streams into one neat desk, ready for your research whenever you have time.

That’s not all, if you engage in data storytelling for industry experts working for you, having quick and sturdy data analytics on hand is extremely important.

Tools for independent musicians, DIY musicians, digital tools for musicians saralenaprobst.com, Blog about Music, Music Blog, BlackbirdPunk, Blackbirdpunk Consulting, Digital Consulting for the Music Industry, music industry digital entertainment agency, Berlin, berlin, digital, work digital, freelancer digital music industry,

#4 Onesheet

Onesheet is a service from Chartmetric where you can create a one-sheet informational overview for your artist profile. This is wild, simply type in your Spotify name and Chartmetric automatically pulls all your stats from around the internet.

That’s not all, it also looks great! And it updates anytime you open one sheet. Gone are the days when you had to manually update your one-sheet information and painstakingly had to fiddle out all your important music videos from YouTube.

Having a sexy one sheet at hand with all your vital information like streaming numbers and social media followers, for example, is super important. Not only for booking agents when you want to get a concert gig but also for your digital distributor or label executive.

#5 Mailchimp

Having a newsletter program is non-negotiable in order to have meaningful communication with your fans. You might be wondering, how can emails still be relevant in the modern music business.

Here’s the thing, emails are still used by many people every day, not least because of their jobs. You can’t get closer to someone than in their email folder. Also, in a newsletter, you are completely free to write whatever you want or show any picture you like – without having to fear being censored by the conservative algorithm of Instagram and co.

A solid newsletter program is key to making your life easier and helping you send out the best newsletter for your fans. Use a program like Mailchimp that is easy to use and offers many additional benefits like website implementation.

That way you can use your newsletter to your fullest potential.

Learning How To Learn

Having the right tools is vital for an independent musician

Here’s the deal, when you work on your musical project as an independent musician you need the right tools to help you along. The tools I’ve mentioned in this blog post are by all means excessive. There are so many more worth mentioning, however, I feel like keeping it concise is the best thing when you are starting out. You can always add more tools once your workflow has stabilised and you have a good overview of all your tasks.

Scroll to Top