Randy Chertkow

Co-columnist for The DIY Advisor, a weekly web column focusing on music business, distribution, marketing, PR, getting heard, making money with music, the legal aspects of music (copyright, trademarks, contracts), and more.


writing frequent articles and feature stories that focus on music business and technology.

Wrote and presented a 3-day live televised music business course totaling 18 hours of educational content produced and distributed by creativeLIVE.com. The course gives musicians detailed, practical instruction on all the methods available to generate revenue, limit expenses, and create a profitable music business on your own.

Freelance journalist at Electronic Musician Magazine (Emusician) writing frequent articles and feature stories that focus on music business and technology.

More musicians are recording, distributing, marketing, and selling their own music now than ever before in history. "The Indie Band Survival Guide" is the critically-acclaimed, do-it-yourself modern classic that has been telling them how for years.

In this expanded, revised, and up-to-the-moment edition, musicians and web gurus, Randy Chertkow (IT Professional) and Jason Feehan (Attorney/IT Professional), cover everything musicians need to know. Drawing on their in-the-trenches… Show more

More musicians are recording, distributing, marketing, and selling their own music now than ever before in history. "The Indie Band Survival Guide" is the critically-acclaimed, do-it-yourself modern classic that has been telling them how for years.

In this expanded, revised, and up-to-the-moment edition, musicians and web gurus, Randy Chertkow (IT Professional) and Jason Feehan (Attorney/IT Professional), cover everything musicians need to know. Drawing on their in-the-trenches experiences, they tell musicians how to:

• Sell their music on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.
• Get their music played on radio, podcasts, and blogs.
• Get their music seen on YouTube, Vimeo, Ustream, and more.
• Effectively market and promote on social networks like Facebook & Twitter.
• Create an effective web, social, and mobile presence.
• Copyright, license, and make money off royalties.
• And much more.

Praise:

“[Chertkow and Feehan] are the ideal mentors for aspiring indie musicians who want to navigate an ever-changing music industry.”
- Billboard Magazine

"I’ve seen a lot of books over the years; I’ve worked on every side of it….You have the most up to date reference book for young musicians.”
- Matt Pinfield, radio and MTV/VH1 television personality

“...this is just the sort of zero-BS guide to modern artistic survival that should be in every artist's handbag.”
-Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

“Highly highly recommended – for not only musicians, but for anyone and everyone living DIY....it’s also an incredibly invaluable resource for techies, writers, bloggers, social/digital media folk, producers, editors, and just about anybody with an interest in Indie/DIY culture.”
-Rockthought.com

Learn more: http://www.amazon.com/Indie-Band-Survival-Guide-Do-It-Yourself/dp/0312377681 Show less

Freelance journalist at Electronic Musician Magazine (Emusician) doing interviews for "The Industry Insider" column and then later our own column as "The DIY Musician" which offered practical advice for musicians on how to succeed on their own without a label.

How do I get my music played on the radio? Do I really need my own website - can't I just use MySpace? How do I copyright and license my songs? The DIY Music Manual has the answers to these questions … and more.

Over the last couple of years, the face of independent music has changed completely. With the rise of websites such as MySpace and iTunes, digital radio stations, podcasts, band websites and online music stores, it has made music much easier to make, promote and distribute… Show more

How do I get my music played on the radio? Do I really need my own website - can't I just use MySpace? How do I copyright and license my songs? The DIY Music Manual has the answers to these questions … and more.

Over the last couple of years, the face of independent music has changed completely. With the rise of websites such as MySpace and iTunes, digital radio stations, podcasts, band websites and online music stores, it has made music much easier to make, promote and distribute outside traditional channels. Whereas before it was a case of sending your band’s demo tape to a record label and hoping for the best, now it’s possible to cut out the middle man and make a success of your band without being signed. Clearly, concisely and with a dash of wit, The DIY Music Manual tells you exactly how to do that. Show less

In this indispensable guide for indie musicians, Chertkow and Feehan explain how they have managed successfully to get their music out to the public, to produce four albums, to build a huge following and to write music for television shows and theater without the benefit of a record label.