https://www.v-rma.com/blog/ Music business, artist growth, and live shows. Field notes from an Amsterdam studio. en https://www.v-rma.com/blog/paid-ads-test-100-dollars-artists/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/paid-ads-test-100-dollars-artists/ Sun, 28 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Paid Social Most artists spend their first $100 on the wrong thing: audiences. Here is a step-by-step test that buys you the one answer paid spend can actually give you, which is whether your hook stops a stranger cold. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/whatsapp-telegram-broadcast-superfans/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/whatsapp-telegram-broadcast-superfans/ Sun, 28 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Owned Audience An Instagram post reaches a fraction of your followers. A WhatsApp or Telegram channel lands in the one app people actually check, and reaches nearly all of them. Here is how to build one fans stay in. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/collabs-b2b-fastest-growth-for-djs/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/collabs-b2b-fastest-growth-for-djs/ Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Growth Post alone five times a week and you reach the same followers you already have. Run one collab and you land in front of a roster you have never touched. Here is how to build collabs that actually cross the audiences over. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/after-a-viral-post-build-fanbase/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/after-a-viral-post-build-fanbase/ Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Growth A viral post is a flash flood, not a reservoir. Here is what to do in the 48 hours after one pops so the strangers who watched once actually follow you, stream you, and join your list. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/music-analytics-numbers-that-matter/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/music-analytics-numbers-that-matter/ Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Analytics Your dashboard shows dozens of numbers and most are noise. Four signals actually predict whether you grow next quarter. Here is which four, where to find them per platform, and the weekly check that replaces doom-scrolling your stats. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/snippet-strategy-unreleased-music/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/snippet-strategy-unreleased-music/ Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Content Strategy Most artists tease the wrong few seconds and post the same clip until everyone is sick of it before the track drops. Here is how to pick the moment, ration the exposure, and turn a snippet into a sound the full release can cash in on. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/hard-summer-2026-hollywood-park-lineup/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/hard-summer-2026-hollywood-park-lineup/ Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Festivals Insomniac moves the festival to Hollywood Park on August 1 and 2 and pushes European techno to the front of a bass and crossover heavy bill. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/brunch-electronik-2026-forum-lineup/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/brunch-electronik-2026-forum-lineup/ Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Festivals The Fòrum seafront festival returns August 7 and 8 with a 36-name bill that runs from Eric Prydz and Floating Points to I Hate Models and feel-good house. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/dj-press-kit-epk-that-gets-booked/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/dj-press-kit-epk-that-gets-booked/ Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Branding A booker spends well under a minute on most press kits before deciding. Here is the one-link EPK that survives that minute: what to put up top, what to cut, and how to retarget it per pitch. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/reels-views-no-followers-conversion-gap/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/reels-views-no-followers-conversion-gap/ Thu, 25 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Instagram A Reel can hit big view counts and add almost no followers. Reach and follows are two separate machines, and most artists only tune the first. Here is how to fix the second. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/link-in-bio-that-converts-fans/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/link-in-bio-that-converts-fans/ Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Conversion Most artist link-in-bios offer eight choices and convert almost none. Here is the one primary action per visit, the order that matches listener intent, and exactly what to delete this week. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/pre-save-campaigns-that-work/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/pre-save-campaigns-that-work/ Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Release Strategy A pre-save is a timing tool, not a hype tool. It front-loads streams into the first 24 hours, the window playlist algorithms watch hardest. Here is the plan that converts your warm audience into day-one signals. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/social-media-cadence-djs-can-keep/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/social-media-cadence-djs-can-keep/ Sun, 21 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Content Strategy Most touring DJs abandon daily posting by the second month, and the feeds stopped rewarding raw frequency anyway. Here is a per-platform cadence, a one-shoot-many-cuts batching method, and a weekly template you can run in two hours with no team. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/audience-questions-content-strategy-for-artists/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/audience-questions-content-strategy-for-artists/ Sat, 20 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Engagement Every DM, comment and question-sticker reply is a content idea your audience already validated for you. Here is the repeatable system to mine a full week of posts out of conversations you are already having. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/what-to-post-the-week-of-a-release/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/what-to-post-the-week-of-a-release/ Sat, 20 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Release Strategy Most artists post "out now" and call it a campaign. Here is a day-by-day plan for the nine days around your release, built around the signals that actually move reach: saves, DM shares, watch time and follows. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/best-tiktok-content-for-djs-and-producers/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/best-tiktok-content-for-djs-and-producers/ Fri, 19 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 TikTok TikTok now rewards completion and rewatches over raw views, which is why a faceless clip of you mixing in a dark booth stalls fast. Here are six formats that work for DJs and producers, the two-second hook that decides reach, and a weekly rotation you can start tonight. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/simple-threads-strategy-for-artists-2026/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/simple-threads-strategy-for-artists-2026/ Fri, 19 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Threads The artists growing on Threads are not recycling Reels captions. They treat it as a conversation, not a billboard. Here is the daily routine that turns text into streams. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/how-to-pitch-music-to-industry-professionals/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/how-to-pitch-music-to-industry-professionals/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 PR The best way to pitch music to industry professionals: keep it short, personal, and easy to act on. Here is exactly what to send and what to cut. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/should-artists-share-personal-life-online/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/should-artists-share-personal-life-online/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Personal Brand Likes stopped driving reach; saves, DM shares and watch time now do, and personal content wins all three. Here is what to share, what to lock down, and a three-tier rule for deciding before you ever open the app. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/how-to-collaborate-with-other-artists-on-releases/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/how-to-collaborate-with-other-artists-on-releases/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Collaboration Want to collaborate with other artists on a release? Here is how to split credits, royalties, and promo so the track helps both careers, not just one. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/build-a-fan-database-from-social-media/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/build-a-fan-database-from-social-media/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Marketing Learn how to build a fan database from social media followers you do not own, using email, SMS, and smart links to reach your fans directly. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/hive-festival-2026-ferropolis-lineup/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/hive-festival-2026-ferropolis-lineup/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Hard Techno The German open air returns to the City of Iron with Klangkuenstler, I Hate Models and Azyr leading a first wave of names. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/sonar-2026-fira-gran-via-prodigy/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/sonar-2026-fira-gran-via-prodigy/ Wed, 17 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Festivals Barcelona's flagship runs June 18 to 20 with the entire music program under one roof for the first time, scaling from four stages to six. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/what-music-industry-software-pros-use/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/what-music-industry-software-pros-use/ Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Music Business What music industry software professionals actually use day to day, from Chartmetric and Spotify for Artists to Airtable and Linkfire, minus the hype. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/what-a-music-pr-team-actually-does/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/what-a-music-pr-team-actually-does/ Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 PR Wondering what a music PR team actually does? Here is the honest breakdown of press, pitching, and coverage, and when hiring one is worth your money. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/coordinate-multiple-artist-accounts-and-brands/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/coordinate-multiple-artist-accounts-and-brands/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Artist Management How to coordinate multiple artist accounts and brands without mixing them up: account access, a master calendar, separate asset folders, and habits that work. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/best-tools-for-music-release-checklists/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/best-tools-for-music-release-checklists/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Music Business The best tools for music release checklists and planning, plus a reusable timeline so nothing slips before, during, or after release day. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/threads-for-music-artists-2026/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/threads-for-music-artists-2026/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Threads Accounts under 10k pull 5 to 10 percent engagement on Threads while the Instagram feed sits under half a percent. Why artists should live there in 2026, and how to work it. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/discord-community-for-music-artists/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/discord-community-for-music-artists/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Community Superfans now drive the industry while streaming flattens. Why moving your top 1 to 3 percent into a room you own beats chasing followers you can never message. https://www.v-rma.com/blog/live-streaming-for-music-artists-2026/ https://www.v-rma.com/blog/live-streaming-for-music-artists-2026/ Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0200 Live Streaming Both platforms quietly turned LIVE into a distribution engine. Full-song listening parties, one-cent Stars, and why small artists should chase watch time before tips.