The Pros and Cons of Cover Songs

A cover song COULD help you connect with a wider audience. But sometimes cover songs aren’t worth the effort.

Sure, you’re putting your own personal stamp on a proven tune, which gives you a chance to invite listeners in with a something simultaneously familiar and fresh. However, open TikTok, YouTube, or Twitch and you’ll remember: we’re awash in cover songs. It’s hard for a cover song to stand out unless it checks a few different boxes that we’ll discuss below.

Here are a some things to think about before you commit to making a song cover:

Chris RobleyThe Pros and Cons of Cover Songs
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6 Marketing Hacks for Musicians

You’ve heard all the usual music marketing advice. Stay active on social media. Promote your music but not too much. Build your brand but be responsible about it. Attract new fans and always be moving forward. You know all of this and yet, something is still missing. It’s not quite clicking.

Here’s the truth. Each musician, their fans, and their journey will be completely different. What works for the other band may not work for you and vice versa. That means lots of experimentation and finding what works for you. That’s the fun part! Social media and marketing in general, when done in a way that aligns with your personality and beliefs, should actually be fun.

ReverbNation6 Marketing Hacks for Musicians
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How to Use Livestreaming to Grow Your Music Career

There are so many way to communicate with audiences these days, and so many tools at our fingertips, it can feel overwhelming to choose the best ones to focus on. There’s one thing in particular though that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough despite its immense power. That is: live streaming.

In recent years especially, live streaming has become a powerful tool to connect with fans, reaching them wherever they are in the world. This has allowed performers to supplement their touring, or replace in-person events altogether.

ReverbNationHow to Use Livestreaming to Grow Your Music Career
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10 content ideas for when you’re stuck

Being stuck with nothing to post is the absolute worst, isn’t it? You know you need to provide something to your fans but no matter how many articles you read or how much scrolling you do absolutely nothing is coming to mind.

So what do you do? You don’t post of course. You don’t post and you feel bad about it and then the whole cycle repeats itself the next day. That’s no way to keep going — in circles — and it’s definitely not a great way to actually grow a fan base or expand your music career.

So, we’ve compiled 10 content ideas for when you’re feeling stuck. A simple list you can scroll through when you’re feeling like there’s just nothing to post. Because we know that’s not true; you’ve got lots to say and share, and it’s about time your fans saw that.

ReverbNation10 content ideas for when you’re stuck
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4 Signs You’re Overthinking Your Songs

So many songwriters overthink their music, and it’s easy to understand why. Our songs are judged as good, bad, or forgettable. That judgement can feel personal. So not only do we want to win over audiences, we also want to avoid the pain of criticism. To protect ourselves we seek to make our music perfect.

The problem is that “perfect” is a moving target. If you choose perfection over progress, some of your greatest assets as a music-maker will take a backseat to overthinking. Here are 4 signs that overthinking might be hurting your songwriting process (and how to break free). 

Chris Robley4 Signs You’re Overthinking Your Songs
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5 Ways to Avoid Feeling Stuck In Your Music Career

In the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to feel discouraged or unsatisfied with your current career progression. This is especially so with something as personal as music. It’s not uncommon to pour all of your heart and soul into what you do, only to feel like you’re not yielding the results you desired. The longer you’ve been in the industry, the more likely you are to encounter a creative rut. The everyday work routine becomes mundane, and you start feeling down and doubtful about your career.

While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to combat this, here are a few ideas to try and reignite the passion you once had. Take a look at these five possibilities and see which of them makes the most sense for where you’re at now. Remember, this too shall pass. It always does.

ReverbNation5 Ways to Avoid Feeling Stuck In Your Music Career
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4 Ways To Make DIY Regional Touring A Success

Regional touring is an essential way to get your music through to larger audiences for unestablished artists, but it sure is no mean feat. Playing in new, unfamiliar cities where you have no built-in audience to rely on can be thankless and challenging. It typically takes a lot of time before you start to reap the rewards of your hard work. Here are four tips for you to explore when planning your next regional tour:

ReverbNation4 Ways To Make DIY Regional Touring A Success
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The Fear of Failure: The Ultimate Saboteur

If you look at music purely from a technical standpoint, failure is defined as playing something correctly or incorrectly. However, music creation and performance cannot be pigeonholed into an objective measure of success, unlike practicing a major scale. For example, playing a song perfectly from a technical perspective may not move the audience if it lacks authenticity and passion. Choosing a safe and predictable approach can stifle creativity and prevent you from trusting intuition and curiosity. Fear of failure can hinder you from taking risks – and in turn suffocate your best creative ideas and dampen your performance.

ReverbNationThe Fear of Failure: The Ultimate Saboteur
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