Back-to-school season is always a great opportunity to learn something new, even if you aren’t in school anymore.
A lot of resources become available for students, internship applications open up, networking events take place over zoom, and you NEED to be taking advantage of it especially if you aren’t a student in the traditional sense of the word.
Lucky for you, we at Fangirls World Tour have made a complete guide to the best industry resources on all kinds of different platforms!
Newsletters
Newsletters are a great way to stay involved in the industry. Not only will you be aware of the current trends and music business news, but most of the time companies will advertise their job openings in these newsletters! Here are some of our favorites…
Music Connection
Music Connection has a ton of different resources on its site. You can subscribe to their physical or digital magazine, check out their opportunity page, read reviews, or catch up on the latest news. The best part of the site is their newsletter though. You can sign up to receive updates every Friday and get industry tips and news straight to your inbox.
Music Business Worldwide
Music Business Worldwide sums up everything happening in the music industry and sends you a comprehensive newsletter filled with links. It sounds overwhelming, but honestly, it is one of the best resources on this list. There is an entire page dedicated to job openings where you can filter by location, company, and type of position. There is also an interview section specifically with “inspiring women” that we recommend you check out!
Digital Music News
If you’re looking for a newsletter not completely centered around music news, Digital Music News has you covered. Despite what the name implies, DMN has sections about synchronization news, entertainment law, music technology, and podcasts!
HypeBot
hypebot has everything we’ve previously mentioned, tons of pop culture news, music technology, touring, etc. However, they also have many resources for independent artists and DIY musicians! Whether you’re writing a song for the first time, producing a track, promoting on social media, or navigating distribution platforms, HypeBot has an article for you. Another cool feature is the “Charts” page. It works similarly to the Billboard Charts, but you can filter between established and emerging artists. The charts are run by Bandsintown, so you know they are taking fans’ opinions into account and not just pushing the major labels.
Your Morning Coffee
This one is kind of a double… Your Morning Coffee is both a newsletter and a podcast! Every Friday you receive an email packed with topics including streaming, indie artists, distribution, and touring. You’ll also get a summary of the topics they covered that week on the podcast with a direct link to listen to. We definitely recommend you check both of these out.
And that nicely leads us into our next category…
Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to receive information and learn about a new topic. It’s also a super cool way to hear from your favorite artists and industry professionals.
Don’t Sh!t on the Bus
DSOTB is a podcast focused on tour management and live music in the industry. It’s hosted by photographer Adam Elmakias who has lived many lives and been to many different shows. He sits down with a variety of different professionals such as Joshua Roberts of Magnolia Park, Angie Warner: a tour manager of BTS, and Josh Terry: co-founder of Sad Summer Festival. Just to name a few. Adam doesn’t just interview tour managers, though. He has episodes revolving around festival production, street teams, photography, and even merchandise.
Backstage: A High School Guide
We’ve talked about Backstage before. Our founder, Casey Seagriff, has been featured on one of their earliest episodes as have many other new industry professionals. Maritza talks about how to get involved in the industry while you’re still in high school and how to apply the advice you’re given. It’s a great listen!
Name 3 Songs
Name 3 Songs is one of our personal favorite podcasts. As a team made completely out of people who identify as women, this show really hits home. Sara Feigin and Jenna Million tackle the topics not many people talk about publicly such as female and male objectification, politics in the music industry, fandom as a whole, and various award shows. They also interview certified fangirls, different artists, and women making a career in the industry.
Love Letters to Stan Culture
Hey, we couldn’t not include our own podcast on this list.
Members of the FWT team break down fandom as a whole, deep dive into artists, and talk about fan engagement strategies on this podcast. They bring on guests who started out as fans and are now working in the industry or as professionals because of their fan experience. The goal is to break down the stigma around stan culture and love your favorite artists.
Networking Groups
Our last category is networking groups! These are especially helpful for those looking to break into the industry. There are all kinds of groups for various age ranges, but we chose ones open to everyone and covering dozens of different topics/niches.
Music Industry Connections – Discord
You can join the Discord server here. This is great for anyone interested in the music industry in any way. There are always many opportunities to meet new people and get involved in new projects.
Girls Behind the Rock Show – Facebook
This group is hosted on Facebook- join here! There are always different jobs and panels being shared and everyone is always ready to answer questions or refer you in the right direction. The group is dedicated to helping women/non-binary people in music, so make sure you fit that description before applying.
Amplify HER Voice – LinkedIn
Amplify has a group on LinkedIn to post about job opportunities in the industry and to help answer questions! It is a great community and we could not recommend this platform enough for networking. If you’re unfamiliar with LinkedIn, it is super easy to learn and this would be a great place. Posts are about all aspects of the industry from major labels to artists looking for photographers. You can request to join here.
We hope you found these resources helpful! Let us know if you’ve heard of any of these platforms or companies and if you find them useful in the comments or on Twitter @fangirlswt!