Indie artists need to stay on top of the news in the music industry, but how?

As an indie artist, it’s incredibly important for you to stay on top of the news in the music industry. You need to keep on top of new developments, trends and ideas so that you can incorporate them into your brand and your strategy.  But there are so many publications out there and so many ways to get the news, how is it possible stay up to date with everything without feeling totally overwhelmed? Here are a few tools that will help you read, research and react:

Google Reader: You probably know of ten good music websites and blogs within your genre, right? Well Google Reader helps you find and keep track of interesting stuff on the web, and puts it all in one place for you. You can subscribe to your favorite websites, and keep up with news and trends very easily this way. New content comes to your Google Reader when it’s posted, so you don’t need to visit individual sites.

Plus, Reader keeps track of which items you’ve read, so you only see unread items when you come back.

Hootsuite: Twitter is a great source for finding out about breaking news, or just to keep track of what industry leaders are talking about. But Twitter itself can be overwhelming. So how do you cut through the noise? Hootsuite. It’s is the leading social media dashboard to manage and measure your social networks (not just Twitter).

Apps: There are a number of phone and tablet apps that help you keep track of all the things you want to read. Flipboard is a great one —  it acts as your personal magazine and connects to your social networks so you see what your friends are sharing. It also allows you to handpick stories, as well.

The Stalwarts: Rolling Stone, The New York Times music and business sections, the Wall Street Journal, and Billboard, always provide useful info that indie artists should stay on top of. See how you can integrate them into an app or Google Reader to make your life manageable!

And once you’re armed with the most up to date information about the music industry and the happenings in your genre and region, you’ll be able to use this info to take your career to the next level.

Tell us what you think: How do you stay on top of news and trends?

The SongCast Crew