JAZZFUEL BLOG
A collection of all the articles...JAZZFUEL BLOG
A collection of all the articles...
Interview with Donna Schwartz
Whilst reviews and interviews have long been a part of the jazz world, podcasts are a newer phenomenon which allow a deeper level of insight into the musician's story. Here at Jazzfuel we're a big fan of these, both as listeners and as partners for press...
The 12 Week Album Set Up
How long should you plan for an album launch campaign? Whilst it's not an exact science, here's our opinion why 12 weeks is a good mix of realistic and success... Working on more 50 album releases last year, we got to see a whole range of best (and not-so-best)...
15 New Albums: April Jazz Releases (2022)
Looking for some new music to check out this month? Join us for a pick of 15 jazz releases this April, as picked or recommended by jazz magazines, blogs and websites around the world... As always, Bandcamp is a great first stop if you want to support any of these...
Interview with George W. Harris of Jazz Weekly
For this edition of the Jazzfuel industry interviews series, we talk to George W. Harris who is editor & writer for US-based online magazine Jazz Weekly. With a site tagline of "Creative Music and other forms of Avant Garde" he covers both new international...
Interview with Nicky Schrire of The Jazz Session
Nicky Schrire is a British-South African vocalist and composer based in Toronto, Canada. Alongside her performing and touring career, she has built a profile as a radio broadcaster and, in 2021 took over the reins at the long-running Jazz Session podcast. With...
Interview with Timo Hoyer, the writer of “Anthony Braxton – Creative Music”
British journalist Bruce Lindsay once said: what would jazz sound like today if no-one had ever written about it? Well someone who has dived very deeply into that topic is Timo Hoyer, a German professor and writer who recently published a deeply...
Interview with Danilo Pérez: Each Culture Has Its Own Blues
Today we hand over the digital microphone to writer Estefanía Romero who hosts the Mexican jazz website Bopspots and talked to legendary modern jazz musician Danilo Pérez about life, music and global challenges and issues today. The piano player, composer, and...
Interview with Maurine Knighton (DDCF): $1M for Leading Jazz Artists and Presenters
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) recently announced nearly $1 million in grant funding through its Creative Inflections program. It provides up to $200,000 for seven jazz artists at the top of their craft to collaborate with five presenting...
Interview with Steve Williams of UK Vibe
Steve Williams is the editor and publisher of UK Vibe, a now-online magazine which celebrates its 30th year in 2023. It’s a treasure trove of reviews and other pieces covering everything from the newest releases in the jazz world, to retro classics and vintage...
Ten of the Best Recording Studios in London
Join us as we take a look at some of the best recording studios in London, including the iconic Abbey Road, a completely solar panelled studio and many more. If you're a jazz musician looking to record your latest compositions read on for our top picks. The ten London...
The Best Jazz Podcasts | New Discoveries Around The World
In a world surrounded by distractions and full of busy schedules, it can be hard to keep up to date with jazz, let alone study it. In this article, we'll break down some of the best jazz podcasts that will inform and entertain you on the go. For this round up, we...
1000 True Fans Unpacked | The Road To Jazz Freedom
Let’s start with the eye-catching, clickbait headline: in this article we’re going to look at how generating a 6-figure income as an independent jazz musician is within everyone’s reach… …with one big caveat: It’s going to take a good plan, consistent hard work...
![Jazz at Fira B [2021 Showcase Recap]](https://jazzfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/BLAU-SALVATGE_1-1-400x250.jpeg)
Jazz at Fira B [2021 Showcase Recap]
Whilst jazzhead in Europe and Winter Jazz Fest in New York are two of the best-known opportunities to showcase and network in the jazz world, there are plenty of other great international events shining a light on this genre. Here we wanted to share an overview...
![Best Jazz Albums Of 2021 [Journalist Picks]](https://jazzfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Best-Jazz-Albums-of-2021-400x250.jpg)
Best Jazz Albums Of 2021 [Journalist Picks]
With so many amazing musicians in the jazz world, putting together a list of the best jazz albums of 2021 is probably an impossible exercise. However, that doesn't mean we can't shine a light on some top record tips that might have slipped under your radar... We don't...
The Best Website Builders for Musicians (2022 Guide)
The best website builders for musicians allow any independent artist to come up with a professional and stylish website in very little time. There’s a lot of choice out there though - each with their own advantages and disadvantages - so in this guide we’ve reviewed...
9 Stylish Musician Website Examples
If you’re planning on building a new website for your band or project, it helps to look at what other musicians are doing right. In this article, we’ve pulled together 9 examples of musician websites which do a great job at keeping things simple, stylish and...
Bandcamp: The Power of Social Sales
Why should you sell your music on platform like Bandcamp that takes 10-15% commission when you could sell it from your own website and keep everything? The answer is social sales, which we're going to unpack in this article... Giving away money is usually...
A Jazz Musician’s Guide To Getting Things Done
It’s not easy being a 21st Century jazz musician, is it?! Not only are you meant to be the best you can on your instrument and make great music, you almost certainly have to take on many of the business and ‘admin’ tasks including booking gigs, social media,...
Interview with Robert Soomer – Artistic Manager of The Metropole Orchestra
Based in The Netherlands, The Grammy-winning Metropole Orchestra is one of the longest-running and most prolific jazz & pop orchestra's in the world. Mixing together a jazz big band with symphony orchestra, it features upwards of 50 musicians who perform both on...
Miguel Zenon – Interview with the Puerto Rican Saxophonist
In today's Jazzfuel interview we welcome renowned New York-based Puerto Rican saxophonist Miguel Zenón who has a career spanning more than 20 years taking in recordings, touring, education and composition. As you might expect from a musician who has successfully...
Mailing Lists for Jazz Musicians: Incentives & Bribes
As an independent jazz musician, how do you encourage fans to sign-up for your mailing list? Having an active list of jazz fans is valuable. It provides a base audience for new music, tickets to gigs, or anything else you happen to sell. But as anyone who has worked...
Press Campaigns | Spring 2021
By Spring 2021, gigs were still largely on hold, but the number of great independent jazz albums only seemed to be growing! We ran press campaigns for 25 album releases (check them out here!) in the first part of the year and have pulled together some key takeaways...
Interview with Mario Steidl of the Austrian Jazzfestival Saalfelden
At the end of August, many international musicians and industry people come together in Saalfelden for a jazz festival against the backdrop of breathtaking mountain scenery. Ranging from intense listening experiences to exuberant dance parties, concerts take place on...
Interview with Dutch Jazz Journalist Mathijs van den Berg
If the goal is to win fans, book more gigs and sell more music, actually making a brilliant album is only half the story: you need to get it out there so people can discover it! Of course, a great way to do this is by getting reviews from trusted journalists...
3 Excellent Bandcamp Pages (Case Study)
Need some inspiration to get the most out of your Bandcamp page? I've found three jazz musicians who have done something great with their pages. Whether it's great merch or smart use of different features, they've found something powerful - and useful - about using...
Women In Jazz Media | Interview with Fiona Ross
For today's interview we welcome Fiona Ross, founder of Women In Jazz Media, a not-for-profit organisation created to help support and create an equal, diverse, safe and healthy Jazz Industry. WiJM is a team of writers, photographers, painters, musicians, presenters,...
![Jazz Singles on Bandcamp [2 Common Mistakes]](https://jazzfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Singles-on-Bandcamp-400x250.jpg)
Jazz Singles on Bandcamp [2 Common Mistakes]
When you think about releasing music on Bandcamp, do you think mainly about selling full albums? I bet you do... People often associate singles with Spotify and the big streaming platforms, rather than on more direct online stores. But that strategy of releasing...
Interview with Øyvind Skjerven Larsen of Oslo Jazz Festival
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges as an independent jazz musician is finding the time to pitch for gigs whilst still practicing, rehearsing, writing and doing all the other jobs you're expected to take care of... But until you have someone doing this for you,...
Facebook: Personal Page vs Artist Page
Love it or hate it, Facebook has more than 2.6 BILLION users and we can only hope that some of those are jazz fans too. Forget meaningless stats such as 'likes' and 'followers' - your challenge is to get your music in front of those potential fans, make them...
Interview with Pianist, Composer & Arranger Shai Maestro
Widely regarded as one of the most talented musicians of his generation, Israeli pianist Shai Maestro has, in a relatively short amount of time, built a reputation as a strong musical personality and an in-demand bandleader and sideman. As part of our jazz interviews...
Q&A with the booking agent Jakob Flarer of Saudades Tourneen
For today’s interview we asked a few questions to Jakob Flarer from the Austrian booking agency Saudades Tourneen whose motto is this: Creative, experimental, improvised, avantgarde, progressive, contemporary music is THE MUSIC WE LOVE In “normal” times, Saudades...
jazzahead! 2021 (Interview with Sybille Kornitschky)
If, like us, you were preparing for Jazzahead! last year, we know how disappointing it was to hear it was being postponed to 2021. As one concert after another was cancelled with the onset of the pandemic, we waited anxiously for the inevitable news from jazzahead!...
DistroKid, CD Baby & TuneCore – Which Digital Distributor Is Right For You?
As every jazz musician who's self-released music knows, picking a digital music distributor to get your tunes into online stores like Spotify and Apple is a seemingly simple task which somehow ends up turning into a time-consuming and confusing decision. In this...
Interview with Patrik Lindgren of the Swedish Lira Magazine
If you're familiar with Jazzfuel already, you'll know that we try to talk to as many other 'industry' people as possible to extract great advice, strategies and insight that you can use as an independent musician. Of course, releasing music and getting international...
The Releasing / Gigging Cycle
There's a strongly held belief amongst some musicians that there's no real point releasing music if you can't tour it. To be fair, that's what musicians have been doing for many years. But unless you're a headline act, do you really promote your music by being 'on the...
Interview with Krzysztof Komorek of Donos Kulturalny
If you want to discover more about the thriving Polish jazz scene, Donos Kulturalny, by jazz journalist Krzysztof Komorek, is a great place to start! Krzysztof joined us for a short interview to share his long and varied experience in covering this music. He is not...
Interview with Tina Heine of Jazz & The City
Today's interview guest is Tina Heine who, after founding and running the Elbjazz festival in Hamburg for many years, now runs the Jazz & The City Festival in Salzburg, Austria. It's certainly not a conventional festival - with 'blind date' concerts, unusual gig...
Dave Liebman – Interview with a Jazz Sax Master
For today's interview we're joined by a real jazz legend with a career in contemporary music which stretches back nearly 50 years. NEA Master Dave Liebman emerged in the 70s performing saxophone (and sometimes flute) with artists including Miles Davis, Elvin Jones...
What is User-Centric Streaming (And Why Does It Matter For Jazz?)
This piece was written by Bas Grasmayer, founder and editor of the MUSIC x newsletter. Bas has previously worked as head of product for various...
Jazz Special (Danish Magazine) | Interview with Editor Cim Meyer
If you're looking to get your new music to the widest possible audience - as well as use it to get gig bookings later - press coverage is a very important focus. In order to run our own press outreach campaigns better, as well as advise musicians who go down the DIY...
Interview with Don Lucoff of DL Media
For today's interview we welcome Don Lucoff, a jazz music industry veteran who's worked with some of the biggest artists and labels in a career spanning more than 30 years. Don Lucoff is the founder and president of the American PR agency DL Media Music. Since the...
Post-COVID Gig Booking
This is a replay from the 1st Feb 2021 live Q&A session on post-COVID gig booking. Of course, no one can predict what's going to happen in the coming months, but here are some best-guesses and some focus on the things that we can be doing right now to better...
Interview with Ray Jefford, Manager to Avishai Cohen
Avishai Cohen is one of the most in-demand and well known musicians of today. The Israeli bassist sells out large concert halls and has millions of listeners all around the world, all whilst playing what has been described as a sophisticated mix of post-bop and...
Interview with Răzvan Scurtu of Smida Jazz Festival
Amongst the many brilliant jazz festivals around Europe, there are those that stick out as being extra special in terms of where they're happening. Smida Jazz in Romania is one of these. Built out of nothing each year, it takes place in a small village in the heart of...
Press Campaigns | Autumn/Winter 2020
The worldwide lockdown of 2020 didn't seem to reduce the number of great independent jazz releases and, from what we hear, there are a lot more coming in 2021! For those projects that manage to grab some attention from the jazz press, they should be in a good position...
Interview with Michael Stückl of Munich’s Jazzclub Unterfahrt
For anyone familiar with the European jazz club scene, one name that has been around longer than many is the Unterfahrt Jazz Club in Munich, Germany. Across its 40-year life, it's hosted many of the biggest names in jazz - as well as countless rising stars and brand...
Best Jazz Albums of 2020
It's that time of year when magazines and blogs are publishing their round up lists of best jazz albums of 2020. Rather than put together an article of music we've been enjoying this year, we instead asked the Jazzfuel community to share their favourites of 2020. What...
Interview with Saxophonist, Bandleader & Producer Ben Wendel
Today's interview is with Ben Wendel, the Vancouver-born, Los Angeles-raised and New York-based jazz saxophonist, bassoonist, composer and pianist. We thought he'd be a really interesting guest because, alongside making killer music, he seems to have a great all-round...
Interview with American Saxophone Great Greg Osby
Hailed by The New York Times as one of the “most provocative musical thinkers of his generation” New York saxophonist and composer Greg Osby has been pushing the boundaries of contemporary improvised music for more than three decades. He recorded 15 albums for Blue...
International Jazz Musician Survey (COVID-19 Edition)
Of course, COVID-19 has disrupted the lives and jobs of many different people worldwide. But given our work at Jazzfuel, we wanted to look specifically at how jazz musicians are being affected by the current situation. We conducted a comprehensive survey of 266...
Interview with jazz journalist Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther
Today's interview guest is German-based journalist Ferdinand Dupuis-Panther who currently writes for the Jazz'Halo magazine. He's been a active on the European jazz scene since the 1970s and, as such, has seen firsthand the influx of talented musicians performing on...
Press Campaigns | Summer 2020
As you may know, one of the main done-for-you services we offer at Jazzfuel are press outreach campaigns. It's been satisfying to see so many new releases over the last 6 months, despite the obvious problems around the world. And, even better, so many journalists...
8 Reasons Bandcamp Is Valuable For Jazz Musicians
If you're somehow not too familiar with Bandcamp, it’s probably best described as the biggest [virtual] record store in the world. Except with every band hanging out there and selling their own stuff direct to fans. In fact, CEO Ethan Diamond recently noted that if...
Thoughts on the next 24+ months
As far as the music industry goes, we’re in possibly the most uncertain times ever. Even now, when some countries start to tentatively book gigs, everyone is waiting anxiously for the next set of rules, the next wave of the virus… I confirmed a few shows this week,...
Jazz Radio Stations Around The World
Are you, like us, a fan of discovering great music on the radio? Join us for a round up of more than 50 jazz radio shows around the world, from the biggest stations in Europe and North America, so independent, online platforms broadcasting cutting edge jazz and...
21st Century Jazz Record Labels
You might not *need* a record deal in 2021 to get your music heard, but that doesn't mean there aren't independent jazz record labels out there releasing great music and giving you ideas for how to make the most out of your next album. We've put together this list of...
Interview with Frank van Berkel of Bimhuis Jazz Club
Despite its relatively small size as a country, the Dutch jazz scene presents an impressive array of music featuring both homegrown and international artists. In this interview we caught up with Frank van Berkel who is the programmer at Bimhuis in Amsterdam - one of...
Knowing your network
When it comes to building a sustainable, long-term career as a creative jazz musician, the strength of your professional network plays an important role. But whilst there's a lot of talk (from me included) on growing your network, there's something to be said for...
Jazz in Japan – Interview with James Catchpole of the Tokyo Jazz Site
For most Western jazz musicians, touring in Japan is pretty high up the dream to-do list. Ever since the 1960s, the jazz greats have been performing and recording there, with "live in Japan" (or sometimes "live in Tokyo) albums gracing the discographies of everyone...
Interview with music journalist Charles Waring
Today's interview guest is Charles Waring, a British music journalist who is co-founder of the website Soul & Jazz & Funk and freelance writer for a host of magazines including MOJO & Record Collector. Over the last 2 decades he's written liner notes on...
Why Your Mailing List Is Crucial To Making A Career As A Jazz Musician
As an independent musician, a strong mailing list could be the most valuable tool you have to give yourself the creative and financial freedom to make the music you want. In this article we're going to take a look at why... If you want to have a long-term career as a...
Interview with Kim Macari
From Kurt Rosenwinkel talking about his early days phoning Spanish jazz clubs to pianist Alan Benzie running through how he booked a 16-date European tour, some of the most-read Jazzfuel interviews and guest articles have involved musicians who've done the industry...
Audience Development for Jazz Musicians
Did you see the story a few months back about the American funk band Vulfpeck? They sold out Madison Square Gardens (13,000+ people) with no manager or record label. And, on top of that, they did it with no advertising budget: they announced it to fans on social media...
![Best American Jazz Websites and Blogs [Updated]](https://jazzfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/American-jazz-blogs-400x250.jpg)
Best American Jazz Websites and Blogs [Updated]
Jazz blogs and websites around the world are a great source of information if you're looking to discover new music that fits your taste. As the home of jazz, America of course has its fair share of writers and, in this guide, we've highlighted some of the best from...
Why setting goals makes you a better musician
This is a guest article by Danish music manager & coach Kat Jarby of Kaja MANAGEMENT As jazz musicians navigating in the modern-day music landscape, you are often required to be your own booking agent, tour manager, publicist and strategist in order to run a...
Interview with Wulf Muller | Jazz A&R and marketing
With over 35 years of experience in the music business, Wulf Muller started out as manager for the Miles Smiles jazz club in Vienna in 1980, before joining PolyGram Austria as a Product Manager. Since then, he's held roles at major record labels including Sony and...
Talking music videos with Dan Redding
Great video content is one of the most effective 'tools' a jazz musician has when it comes to convincing a promoter, winning a new fan or motivating a journalist. As a jazz booking agent I've experienced first-hand the effect a simple but well-produced video can have...
Niche European Jazz Blogs & Websites To Discover
There are blogs that write about the great famous jazz musicians who we all know and love - those who release under ACT, ECM, Blue Note, etc - but there are also some brilliant local, niche jazz blogs that give a lot of space to artists who are not internationally...
10 Great Jazz Magazines
Here's the Jazzfuel rundown of 10 of the best jazz magazines from around the world that you can still read in a physical format. Whilst there are many jazz websites and blogs out there providing the latest gig listings, album reviews and news from around the world,...
British Jazz Blogs & Websites
Whether you're looking to discover some new music or to figure out where you'll go for your next gig, there are a bunch of great British jazz blogs to help out. Through our work running press campaigns for jazz musicians, we have worked with some of the best and have...
The Jazz Journalists Survey (2020)
If you want to get the news about your latest album release out into the world, jazz journalists (aka bloggers, music writers, critics, reviewers…) are one of the most effective ways of doing this. Something we've seen from our own press outreach campaigns is that,...
The Lockdown List
With most of the world on lockdown - or at least severely restricted - many of our usual work-related activities are no longer an option. Gigs, tours, teaching, rehearsals... all cancelled. But for those of you who are healthy and not dealing first hand with the...
3 Gig Booking Timesavers
One of the biggest challenges musicians face in booking gigs is the amount of time it takes. You already have to practice your instrument, rehearse, teach, compose, do social media, send invoices… But if your goal is to tour more, both at home and internationally,...
Interview with Christian McBride
Over the last 3 decades, Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride has become one of the most requested, most recorded and most respected figures in the music world. On top of a busy touring & bandleader schedule, he also works as a radio host, producer, educator,...
Interview with Jan Hocek of JazzPort
For today's interview we're handing over to Maggie Samkova, Czech booking agent and jazz publicist who's worked with Jazzfuel for several years now. As an expert on the local jazz scene, she's adding to her existing catalogue of interviews (Jakub Zitko of Jazzdock...
Interview with Russian Jazz promoter Roman Khristyuk
As the internet makes the world a smaller place, savvy musicians are looking not just at building the number of fans & industry people they're connected to, but at whether there are new territories they could try to develop their career in. A place that has, until...
How to write an effective music press release
If your goal is to get more gigs and sell more music, recording and releasing great music it is only the start. Persuading magazines, blogs, websites and other media outlets to spread the news for you is vital in building your profile and one of the best ways to get...
Your record label options (+ what to AVOID!!!)
We’re lucky in 2021 to have so many ways to record & release a new jazz album. The time from recording studio to a fan's headphones is shorter than ever and the costs involved in many of the steps in-between are getting lower. But with great choice comes...
2 Things You HAVE to Do For Your Next Album Release
If you’re releasing music, I’d assume that making some money, winning new fans, getting reviewed and, as a result, getting more gigs, are pretty high on your ‘win’ list. Assuming that’s the case, there are two little things that you could – and probably should – build...
Interview with music lawyer Robert Horsfall of Sound Advice
I don't know about you, but there was a time when I assumed you only needed a lawyer if you were in some sort of trouble. I certainly didn't consider one being particularly necessary or viable in the independent jazz world. But in fact, as I've learnt through various...
Focusyear, ECM & Jazz Greats 10 Questions with Wolfgang Muthspiel
©Laura Pleifer Over the last 3 decades, award-winning and critically acclaimed guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel has toured and recorded with many of the worlds jazz greats; the most recent of which features Brad Mehldau, Ambrose Akinmusire, Larry Grenadier & Eric...
Chatting to Nick Lewis of Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club
[This interview was originally published in March 2019. Nick is no longer working at the venue, but the advice and general direction of the tips remain totally valid and worth checking out!] Nick Lewis is one of a 5-strong programming team at London's legendary Ronnie...
Making Spotify Work For YOU
Spotify gets a bad rap in some circles for the percentages it pays out and the millions of streams you need to see any serious, direct, income. But today we're going to put that aside and look at some of the ways you can get some real value from Spotify if your music...
Jazz Video Premieres | Jazzfuel
Video Premiere: May 2022 Kalaha + Hilal Kaya with Aarhus Jazz Orchestra 'Deva' (April Records) Vocalist Hilal Kaya tells (sings) a story about long gone love and the sadness it brings. Supported by the sound of Kalaha and the big band Aarhus Jazz Orchestra which plays...
New Releases Jazz Playlist | Jazzfuel
This jazz playlist is made with the pretty much the opposite approach to Spotify. The streaming giant tries to recommend exactly what they think you'll like, or to categorise the music into sub-genres so you know exactly what to expect. Knowing how discerning jazz...
Interview with Mike Flynn of Jazzwise Magazine
As the UK's biggest selling jazz monthly, the award-winning Jazzwise magazine covers everything from the cutting edge of contemporary jazz, mainstream, fusion and free-jazz to jazz electronica and world music. And with features such as 'Taking Off...' they play a big...
London Jazz & Beyond (Q&A with writer/editor Peter Bacon)
Peter Bacon is editor-at-large of London Jazz News - recently described as the most in-depth local jazz coverage on the planet - and has been writing about jazz for 40 years. He's written about albums and concerts from various positions, including as a full-time...
Q&A with Merli Antsmaa from the Jazzkaar Festival in Estonia
Jazzkaar Festival in Estonia's capital Tallinn is one of the biggest jazz festivals in the Baltic States and celebrated it's 30th anniversary between the 19th to 28th of April 2019. An ever-present force on the jazz scene, it's programming team is led by Anne Erm and...
How can you break into a new territory without an agent or network?!
The recent jazz musician survey I ran turned up so many common 'pain points' for musicians. From building a jazz network and reaching the right festivals, to how to find the time to take care of all the 'admin' tasks and keep momentum going, a lot of you had similar...
Keeping Momentum With Your Tour Booking
More than 300 musicians on the Jazzfuel mailing list recently took part in a survey to answer questions about their careers: where’re they’re at, what they've got planned, the successes they’ve had so far and the challenges they face with tour bookings, releasing...
Booking Agent vs Music Manager (the jazz musician guide)
In an ideal world, you'd probably have an excellent booking agent and a highly effective music manager overseeing every step of your career as a gigging and album-releasing jazz artist, right? To get to that stage, you'll almost certainly need to do both of those jobs...
Self-booking an international tour with jazz pianist Alan Benzie
For all the focus on finding an agent to help build your career as a jazz musician, there are some great examples out there of musicians who have taken on this role themselves and seen good results. One such example that I came across recently from the Jazzfuel...
Promoting your new album without a jazz publicist?
Whether you can't afford a jazz publicist for your next release, or you just want to fill in the gaps in countries they're not covering, this article looks at how you can do some DIY PR for your new music. If you’ve ever looked into hiring a jazz publicist, you’ll...
Tips from 40+ International Jazz Festivals & Club Promoters
More than 40 jazz festivals & venue promoters around the world took part in a Jazzfuel survey about how they discover and book artists. If you want to figure out how to better approach promoters and convince them to check out your music, here's our round up of the...
15,000 jazz fans a year: Interview with Vilem Spilka of JazzFestBrno
I’ve known Vilém for a few years now and he’s always been this mad...in a good way! I remember seeing him give a lecture at a conference for music managers and he was explaining the role of a music manager using a huge picture of a Czech literary and comic character...
Interview with Dave Douglas – “The Unassuming King of Independent Jazz”
Dave Douglas is a trumpeter, composer and educator with more than 50 recordings as a leader, including projects with Joe Lovano (Sound Prints), Uri Caine (Present Joys) & Mark Guiliana (High Risk). He founded his own label - Greenleaf Records - in 2005 to release...
Interview with Michael Fagien of Jazziz Magazine (USA)
Today's interview is with Michael Fagien, the founding editor of America's Jazziz Magazine. With over 30 years of experience in the jazz industry, he's seen first hand how things have changed and gives his insight on building your audience and connecting with jazz...
Interview with Eva Frost of Jazz Denmark
Eva Frost is a project manager at Jazz Denmark, the national organisation in Denmark responsible for supporting jazz musicians both within their country and with exporting Danish music around the world. A lot of countries have these organisations, but in my experience...
Should You Really Be Releasing An Album?
EPs instead of albums?! Bear with me, I know it’s a sensitive subject… …because I know that since the very beginning of your love affair with jazz, you’ve thought, talked & studied in terms of albums, right? Transcribing solos on Kind of Blue. Discussing the...
Q&A with jazz journalist Bruce Lindsay
I spend a lot of time on my laptop checking out jazz and, when it comes to reviews, the name Bruce Lindsay is one that comes up a lot! Based in Norwich, UK, Bruce wrote his first album review in 1974 and has gone on to write HUNDREDS more in the years since,...
How To Get Reviewed by a Jazz Journalist
Getting your latest project reviewed by the jazz press is key to getting more attention for your music. But if you're taking the DIY approach to music PR, it's not always clear how to get the best results. In this article, British music journalist Matthew Wright has...
Czech It Out! Interview with Jakub Zitko of Jazz Dock in Prague
Jakub Zitko - today's guest - was already an established musician before he became programme manager of Jazz Dock. Dissatisfied with the tourist-oriented set ups of many venues in town - primarily restaurants with jazz on the side - he helped start a club where people...
Inside a Jazz Booking Agency: How & Why These Artists Got Signed
Getting signed to a jazz booking agency is a big goal for a lot of musicians. But with so many great projects out there - compared to a relatively small number of agents - it can be a bit of a mystery as to why some artists get representation ahead of others. There's...
Getting the internet generation excited about jazz
(Interview with the Good Music Company)
Rotterdam-based agents Mike Bindraban & Jurjen Mooiweer only set up Good Music Company a few years ago but have already been responsible for bringing a whole host of jazz and jazz-related talent - not least Grammy-winners Snarky Puppy - to massive audiences...
Musician’s guide to the jazzahead! conference
The annual jazzahead! conference in Germany is one of the highlights in the jazz calendar if you're looking to connect with agents, manager, promoters, journalists, record labels & other musicians. In this article, I'll take you through everything you need to know...
Interview with Kurt Rosenwinkel – “one of the most influential musicians of his generation!”
Today's interview is with Kurt Rosenwinkel, a musician hailed as "one of the most influential and strikingly original guitarist-composers of his generation." American guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel has been at the forefront of the jazz and contemporary music scene for...
Interview with Digital Expert & Jazz Manager Nadja von Massow
London-based Nadja von Massow combines her passion for jazz with a background in the world of marketing, digital strategy and web design to support artists in areas such as website development, social media, email strategy and promo materials. We met in the early...
Jazz Industry Interviews: Talking Facebook
More than 40 booking agents, promoters, journalists, musicians and publicists have taken part in the Jazzfuel interview series over the last few years and, more often than not, social media is mentioned as an important 'detail' of the jazz musician puzzle. More...
How I crowdfunded my debut jazz album 111% in under 30 days
Music crowdfunding has become a popular method for financing a new album these days. And, with many record labels participating less and less in the production of a recording, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. With the likes of Kickstarter, Indiegogo & Patreon...
International Touring + Jazz PR – Q&A with Ernesto Cervini
I've noticed a strange phenomenon in the jazz world recently: there are people out there - both musicians and 'industry' - who seem to find extra hours in every day that no one else, myself included, know about. Today's Q&A guest - Ernesto Cervini - is certainly...
Just Released a New Jazz Album? Do these 10 things!
Releasing a new jazz album is a great opportunity to reach more promoters, press & music fans. But too often, musicians aren't squeezing every possible bit of attention out of new music. In this article, I'm sharing 10 things you can do in the weeks that follow a...
Local Jazz Gigs: Step One On The Road To International Festivals
Want to tour internationally? If you want tour more and perform at international jazz festivals, working with an agent, manager, publicist and/or record label can be a big advantage. For these people to get involved though, they first need to see that you are building...
Q&A with British Jazz Promoter Tony Dudley-Evans
British jazz promoter Tony Dudley-Evans is a well-known figure on the European jazz scene, having booked more than 1,000 gigs over the last 20 years. He's been involved with the internationally renowned Cheltenham Jazz Festival since it's beginnings and is currently...
Digital Strategy – Q&A with Bas Grasmayer of MUSIC x TECH x FUTURE
Most of the guests on the Jazzfuel Q&A are firmly rooted in the jazz world. From promoters and publicists to musicians and agents, these people spend their days thinking JAZZ. However, I really believe that in order to build a viable career as a jazz musician in...
Interview with Matthias Wendl of Berlin-Based Booking Agency artribute
Matthias Wendl is a Berlin-based booking agent working in the G-A-S (German-Austria-Switzerland) territory for a whole range of jazz artists - from big name Americans like Branford Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Snarky Puppy to some of the top Europeans: Eivind...
Why Great Jazz Music Videos Are Essential To Get More Gigs
Without a doubt, the most powerful tool in getting jazz promoters, journalists, booking agents & fans excited about your project is by showing them video footage. In this article, we'll look at why they are so important and the different types of video content you...
Bringing Jazz To The Masses:
Q & A with Tina Edwards of Jazz Standard
London-based broadcaster, promoter & music journalist Tina Edwards is surely one of the busiest people on the UK music scene right now. Alongside hosting and producing Balcony TV London, she features interviews and live sessions with musicians on her Jazz...
Interview with German Jazz Promoter Carsten Tradowsky
Carsten Tradowsky is part of the booking team for a jazz club & jazz festival in Karlsruhe, southwest Germany. As well as presenting regular jazz gigs throughout the year, the jazz club also runs a festival every autumn featuring a mix of international and German...
Booking Your Own Jazz Gigs? Here’s How To Get Better Results
Are you trying to get jazz gigs for your band or project? In this article I'm going to show you how to get better results, by figuring out exactly which promoters are ready to book you. This method has helped me book more than 1,500 gigs - and it can help you too!...
Jazz Musicians: 12 Quick Tips For Your Facebook Artist Page
Pretty much everyone is on Facebook these days - and that includes jazz promoters, journalists and booking agents... So if you're working on building your profile and promoting your music, it's important that you're not just on Facebook, but you're actually using it...
How To Get Maximum Free Publicity For Your Gig: Jazz Promoter ‘One-Sheets’
If you want your gigs to lead to more opportunities, it's important the promotion is good. You might think that's the job of the promoter, but you can massively improve the results by giving them with your best promo materials. This free template (click here to...
Touring with ‘Featured Guests’
Q&A with Florian Arbenz of jazz trio VEIN
Swiss Drummer Florian Arbenz makes up one third of trio VEIN who have been recording and touring together for more than 10 years. As Florian explains himself, they have never had a long term relationship with a booking agency, but have still managed to perform a huge...
Booking Experimental Music
Q & A with Kat Jarby
Kat Jarby runs Copenhagen-based Kaja Management and works with experimental/avant garde music. I met her back in 2016 when we did a panel - along with German agent Matthias Wendl from Artribute Booking - at the InJazz Conference in Rotterdam. The theme of our...
Musician Websites 101: Is Your Site Doing The Job?
If you're planning on designing a new website for your band or project - or even just tidying up an existing one - this guide will show you why websites for musicians still play an important role in building your career as a touring, record-selling artist. If...
Creating a Buzz – 18 ‘News’ Ideas For Jazz Musicians
Creating and spreading ‘news’ can help you to get more gigs, build your reputation, connect with new jazz fans and to excite people to be involved in your career. Done consistently, it gives people a feeling of momentum and keeps you in their minds. - A promoter needs...
Social Media For Jazz Musicians: Interview with Philip Freeman
Today's interview guest - Philip Freeman - is based in the US and has worked in various roles including jazz publicity, marketing (both independently & for record labels) and as a music writer - currently on his Burning Ambulance blog. As someone on the forefront...
Why great promo photos will get you more gigs
In today's world of information-overload, it's worth considering the old saying that 'a picture is worth a thousand words' - it's truer than ever. Great promo photos grab attention and get more people to check out your music. From jazz promoters & agents to...
How To Set Up Your Facebook Artist Page
As one of the most visited websites in the world, Facebook is used daily by pretty much everyone - and that includes jazz promoters, agents, journalists and record labels. So, it's important that when they search your name on the site, they find a dedicated Facebook...
4 Ways To Get A Jazz Booking Agent
If you're like most professional jazz musicians who don't yet have a booking agent, getting one to hook you up with international gigs and festivals is pretty high on your to-do list. Today I want to share 4 things that I came to realise (as a jazz booking agent...