When searching for bands for my label, sales history is one of the first things I look at. Anyone can say they’ve sold ‘X’ amount of records, but Soundscan is pure proof, and we tend to rely on that as a resource. I would highly encourage any band not reporting live venue sales to Soundscan to do so, and Indiehitmaker is the way to do it simply.
Jay HarrenOne of the single most important things an independent artist can do to substantiate sales is to report ALL of them — live shows included. It’s the only way to prove to the business world that you’re actually moving product.
Jan SmithAs the new music model develops, it’s becoming more and more about substantiated numbers. IHM is the definitive answer.
Cappriccieo M. ScatesBeing on a SoundScan chart gives you legitimacy. It’s an official record of the success you are having and with that success you can build your band and build your brand…
Bruce BurchFirst thing every Wednesday morning I check out the Soundscan charts, who did well, who didn’t, who are all the artists on the New Artist charts selling, which are smart tour packages or possible support slots, which are new bands I haven’t heard of, how my clients did, etc. I also study my clients’ charts for market research.
Jordan BurgerVenue sales reporting was a component of State of Man charting in the top 40 on the Billboard’s Single Sales Charts for about eight consecutive weeks, even reaching a top 10 position. Had we not been able to report to SoundScan this would never have had happened.
Thomas PanzaThe more data you can give to a potential label, manager, agent, talent buyer, venue, etc, the better. If you can show all these people that you are selling a lot of your music in markets where you play, it proves you have fans willing to buy something from you. If you are selling a lot of your music in markets where you are getting some airplay, it means your song is reacting and labels will seek you out (if you even don’t want to be signed). Of course in the digital age, there are other resources these people look at, but a sale means you have a real fan while sometimes free downloads only mean casual listeners who may never buy anything from you.
Lou PlaiaYou’ll be surprised how fast the numbers pile up – every time you sell a CD on tour, send it into SoundScan… It’s the first place a record label will look to find out which bands are doing well on the road – and your chance to garner interest from these labels.
Michael CorcoranIt only takes less than a 1000 sales a week to make New Artist charts. A CD release show if done well can lead to most if not all of those sales. Add pre-release orders to that and you’re well on the charts! I tell every independent artist/band I work with to make sure they accurately report all their sales to soundscan. Why? It’s the only way for industry to know when and where an artist is doing well. Those that utilize a blended strategy focused around regional touring, good promoting and smart thinking can leverage SoundScan to create success.
David ClaassenI am thrilled to have discovered Indiehitmaker. With their help we were able to place our list two releases in the Billboard Classical Chart top 20. I only wish we had discovered them sooner. Every small and Independent Label should know of this organization. I’m certainly spreading the word.
Glen RovenIndiehitmaker made me realize that a major label deal is not necessary and my artists can garner their own revenue and do everything else a label can do on our own.
Julian "Ju" ArmstrongIndiehitmaker’s “Profiting from Technology: Online, Offline and On Tour” was one of the best crossover panels I saw at SXSW Interactive 2011. Each speaker seemed knowledgeable in their field of expertise and I could listen to Bryan Calhoun speak all day.
Kathryn E. IrwinBram & Indiehitmaker have helped me see performance from a completely different perspective. I have been able to help artists’ live shows improve tremendously and have gained knowledge on how to leverage live shows to push merchandise, get on billboard charts, and most importantly create amazing experiences for fans.
Patrick "Tune" AdeleyeIndiehitmaker’s Tempo Tuesday session was outstanding! If you are a live performer, the best will be brought out in you. There is no better tool for your toolbox than a live music makeover session with Bram and the Indiehitmaker team! You can quote me on that!
Peniece LeGallindiehitmaker.com gave my independent clients the ability to report in-venue SoundScan, which is important for any band attempting to establish a sales history while still unsigned. I was happy with the level of care my client received and would recommend this service to any artist.
Shelly HartmanI just wanted to thank you for what you have done for our clients. Having an artist out on the road and selling units is wonderful, but until we began reporting those units through Indiehitmaker those sales numbers had very little impact beyond their inital net profit. Sure it’s great to sell 40 CD’s at a show. At $5 each, the band has generated somewhere around $125 net profit, which can fill the gas tank, but the real value for an independent artist is in the numbers that are reported and viewed by the industry. Over the course of a successful tour, the band was able to report a couple thousand CD’s sold and was able to chart on the Billboard Heatseekers Charts as an unsigned artist. I can’t put a dollar value on that. It is virtually priceless. Record Labels, Promoters, Booking Agents, Investors and even Brand Affiliates want numbers. My advice to artists is this- You worked hard and sold CD’s. You generated those numbers, but if you don’t report them they don’t really count. IHM makes it easy.
Stephanie ChristieFrom planning to execution, working with Indiehitmaker was a pleasure. The Workshop presented “Get The Most Out Of Your Live Show” was well attended (to the point of standing room only) and the content was extremely relevant to attendees at all levels of their careers. Bram is definitely passionate about his craft and was reflected in his presentation. I look forward to working with Indiehitmaker again in the future.
Tom WhiteAs an independent band, Modern Skirts is thrilled to know that all of our venue sales are being accurately reported and credited with Soundscan via our deal with indiehitmaker.com! It’s an extremely competitive business that we’re in so it’s not only important for us to show the industry that we’re making a sales impact on the road, but to also gauge how we are doing in markets around the country. It’s quite a useful tool in helping us to grow our band as a business.
Troy AubreyIt has been a great experience working with IHM on the Critical Bill release… We absolutely killed it! Download cards were an easy sell – we currently have the #1 song in Detroit on 89X radio and have been The People’s Choice Champions since the beginning of last week. This was the perfect time to try these download cards, plus we made sure that everyone new the importance of selling these. The venue we played, the Emerald Theatre, was selling our merch and just couldn’t keep up!
Mike MitchellBeing in this business is not enough. You have be able to show and prove your presence. And the only way to do that is through soundscan by showing your sales. IHM does just that. They give you all the tools you need to show your sales and prove yourself through the only language that record labels understand these days and that’s $. Great staff that followed through and helped us put up the numbers we had been pulling for years and watched all the labels come running.
Chris BrownIHM and the PolyPlat Records Crew are some of the most supportive people I have worked with in the business. As an Independent Artist, things can be very challenging, time consuming and demanding at times; so it’s nice to know that you have someone in your corner to support you.
Gavinchi BrownIndiehitmaker.com was an excellent way for us to report venue sales that would have otherwise gone untracked.
James TrimbleIndiehitmaker.com is essential for independent artists. I have worked with the team at IHM for two years and I know that charting on Billboard is a possibility because they have helped me do it before. They make the process simple and repeatable. Indiehitmaker has become an integral and indispensable part of my music career.
Jimmie (J Metro) MooreSybarite5 made to the Billboard TOP TEN in less than four months thanks to IHM! Every concertizing musician should be using IHM.
Louis Levitt“How to Make More Money & Fans from Playing Live,” which was presented by Bram Bessoff from Indiehitmaker, was among my favorite workshops at the International Music Conference. After attending this workshop, I gained invaluable knowledge about how to truly connect with my live audience. I believe that I now know how to communicate on a level beyond the words and music, taking our audience on journey and enriching their lives. We have already incorporated Bram’s techniques into our show and we cannot wait for our fans to experience Matrixx of Domination on a higher level. Furthermore, we are looking forward to working with Indiehitmaker on upcoming projects. I have noticed a spirit of excellence from them and that each individual/group is valued like family.
ChieStine "Chie" LawrenceI really enjoyed panel discussion at the IMC Music Conference with Bram as one of the panelists. Bram offered priceless advice in regards to proliferating your career as a musician. Before, attending the conference, I did not realize the importance of college radio and performing at colleges/ universities. Bram provided information about organizations, whose sole purpose is to find new talent to perform at college campuses across the country, in addition to fundraising functions. Bram also conducted a workshop in which he summed up key movements as a performer and gave the do’s and dont’s of onstage performances. I am so thankful that I was able to hear Bram’s expertise on the music business from the artist standpoint and with his advice, I have the knowledge and skills to take my career to the next level. I highly encourage anyone to attend a seminar where Bram is a guest speaker- I promise that you will not regret it!
Luca LorenaThanks so much for your workshop at the International Music Conference. Not only did you give us an informative crash course in how to manipulate and command the stage – you also made us laugh and made it very memorable. I think I speak for most of the crowd when I say having you as a performance coach would probably do any performer the greatest benefit in their craft. I hope to work with you in the coming months to iron out some of the “kinks” before I begin performing. Thanks so much again,
Marquita BrownAn absolute must see experience for pro or novice artist. Something to gain for everyone.
Lex OneAs von Grey hit the road in earnest through 2013, we were reminded of the diverse range of logistics to be managed – tour schedules, hotels, sound checks, performance, merchandise, etc. In the past, we had sold quite a few CDs of our music at shows and didn’t have a reasonable means of submitting our SoundScan data missing opportunities to chart on Billboard. These days, “commercial track record” counts for a lot in the industry. When we initially looked for a service provider to help streamline the SoundScan reporting process, we found that Indiehitmaker’s service could help us get our reports submitted in an orderly and time-efficient way – and get appropriate credit for our actual music sales, never mind wind up on the Billboard charts from venue sales alone. We enjoyed working with the team at Indiehitmaker and believe their SoundScan reporting service is something that could benefit earlier-stage (pre-label) and independent bands who don’t currently have an efficient way of capturing and reporting their live venue music sales.
von GreyIHM has made a world of difference to The Sixth Generation. While we have always sold CDs at venues and on our website, we never had a way for those sales to be recognized for charting on Billboard. IHM made it possible and we are very grateful!
Ron HamrickOur choir was so excited to find out that our new album, KOCHI, had made it onto TWO Billboard charts this week! This success would never have been possible without your company’s help, and we are very grateful to you! With your assistance we were able to report all our concert pre-sales and make them count towards our charting. This is something we had never dreamed of doing on our past album. All your suggestions and quick responses to our questions were SO appreciated and we would highly recommend your company to anyone looking to have the best launch possible for their album.
Ruth WeberIHM helped us make our fan’s purchases, pre-orders and crowdfunding of our album really count without the help of a label, a PR company or paying tons of money to a distribution company. Their system is simple and it worked! We’re so proud that our album President Snakes made it into the top 5 comedy albums in its first week, thanks to IHM’s help!
Angela WebberThe IHM reporting app is the most convenient thing ever! Beats taping forms to a hotel room mirror at 3am anytime! Much love to IHM for the ingenuity to come up with something like this.
Mega RanWorking with Indiehitmaker has been awesome. They’ve been extremely accessible and walked us through all the steps necessary to count our site pre-order’s and live show sales towards soundscan so we can chart across 5 different billboard charts. We’re extremely satisfied and look forward to continue working together.
John GivezBeing an Artist for over 30 years, one of the biggest challenges is who to trust. Indiehitmaker made this decision easy for us. Thank you for your top quality direct support and care to make this happen. Truly one of the best services out there, highly recommend it to all artists.
ShakilaIndiehitmaker provided us with the ability to uniformly report our internet, show and digital download sales and achieve our goal of charting on Billboard. Their team of dedicated representatives was super quick to respond to all our questions and requests. A great service for the independent artist in 2015.
10 String SymphonyIndiehitmaker.com helped us report our Kickstarter, presale, online and venue sales so my latest album release “The Zombie Dinosuar LP” would chart all over Billboard, and it did! They care about artists. Great working with them!
MC LarsWhen my client from Kansas came to town to open a show for Naughty by Nature, I wanted to hire a performance coach to help perfect his show. Bram has an excellent reputation in Atlanta and I knew I wanted to work with the best.
Bram got right to work with KeyBoy and his band to develop a top-notch show that helped him connect with the audience and provide the best possible entertainment value for the fans. He was fun to work with yet still professional. His strategies helped KeyBoy make a huge impact on his first show in the Atlanta market. The fans were pumped up and loved the show. Even local blog writers were impressed by the energy and flow of the performance. He even came to the performance in support of KeyBoy.
I was very impressed by Bram and plan on using him to coach my other clients. I highly recommend taking the time to work with Bram. Your show and fan base will definitely improve.
Tracy MorrisIndiehitmaker is extremely helpful in us getting more visibility and credibility in the eyes of the music industry through their services. We don’t sell a crazy amount of records but they help us make sure every sale counts which is important.
Ruslan KDDropkick enabled our artist TROPAKANA to accomplish something not often if ever done by an independent artist. Not only did we chart at #2 on the Single Sales Charts but we were contacted by several label heads asking to sit down with us for meetings. All I can say is thank you Bram and thank you Indiehitmaker for creating Dropkick.
Don AnthonyIndiehitmaker is one of few nice things in the life of independent artists. As for me, IHM is the best thing that happened to me since I was awarded Grand Prix Du Disque in France during heydays of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd!
Until we got to know this unique group of great people, we had no idea how to build a bridge between our humble indie efforts and getting our sales counted. If you are in search of people “honestly” supporting Indie Musicians, join IHM… Thank you IHM, thank you Bram, you all are awesome!
Murat SesBram Bessoff has been a panelist and judge at The International Music Conference for 4 consecutive years. We continuously seek him out for his authoritative knowledge on the music industry, particularly artists stage and show performances. Bessoff’s honest and accurate critiquing has enabled our registrants to leave our conference with a much better understanding of themselves as emerging artists and identify the areas that they need to develop as well as the overall direction of their careers. We are proud to have Bram Bessoff and IndieHitmaker as our partners and look forward to another year!
Julia Huie-MartinBram, tried a few of your tips last weekend in a short 3 song performance. Wow! What a difference in crowd reaction. The two tips in particular where making (and holding) eye contact with individual audience members and being sure to include people in the back of the room. The impact was immediate. Right after my performance I received quite a few compliments from audience members and was able to add some names to my mailing list. And this at a club I never performed in before and in front of an audience who never heard of me before the performance. Thanks man! I can’t wait to try out some of your other tips at future shows.
Corey KoehlerI can’t speak highly enough, or give a stronger recommendation to Bram at Indiehitmaker than this: Bram was not only super accessible, gracious, and professional, but his streamline process moved at what seemed like the warp speed of business. He got us on board on a Wednesday (late) and got all of our sales accounted for within 24hrs. He single-handedly saved our Soundscan sales. Had it not been for Bram the sales would have been for not, because they would not have counted in time to chart on Billboard. If you are serious about your project and making forward progress within the music industry, then you owe it to yourself to call Bram at Indiehitmaker.
Josh LoganIndiehitmaker makes it possible for underground hard working bands to get a leg up on the billboard charts. Their Artist services are second to none!
Jordan GawAs a Non traditional Artist joining forces with Polyplat records (IHM) has been an AMAZINg journey. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to work with. Bram and his team are easy to communicate with. The (IHM) team are very hands on and are available to answer any questions via email or phone! Dropkick has been a huge life saver while on live performances. I’m able to utilize direct consumer digital downloads. With No hesitation, I highly recommend any serious artist to Polyplat (IHM)!
The drop Sherpa sessions are priceless and well worth the investment. I received more information than I ever expected! There’s nothing like self investment!
Syreeta ThompsonIt felt amazing to chart on Billboard! For a first time user who didn’t know anything about the official charts, Indie Hit Maker made that process smooth and easy. Couldn’t have done it without them!
Brady ToopsI’m so grateful we found IHM when we did. Their expertise in all things charting is rare and vital. Indiehitmaker is a crucial piece of the puzzle for independent artists and bands.
The Empty PocketsIndieHitmaker not only formulated us an easy portal to report our pre-sales and sales to Billboard but they also went above and beyond to make sure that our sales counted even when other factors came into play such as language barriers with venue representatives and non-responsive venue reps. They were more than attentive via text, phone, and email in a mail chimp/auto-reply world. We felt care for every step of the way. We’ll be using these guys until the end!
Matt IsbellIt’s been very inspiring to learn all these marketing techniques from you and to actually begin implementing them as you’ve taught us to do thus far. It’s instilled a new hope in this band, and we’re incredibly grateful for your help! It’s one thing to read a book or following a course to help you advance your music career, but it’s a completely different ballgame when you’re getting personalized help like this. It changes everything because you actually experience first hand what the possibilities are of making a full time living with your music. We couldn’t be more grateful for what we’ve learned so far. -Pinto and the Bean Chicago Illinois
Pinto and the BeanIncredible results with an Indiehitmaker campaign! Thousands of real people are new fans of the music thanks to them. Definitely will use this service and recommend to everyone I know!
Ben Thompson