Posts by Robert Lanterman

A lot of people I know use nights to drink and van rides to sleep. I like drinking and I love sleeping (especially on long drives). But having hours and hours of downtime, as well as visiting new places, gives a lot of opportunity for personal growth.

You don’t need to always be actively pushing your music in everyone’s face. Let people sit with it. Let them dwell on it. Ultimately, your art will speak for itself, so the best you can do is give it to people and let them decide for themselves if they like it or not.

Young bands don’t understand that promoters can only do so much when nobody knows who the band is, or that sometimes promoters and local bands just do a bad job.

Next month, I am going on a 10-day tour. As with any trip, I will undoubtedly forget some things, but this time I’m writing a list of things that I might forget. Will it help? Only time will tell.

I’ve learned a lot more about business and marketing from running the label than I did anywhere else, and most recently I’ve picked up some publicity tips. It’s not all traditional, but it’s what’s worked best for me. Love or hate it, here it is.

Even though it technically was a bad experience it turned into a good one in the end, and overall that’s what makes tours great. It’s an adventure.

This is more than just a “people die when they drive drunk” post, although that’s an important thing to remember anytime alcohol is involved.

I’m collecting stories from independent musicians about the strange experiences they’ve had on the road.

Through booking tours I’ve learned that you absolutely cannot lose track of where you keep things. This is where Excel comes in.

As if there’s anything less punk, I got my bachelor’s degree in business with a focus in marketing.

Seeing how much money I didn’t lose that night completely opened my mind to the wild, wonderful convenience that is sleeping in the van.