Musicians' Desk Reference is an online platform designed to help artists progress through today's music industry – from starting out and recording to promoting and touring, with an emphasis on strategies ranging from DIY to professional business and servicing. Informed by more than 15 years of personal experience, the platform offers templates, timelines, instructional guides and more tailored to the modern artist's needs.
Why Musicians' Desk Reference? The platform offers answers to the burning questions of when, why – and most importantly, how – to progress. It's not just a reference book doomed to collect dust on a bookshelf. It's a call for standardization in an industry that increasingly adapts to the digital age.
Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, The Counter Rhythm Group is the brainchild of Brian Penick, founder, drummer and over-thinker. After touring for more than 13 years, he turned to assisting independent artists with record marketing, publicity and radio promotion, among other critical areas. Today, Brian and the small staff of industry specialists at The Counter Rhythm Group have completed developmental campaigns for both emerging and well-known artists and music entities alike.
The Counter Rhythm Group was flooded with requests soon after it opened in 2010, and with those requests came challenges, such as handling a large roster of clients. The solution? Musicians' Desk Reference. Brian has created this digital collection to help many artists new and experienced build a solid foundation of knowledge and develop their presence as they progress through today's music industry.