About.com
A grouping of over 800 topic-specific sites, each lead by a subject matter expert known as a “Guide”. I’m currently obsessed with the Entrepreneurs site. Be sure to explore the Investing for Beginners site which is expertly written in a completely non-intimidating manner and will give you a fantastic foundation in understanding how money works.
AEA: Actors’ Equity Association
AFTRA: American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Articles from CBS News and CBS MoneyWatch take a backseat to scores of blogs on all facets of business. Evil HR Lady cracks me up all the time and is a must read for anyone who has had a brush with the oxymoron that is corporate bureaucracy.
Budget Travel
I can easily spend hours on this site, the companion to (Arthur Frommer’s) Budget Travel Magazine. Full of sage advice for seasoned travelers and newbies alike. Don’t miss the “Real Deals” tab, which contains page after page of affordable travel packages on trips all over the world, with excellent explanations of any “fine print”.
The Bullet Proof Musician
I came across this site by while looking for an article that had made the rounds on Facebook awhile back, and was blown away by the rest of the content on performance psychology, efficient practice techniques and putting your best self forward at auditions by Juilliard trained musician turned psychologist Dr. Noa Kageyama.
The Business of Singing
Written by the incredibly knowledgeable mezzo-soprano Cindy Sadler, who’s been authoring the Ask Erda Column in Classical Singer for years. This site is full of wonderful resources - you’d be well served to spend some time digging around. (Note: Some of the materials are a little out-dated or narrowly focused location-wise, but provide excellent starting points for Google searches.) For additional inspiration, check out Cindy’s blog which chronicles her tremendous drive as “The Incredible Shrinking Opera Singer” and offers glimpses of the day-to-day life on the road.
Classical Singer Magazine
COMMANDOpera
DGA: Directors Guild of America
The Economist
Entrepreneur
Fortune Magazine
FourHourWorkweek
IATSE: International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
This is the personal website of Joshua Kennon, who is also the Guide for the Investing for Beginners. Check out his blog for more advanced articles on investing, as well as a peek into the life you can achieve by pinching your pennies.
LearnVest
A personal finance that’s specifically tailored towards women. The articles are a bit flaky for my taste, but the tools for tracking all of your monetary items in one place, in real time is pretty darn cool. (And vitally important, if you aren’t using a spreadsheet-type system of your own.)
Life’s Too Short to Skip Dessert
Warning: You will want to eat your computer screen if you visit this blog! In addition to all the yummy desserts and super-funny writing style, I love the tidbits on real life in a tiny NYC apartment, like this one on composting.
Elizabeth Ann Corkum’s Blog
The tagline on this blog is “The career adventures of a model, actor and singer.” If you really want the lowdown on how much focus and determination you need to make it in this business while being flexible to accepting all kinds of possible work, look no further than Ms. Corkum. (And to top it all off the girl runs unbelievable marathon splits! I have no idea where she gets the energy with all those long days on set/shoots…) Some great insights on making vacations “work” for you and this post on things you must know before you set foot on a television or film set.
Kiplinger
Marketing Singers
This was the first blog I got hooked on that was not written by someone I knew personally (via a recommendation on a friend’s blog). The things this girl does with the fugliest of second-hand clothes will amaze you, and may even persuade you to take up a needle and thread yourself. Plus she has a fabulously entertaining writing style.
The New Forum for Classical Singers
I’d probably have my singer card revoked if I didn’t include this on here. Just remember, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, take with a grain of salt.
New York Magazine
I’m fluent in the Health, Sunday Magazine and of course the Arts sections.
The New Yorker
It’s okay to read just for the cartoons. (I guarantee you’ll get sucked in by the articles too once you get started!)
NWSG: Northwest Screenwriters Guild
Opera America
Opera Europa
Opera News
Opera Singing in Germany and other adventures
Fabulous insights from rising soprano Julia Walsh as you follow her on journey auditioning and performing in Europe.
Pea Pod Squad Stuff
This is a fantastic example of how to blog really, really well. I’m not usually into “mommy-blogs”, but more posts than not I laugh till I cry at the zany antics of these triplets. Want to see what I mean? Check out the post here.
SAG: Screen Actors Guild
SFA: Screenwriters Federation of America (formerly the Screenwriters Guild of America)
This Life in Writing
The personal blog of the incredibly multi-talented Jessica Latshaw. Go back to the beginning for an insider’s view of 18 months on the road in a Broadway tour.
USA: United Scenic Artists
Wall Street Journal
WGAE: Writers Guild of America, West
WGAW: Writers Guild of America, East
Did you hear the angels sing when this site was born? A true Godsend to all less than meticulously organized singers, and a great sanity-saver for the rest of us.
