In this piece we take an in depth look at how Kendrick Lamar is able to craft tracks which have achieved such prominent mainstream appeal, while still remaining deeply personal and specific to Lamar’s personal experiences. ___________________________ Guest post by Sam Friedman of Soundfly’s Flypaper One of Kendrick Lamar’s greatest…
Category archives: Indie Labels
Streaming Income For TuneCore Artists grew 85% Last Year
New stats from TuneCore, shared as part of its launch today of SocialPro, show another year of sustained growth, with artist revenue up 32% to $188 million in 2016. Like the rest of the industry, streaming drove the revneue increase. Streaming revenue for TuneCore artists was up 85% with top…
Nominees A2IM’s Indie Music Libera Awards Announced [FULL LIST]
Indie label trade association, the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), announced the nominees for its 6th annual Libera Awards. Created by and for the Independent label community, the Libera Awards – name adapted from the Latin word for freedom – is part of A2IM’s Indie Week in New York…
Hospital Records’ Romy Harber On Industry Trends [INTERVIEW]
In this interview, Romy Harber, Manager and Head of Digital at Hospital Records weighs in the importance of direct-to-customer marketing for labels, his experience with the music industry and where he sees it headed moving forward. _________________________ Guest post by David Riley of Midemblog midemblog: What are the best things…
Merlin Reduces Fees For Indies 25%, Royalty Distributions Soar
Independent label global digital rights agency Merlin has cut its administration fees as a percentage of revenue for the sixth time in 5 years. The move comes days after it announced a new multi-year indie licensing deal with Spotify. ___________________________________ Merlin, the global digital rights agency for many top independent…
IFPI Music Industry Revenue Report 2017 – Quick Take [Mark Mulligan]
International trade group, the IFPI, released its annual Global Music Report 2017 today. It’s overview of developments in the recorded music sector including the rise in streaming and the industry’s priorities. Analyst Mark Mulligan offers a quick look at the numbers. ___________________________________________ By Mark Mulligan of MIDiA and The Music…
Saturday Is Record Store Day – GO BUY SOMETHING
Saturday 4/22 is the 10th Record Store Day, with hundreds of independent record stores celebrating a resurgence that most thought would never happen. Thanks to vinyl, survival skills and loyal fans, these stores are, for the most part, experiencing a resurgence. But that will only continue if you turn off…
A2IM Announces Indie Week 2017 Speakers: Pandora’s Westergren, SoundExchange’s Huppe, Merlin’s Caldas & More
A2IM has announced the lineup of keynote speakers and panelists for Indie Week in NYC June 5 – 8. Kicking off the event will be Pandora CEO and Founder Tim Westergren. Other Indie Week 2017 keynote speakers include: Susan Butler, from Music Confidential, an in-depth weekly report on the pricing,…
Spotify, Merlin Reach Global Indie Label Licensing Deal
Just a week after Spotify announced a new multi-year licensing deal with Universal Music, the music streamer has cut a similar deal with Merlin on behalf of thousands of independent labels globally. Indie music has been a huge part of our success since day one & I am super happy…
You Don’t Need A Record Label To Be Successful
Although artists now have the resources and technology to be successful without the help of a major label, or indeed a label of any kind, many are still confused as to why so many in the industry are eschewing traditional labels in favor of their own DIY efforts. Here we…