Americana Music Awards Nominations 2019: Women Take Center Stage [FULL LIST]

The Americana Music Association has named nominees for its 18th annual Americana Honors & Awards. Women dominated the 2019 nods with Brandi Carlisle Carlile, Rhiannon Giddens, Kacey Musgraves and Mavis Staples among the nominated. The Americana nominations stand in sharp contrast to their counterparts in main stream country where women…

A Brief History Of Record Deals

While artists have always been responsible for music’s artistic future, technology and the recording industry have always shaped how that future has been implemented. Here we look at record deals through the ages, from their inception in the late 1800s through to present day. ________________________________ Guest post from AWAL Artists…

Respected Touring Trade Amplify Shifts To Billboard

Dave Brooks led touring industry trade Amplify will be integrated into Billboard.com. Respected veteran journalist Brooks joined Billboard in 2017; and last year Valence Media acquired Amplify, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of Billboard. While long expected, the consolidation comes as Billboard ramps up its live music and touring trade…

Fan Data Drives 5 New Bandsintown Big Break Artists

Concert discovery leader Bandsintown has named five new developing artists to its Big Break fan-driven emerging artists program. An early identifier of success, Bandsintown’s live music insights identify acts who have seen a notable increase of trackers on the platform within a six month period. Since launching in September of…

How to Make A Living As A Full Time Musician

The goal of most musicians is simply to earn a living doing what they love. But in this DIY, D2F, streaming and social media era, that goal can seem both simultaneously attainable and a million miles away. Ariel Hyatt talks to Eli Lev, who is making his living as an…

MelodyVR Reports $14.7M Losss

Virtual-reality music startup MelodyVR has reported a loss of $14.7 million on revenues of $1,6 million in 2018. It was the first full year that its signature app was available. The company promised to focus more future efforts on mobile in addition to standalone headsets. “While VR device adoption continues…

10 Music Festivals Around The World: Exciting But Unheard Of

While most people are aware of major festivals like Coachella and Glastonbury, the scale and massive hype around these events can make them less appealing for some music fans. Here we look at ten exciting, but largely unheard of, music festivals from around the globe. ________________________ In this latest post…

SOCAN, RE:SOUND Join To Simplify Performance Licensing

Canadian performance rights management organization SOCAN and no-profit music licensing company RE:Sound have launched Entandem, a joint venture aimed at simplifying licensing for retailers, restaurants, nightclubs and other businesses. The new JV will allow business owners and other organizations that use music to acquire the legally-required licenses for the use…

73% Of Independent Musicians Suffer From Stress, Anxiety And Depression

73% of independent musicians have experienced negative emotions such as stress, anxiety and/or depression in relation to their career, says a new study which surveyed 1500 indie artists. Among those 18-25 the number rose to 80%. A full 33% have also experienced panic attacks. Fear of failure, financial instability, loneliness…

UK Musicians Speak Out On Brexit

UK trade association The Incorporated Society of Musicians has released a new report that chronicles how Brexit, the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union, will impact the music industry. According to the report, 50% of musicians surveyed by the study reported that their future work, mobility and visas,…