In theory, streaming should provide all artists with a fair chance of organically building an audience, provided they can game the system. As with any game, however, success depends largely on the skill of the player, and raising your music’s profile on a streaming services requires a carefully implemented strategy….
Category archives: Publishing & Songwriting
The Pennsylvania Bill That Should Worry Musicians Nationwide
A cause of concern for musicians everywhere, there is a new bill which recently sailed through the Pennsylvania House as an amendment to the state’s liquor code which would prevent minors who perform at restaurants and clubs from being fairly compensated. _____________________________ Guest post by Wade Sutton of Rocket to…
Social Network For Musicians’ Drooble Song Reviews, Reviewed [Brian Hazard]
In this review of the song reviews section of the musician focused social media site Drooble, Brian Hazard of Color Theory provides a detailed breakdown of his experience using the site, kind of user feedback he received on his music, and whether the process as a whole was valuable to…
Learning To Fail Is Essential To Music Business Success
While you may be blessed with copious amounts of creative talent, no journey through the music industry will be smooth sailing the entire way. Failure is an inevitable byproduct of creativity, but luckily such stumbles can be a learning opportunity, and are ultimately beneficial to your career. ____________________________ Guest post…
Performance Rights Disputes: What They Are, What Causes Them
For as long as recorded music has existed, so too have wrongful claims of ownership. Either as the result of ignorance or confusion, disputed claims continue to crop up in the recording industry again and again. Here we look at what causes the disputes, and what systems exist to resolve…
Legacy Music Industry Shouldn’t Watch Over Royalties Of Independent Songwriters [Op-Ed]
Although there was plenty of trepidation leading up to the recent passage of the Music Modernization Act, the legislation was met with surprisingly little controversy once it was passed. Since then, unfortunately, some details have emerged over how the royalties of independent songwriters will be monitored that are raising the…
Stunning Warner Music Defeat vs Madonna ‘Vogue’ Co-Writer
A Manhattan federal appeals court has found that Warner Music Group is guilty of wrongfully withholding royalties from the co-writer behind Madonna’s hit song “Vogue.” Two years ago, Robert ‘Shep’ Pettibone filed a lawsuit against the label claiming that both WMG and publishing division Warner/Chappell “withheld and failed to pay”…
Convergence In Music Industry as Managers Become Labels, Distributors Become Marketers and More
In this piece, Jake Udell reflects on the how music companies are increasingly converging to become the same thing as they try to wear a growing number of hats in an effort to remain relevant in a rapidly changing industry. _____________________________ Guest post by Jake Udell of Art of Manager…
17 Accessible and Affordable Music Marketing Tips
Music marketing changed almost entirely in the last decade, and while variety of new tools and techniques are now available to artists, many of them require a significant investment. Here we look at seventeen different marketing tips that, while still effective, remain affordable to the average musician. ________________________ Guest post…
SoundExchange Payments Up 16.2% In Q1 2019
SoundExchange distributed $220.7 million in payments to more than 185,000 payees in the first quarter of 2019. This represents a 16.2% increase in distributions and 17.3% increase in payees over the first quarter of 2018. In 2018, SoundExchange distributed a record $953 million in sound recording performance royalties to artists…