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…

Maren Morris Warns Streamers About Bro-Heavy Playlists

Marren Morris has found country music stardom with big does of help from Spotify, Apple Music and other music streamers. Her album ‘Girl’ notched 24 million streams in the US on the week of its release. But her biggest fear is the music streaming become too much like country radio….

King Crimson Shades Spotify With Apple Music Exclusive

King Crimson, one of the last major streaming holdouts, has finally made its entire catalog available. In an apparent dis to market leader Spotify, the classic rockers has made all 13 albums available only on Apple Music. Pictured is the cover of the band’s "In the Court of the Crimson…

50 Hard Rock/Pop Punk Playlists You Should Be Pitching, How To Reach Them

In the streaming age, playlists are the name of the game when it comes to getting ahead in your career. Here we look at fifty different playlists hard rock/pop punk artists should be pitching their music to, as well as how to actually get ahold of them. _____________________________ Guest post…

4 Benefits To Recording, Releasing Commentary For Your Music

Sometimes it can be hard to convey everything you want about your music through the album alone – luckily this creates the perfect opportunity to release commentary, giving fans insight into your creative process while keeping them engaged in the music. ____________________________ Guest post by Hugh McIntyre of the Symphonic…

Why Every Musician Needs A SoundCloud Account

While fewer mainstream consumers use it and artists generally don’t pull in as much revenue as from other streamers, Soundcloud is still an essential tool for every musician. ___________________________ Guest post by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0 SoundCloud is the streaming service that gets no love. It’s not a big…

Guide To Getting Your Spotify URI Before Releasing Your Music

In this how-to piece, Chris Robley details how artists can get their unique identifying Spotify URI in advance of releasing their music on the platform, thereby allowing listeners to pre-save music before its dropped. _______________________________ By Chris Robley of CD Baby of the DIY Musician blog In order to set…

NMPA Chief Compares Spotify To Uber As Songwriters vs Streamers Battle Escalates

On the day that Uber went public, NMPA head David Isrealite used the IPO to fire the latest salvo in the escalating battle the pits music publishers and songwriters against Spotify and other music streamers. Question: what are the differences between Uber and Spotify? Both are tech cos (not transportation/music…

Playlist Manipulation Will Create A Crisis In Streaming says MIDiA’s Mark Mulligan

Label and artist manipulation of songs, playlists and the streaming services themselves will lead to a crisis, says MIDiA analyst Mark Mulligan. "The paradox here is that casual fans have the potential to generate more streams than engaged listeners," says Mulligan."Streaming makes casual listeners ‘more valuable’ than aficionados." _______________________________ By…

Move Over Music, Spotify App Redesign Spotlights Podcasts

Spotify’s $500 million investment in podcasting is driving a new version of its app that will give podcasts more prominence. The goal is to make it easier to find and listen to podcasts. Its unclear how the changes will effect music and music discovery is unclear. But its hard to…