Is Music Capable Of Healing Our National Divisions?

As more artists enter the political fray, often hard-lining one side or the other, it’s important to remember music’s incredible ability to also bridge division and bring people and communities together. ___________________________ By Michael Alan Anderson. This first appeared in The Washington Post On Friday, Taylor Swift, formerly reticent about…

Google To Add Attribution In Wake Of Lyrics Controversy

Google announced that it is adding attribution to the song lyrics it publishes in search results. The move came after Genius.com accused the tech giant and third party provider LyricFind of scraping lyrics off its site. "Here’s something you might not know: music publishers often don’t have digital copies of…

Taylor Swift’s ‘Lover’ Sets Apple Music Pre-Add Record

Taylor Swift’s 7th studio album Lover isn’t out for 2 months, but it’s already broken the record for most the Apple Music pre-add (aka pre-save) album in a single day by a female artist. Clocking a whopping 178,600 pre-adds worldwide in its first day of availability (June 13) – that…

What’s In A Name? 4 Tips For Picking An Artist Name

With all the pressures and responsibilities that come with being an independent artist, picking a band name can seem like a mundane detail, but the reality is that choosing the right band name is ultimately of the most important decisions you can make as an artist. ______________________________ Guest post by…

What Is It That Makes A Song Catchy?

Sleuthing out what it is that makes a song "catchy" has been a goal of songwriters since time immemorial. Here Hunter Farris meshes the worlds of music theory and psychology to determine just what it is that gives some music the ability to grab at our brains and not let…

‘Ties That Bind’ Celebrates A Year Of Telling Rock & Roll Recovery Stories

Sponsored by the drug and alcohol treatment center Cornerstones of Recovery, The Ties That Bind Us launched as a weekly interview series designed to shed light on some of the more negative byproducts that can result from a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. We look back on one year of the…

Merlin Paid Indie Labels $1 Billion In Last 18 Months

Global independent digital rights agency Merlin announced the findings of its 2019 Membership Report & Survey at A2IM Indie Week on Tuesday, The report revealed 63% year-on-year increase in member payments to $845 million. The total includes over $130 million in revenues generated from one time settlements and other non-royalty…

Breaking Into The Music Industry: Tips For College Grads

While graduating from college can feel like a major milestone, the prospect of finding a job (particularly in an industry as tumultuous as the music business) can be intimidating. Here we look at some key pointers for how fresh-faced graduates can get their foot in the door. ________________________ In this…

Merlin CEO Charles Caldas To Step Down

One of independent music’s most vocal advocates, Charles Caldas will step down as CEO of Merlin at the end of 2019 after more than 12 years leading the global digital rights agency. Continuing his current duties until then, Charles will work with the Merlin board to ensure a smooth transition…

NPR Launches Curated Music Playlists

National Public Radio’s NPR Music has launch a new series of curated playlists featuring music from the broadcaster’s radio programs such as Morning Edition or All Things Considered. The playlists, which will also feature ‘curated’ selections from NPR personalities, will include music from across a variety of genres, such as…