Surprise! Apple Music Now Has More Paid Subscribers Than Spotify In the U.S.
In what many consider a stunning revelation, it’s been reported that Apple Music actually has surpassed Spotify in paid subscribers in the United States. Apparently both gone past the 20 million mark, with Apple Music now slightly out in front. If you’d have polled a group of music insiders about subscriber levels a year ago, […]
Continue readingVinyl Surges Again, Jazzmaster Is The New Strat, And Engineer Ed Seay On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast
Imagine that you’ve been given the task of taking the vocal from an album by one of the biggest artists of all times and tasked with putting more modern music around it, but you have to make it as seamless as possible. That’s what influential Nashville engineer Ed Seay did in working on a new […]
Continue readingBest Buy Winding Down CD Sales Pounds Another Nail Into The Format’s Coffin
On July 1st, Best Buy was supposed to end its long history with the Compact Disc (better known as the CD). The company had announced months ago that it had set that date as its deadline for ending sales completely, but according to several reports, is still is selling them, although with greatly reduced inventory and floor space. […]
Continue readingIndie Labels Now Account For 14 Billion Streams Per Month
Most artists and bands would prefer to be signed to a major label instead of an indie, but the fact of the matter is that indies are gaining strength, especially where streaming is concerned. Indie label association Merlin (which consists of more than 20,000 indie labels, imprints and small distributors) reported that its member’s streams have […]
Continue reading- in Tips by Bobby Owsinski
What Is A YouTube Art Track?
You may have wondered if there was a way to just upload a song to YouTube without having to make a video, even a simple one with just a photo or cover art. It turns out there is a way to do this, and to submit to the new YouTube Music streaming service at the […]
Continue reading- in Uncategorized by Bobby Owsinski
Happy July 4th With The US Marine Band And “Stars And Stripes Forever”
Happy July 4th to all my American friends. To my readers from other parts of the world, nothing signifies this holiday celebrating the birth of our nation like the John Philips Sousa march “Stars And Stripes Forever.” It caps off our holiday festivities amid great fanfare and fireworks, especially when played well. No one plays […]
Continue readingGrammy Refinements, JBL Pro Changes, And Engineer Clark Germain On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast
My guest on the podcast this week is engineer Clark Germain, who started in the business doing live sound around Hollywood for the likes of X, Circle Jerks, Agent Orange and Social Distortion to name a few. Eventually he began working at some of Hollywoods most prestigious studios, gaining credits on records by Michael Jackson, […]
Continue readingStem Makes Life Easier For Artists And Their Collaborators
There are a number of digital aggregators that all provide roughly the same services. They’re a one-stop shop that will send your music to Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, Tidal and any other digital streaming service, then collect your royalties and pay you. The problem is that the artist or manager receives the payment, and […]
Continue readingNew Study Finds That The Average Musician Makes Less Than Ever
I don’t think that anyone would deny that, unless you’ve reached the top rungs of the business, being an everyday musician is a tough job. The problem is that it seems to be getting tougher than ever to be an average musician though, as a new study from the Music Industry Research Association (MIRA) discovered. […]
Continue reading- in Tips by Bobby Owsinski
The 8 Essential Elements Of A Great Band Photo
When it comes to a band photo shoot, most artists put their faith entirely in the hands of the photographer. While that might be the best thing to do when working with a top pro, it still makes sense to have an idea of what to look for in case you’re not getting the results […]
Continue readingCoachella’s Radius Clause Has Artists Up In Arms
Everyone wants to play festivals these days. If you’re a new act then they can provide great visibility, and if you’re established then you can make some real bucks. The problem is that there are now so many festivals that they’re competing for customers, and that means contract language that’s meant to protect the festival […]
Continue readingMusic Industry Power Shifting, China Trade Wars, And Engineer Steve Remote On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast
Remote recording is an audio discipline that’s distinctly different from many others and something my guest today knows so much about. Steve Remote is founder and chief engineer of Aura Sonic, a mobile and location production company out of New York. Steve’s been working in remote recording almost his entire professional life, and Aura Sonic […]
Continue readingFacebook Takes A Swipe At YouTube, And YouTube Swipes Back
Facebook has been aiming for YouTube ever since it introduced video a few years ago, and although it’s done an admirable job of becoming a viable video platform, it’s efforts seemed to have plateaued as serious content creators still prefer the Google subsidiary. That isn’t keeping Facebook from trying something new however, and it’s using […]
Continue readingInstagram Launches IGTV, It’s New Long Form Video Service
Facebook has been losing its teen users and its video assault on YouTube has plateaued, so the next logical step is to include long form videos on its Instagram service. That’s exactly what happened as the company announced its release of IGTV, a new feature that will be available on existing Instagram accounts and a new […]
Continue reading- in Tips by Bobby Owsinski
Cover Art Guidelines For Streaming Services
Many times an artist or band is so concerned with their music that they forget about a piece of the puzzle that’s still essential, which is the cover art. Even if you don’t plan on a physical product, the cover art is still the thing that catches people’s eyes and can lead to a listen […]
Continue reading