Blues Hall Of Fame Sax Player Joe Sublett On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast
My guest this week is saxophonist Joe Sublett, who’s a Grammy and W.C. Handy Award winner as well as an inductee of the Blues Hall of Fame. Joe’s credits include work with superstars like The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, The Band, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, BB King and a […]
Continue readingNew Record Deal Advances Are Soaring, If You’re A Hip Hop Artist
There was a time in the recent past when the record company advances for a new record deal had shrunk thanks to the overall music business being in such a bad way revenue-wise. It got to the point where many artists considered going the DIY route since it actually offered better alternatives to make money. […]
Continue readingThe AMP Act Will Get Producers Paid For Streaming
Perhaps the biggest question that today’s producer has is, “How do I get paid?” Back in the days when physical sales were king, this was never a problem as producers were paid handsomely for their services from sales royalties. Even though there are still physical sales involved today, that more than likely will not pay […]
Continue readingMore YouTube Ads Coming In An Effort To Get Users To Pay Up
YouTube is about to employ a rather unique strategy in order to get more people to buy into its upcoming subscription plan. The service is going to begin to insert more ads in videos in an effort to frustrate users enough that they’ll want to pay to eliminate them. YouTube’s global head of music Lyor Cohen laid […]
Continue readingiHeartMedia Owes Music Companies $38 Million
Last week I posted about iHeartMedia’s chapter 11 bankruptcy in which it was attempting to wipe out $10 billion worth of its $20 billion debt so it could carry on operations. Although various music companies are owned just a small portion of that amount, its still a significant $38 million, and that’s money that’s not […]
Continue readingMusic Licensing Guru Joyce Kettering On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast
My guest on the podcast this week is Joyce Kettering, a composer who became so successful licensing her music that she did the thing that so many dream about – she was able to quit a very good day job as a financial auditor and just dedicate herself to music. What makes this story even […]
Continue readingBelieve It Or Not, This Report Says Music Piracy Has Increased
We live in an age where it’s probably the easiest it has ever been to access just about any kind of music you want, and all for free. The music business has always been driven by convenience of consumption, and it’s difficult to imagine how much easier it can get than joining the free tier […]
Continue reading“Blurred Lines” Infringement Verdict Appeal Falls Flat
When the verdict in the 2015 copyright infringement trial brought by the Marvin Gaye estate against the writers of the Robin Thicke hit “Blurred Lines” was reached, most of the music industry shuddered. While some of the flavor of the Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up” hit of 1977 was captured on the “Blurred […]
Continue readingProof That American Idol Doesn’t Create Hitmakers
Most artists and musicians that I know hold the shows American Idol and The Voice in some level of contempt. It’s made-for-TV music and doesn’t reflect much about the true business of music or paying your dues (although there’s less of that these days anyway). It gets the public excited for the duration of the […]
Continue readingSpotify Makes A Move To Stop Playlist “Playola”
Way back when radio was the main channel for developing a hit, record labels tried to game the system by bribing radio station program directors with money and gifts to add a record to the station’s playlist, a process that became known as payola. Several scandals ensued and the practice became illegal, but labels and […]
Continue readingProducer-Composer Clarence Jey On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast
My guest on the podcast this week is producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer Clarence Jey, whose credits include music on US Billboard Hot 100, a Grammy-winning record, one of the largest viral music successes in history, music for film and multiple Emmy-nominated TV shows. His broad musical spectrum ranges from creating music for the Grammy […]
Continue readingWhy Spotify’s Investors Seem To Have Little Confidence In Its Future
Spotify’s direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange is coming on April 3rd and there’s already been plenty written about this unusual tactic. Much of the reasoning for the move coming from the company seems to circle around the fact that underwriting a traditional IPO costs too much, so there will be considerable savings by avoiding […]
Continue readingiHeartMedia Finally Files For Bankruptcy
It just goes to show the state that radio is in these days when iHeartMedia, the largest station group in the United States, needs to files for bankruptcy protection. The company formerly known as Clear Channel, which owns 858 stations as well as well as the iHeartRadio digital streaming venture, had been stymied under the […]
Continue reading- in Book Excerpt , Tips by Bobby Owsinski
Website Performance Metrics That Every Artist And Band Should Know
When it comes to measurement, one of the things that can happen is that it’s easy to be almost overwhelmed by the data that a measurement tool can provide. Here’s an excerpt from the 2nd edition of my Social Media Promotion For Musicians handbook that shows how to interpret the performance metrics in order to understand […]
Continue readingSocial Media Usage Is Going Down In The U.S.
Have we reached peak social media? It’s beginning to look that way if the data from The Infinite Dial study is to be believed. The annual report is a collaboration between Edison Research and Triton Digital and takes a look at the digital and analog consumption habits of people in the U.S. This year’s version […]
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