This Example Shows How Much It Costs To Get Radio Airplay

We’ve all heard of payola where radio DJs or program directors get paid in order to ensure they’ll play a song on their station. When it happens, it’s all done under the table, but one station in California actually has a program with an F.A.Q. that directly states the prices for airplay and an interview. […]

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Spotify Losing Market Value, Producers Working For Free, And Agent Bruce Houghton On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is Bruce Houghton, who started his boutique Skyline Artists Agency more than 25 year ago. The agency now grown to offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, New England, Virginia, Florida and St.Louis, and serves 60 diverse artists that include Roger McGuinn, Poco, Atlanta Rhythm Section, The Motels, Freddie McGregor Zoe Keating, Darlingside, […]

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Google Will Link Searchers to Key Moments Within Videos

Here’s a new feature that’s being rolled out by Google that could change a lot of video searches. The search engine will now link users to specific key moments within a YouTube video as an answer to their search query. Google explains it this way: “When you search for things like how-to videos that have […]

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The RIAA Releases Its “Notorious” Copyright Offenders List

Copyright is at the heart of every artist and songwriter’s ability to make money, so any time that’s violated it’s taking food out of their mouths. Of course, this applies to record labels as well, which is why the RIAA submits a list of “Notorious” copyright offenders every year to the United States Trade Representative’s […]

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10 Types Of Social Media Posts That Lead To Engagement

When it comes to social media, large follower and friend numbers are okay, but engagement is where it’s at. Likes, comments and shares are the way to go in order to measure how well your posts are resonating with your audience, but how can we get more? There are actually 10 types of social media […]

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Online Content Getting Shorter, New SSDs, and L-Acoustics Scott Sugden On My Latest Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is Scott Sugden, who started as a live systems engineer for bands like Van Halen and The Steve Miller Band to theater productions like Spamalot and The Producers before specializing in large format sound system design for festivals. He initially came to L-Acoustics as application support and education engineer, which led into a product role […]

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Pop Is Still The #1 Music Genre Worldwide

The IFPI has come out with its annual Music Listening 2019 report, a look at how recorded music is enjoyed around the world. The study included demographically representative samples of the online population aged 16-64 in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, […]

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Dolby Atmos Music Coming To Amazon Streaming

We finally know where all that immersive audio content that Dolby has been collecting from Universal Music Group is going to end up. The company announced its partnership with Amazon Music to distribute the Atmos Music format on that company’s high end HD tier. Engineers have been working 24/7 at UMG studios all over the […]

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What Is An Instagram Verification Badge?

Many Instagram users have probably seen an account with a blue check badge next to a user’s name during a search and wondered what it was. That’s a verification badge designed to help people easily find public figures, celebrities and brands they want to follow. A verified badge means that Instagram has confirmed that an […]

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Facebook Adding New Video Publishing Tools

Facebook just announced a number of new video publishing tools at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam this week that should make artists happy. These include updates to Facebook Live and Creator Studio, and a new tool called Watch Party. New Facebook Live Features There are 3 new features being added to Facebook Live […]

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CDs Making A Comeback, Cheap USB Hubs, And Engineer Craig Burbidge On My Latest Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is engineer Craig Burbidge, who gained multi-platinum status having worked with hundreds of R&B stars like Barry White, Steve Perry, Natalie Cole, Take 6, Teddy Pendergrass, Vanessa Williams, Brian McKnight, Kirk Franklin and many more.  Craig was also one of the first American engineers to take his talents to Asia with a long-time working relationship with Taiwanese superstar […]

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Spotify Now Trying To Make Money From Artists With SoundBetter Acquisition

Spotify may be doing well enough to turn a profit but its not enough for shareholders. The company keeps looking for new revenue streams, and one of the best may come from artists themselves. That’s why its recent acquisition of SoundBetter might be a turning point for the company, or not. SoundBetter is a marketplace […]

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This Chart Tells You What Streaming Services Are Paying (Maybe)

Everyone wants to know the royalty rate paid by the various streaming services, but when they compare most charts with their own royalty statements they’re surprised. That’s because there are so many variables that goes into the royalty calculation that every chart you read (including the one below) is the best guess average that applies […]

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Hi-Res Streaming Comes to Amazon As It Launches Its New Amazon Music HD Tier

It’s been rumored for weeks but now it’s finally a reality. Amazon has announced its new Amazon Music HD tier with both higher resolution music that also comes at a higher cost. Amazon Music HD features 50 million songs available at CD quality (44.1kHz/16 bit) with several million more available at 24bit. There’s also another […]

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Streaming Royalties May Change For The Better, SM58 Facts, And Engineer Jesse Ray Ernster On My Latest Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is engineer, mixer and composer Jesse Ray Ernster, who grew up in a musical family with both his parents playing in bands and making records. Jesse’s entrance in the music business began at age of 16 touring with several artists as a lead guitarist/vocalist, but he then realized his true calling […]

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