Much of today’s pop and hip-hop hits revolve around a sample from another record as the backbeat of the song. That’s not a problem in itself in that many great records have been created this way, but many new artists are unaware of what it takes when it comes to legally clearing a sample so […]
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Since TikTok is in trouble with the U.S. government and it’s looking quite possible that it may end up being banned in the country, other platforms have been rushing to launch their own version of the popular service. YouTube is no exception, as it’s just launched YouTube Shorts, a new short-form experience featuring 15 second […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is songwriter and educator Andrea Stolpe, who’s written songs for Faith Hill, Julianne Hough, Daniel Lee Martin, Jimmy Wayne, and others. She’s also worked as a staff writer for EMI, Almo-Irving, and Universal Music Publishing. Andrea teaches songwriting at the University of California’s Thornton School of Music, and is the author and […]
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While Spotify can’t compete with TikTok when it comes to short videos, it might be able to do something else soon that will be just as effective. According to MBW, a screenshot was leaked last week of what looks likes a new Spotify karaoke mode, which coincides with the company being granted a patent for […]
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The CD used to be the king of all music product back in the early 2000’s, but the mighty have fallen greatly as vinyl has surpassed it in revenue for the first time in 30 years. This according to the RIAA’s 2020 Mid-Year Report, which showed that vinyl sales not only surpassed CD sales, but […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is producer, mixer and engineer Dan Korneff, who has not only worked with prominent names like Breaking Benjamin, Paramore, Papa Roach, Lamb of God and My Chemical Romance, but has developed some of the coolest audio plugins available. Dan not only knows how to expertly use his audio gear, but he […]
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YouTube can be a confusing animal. Like most social networks, once you think you’ve gotten your arms around how it works, it changes up its algorithm and you have to rethink your strategy again. That said, the platform does openly give you some idea of how the YouTube algorithm works, and these 6 ways to […]
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You would think that with retail stores of all sizes suffering because of the pandemic that record stores especially would be hard hit. That might be true for other times during this situation, but on the first weekend of the annual Record Store Day vinyl sales again proved to be a big winner. The 13 […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is Anthony Martini, who got his start as a rap/metal vocalists before finding his way into other parts of the music business. During his management career, he worked with acts such as Lamb Of God, Fall Out Boy, Train and Sia before he discovered the then-unknown rapper Tyga. Anthony then founded […]
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Anyone who’s relied on the US Postal Service for their mail over the course of their life knows that there’s never been a time when we doubted we’d receive our mail or have a letter or package delivered to someone in a timely fashion. The Post Office is threatened now, but you can help make […]
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While streaming has done very well during the pandemic, the same can’t be said for radio. Advertising revenue was cut in about half during the second quarter of the year as compared to the same time last year. That means that songwriter royalties for those who have songs that are getting radio airplay will see […]
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If you’re frustrated because everything online keeps changing and evolving, you’re not the only one. Just about the time you think you have your online presence sorted, the platforms change just enough that you have to consider doing some updates in order to keep up. While this happens more in social media, it also happens […]
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We look at 2 interesting copyright infringement cases on my podcast this week – can a songwriter steal from him or herself, and does stopping my stealing stop my freedom to experiment. Plus my guest on the podcast this week is Sean Giovanni, producer, engineer and owner of The Record Shop Studio in Nashville. Sean has worked with […]
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It’s always interesting to see exactly who’s making all the money in the music business, and sometimes the results can be surprising. Every year Billboard releases a top Money Makers chart based on data for the previous year, and this year is particularly interesting. Let’s look at the top 10 money making artists. Remember that […]
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I have standard operating advice to any musician, artist or band posting on social media – keep your posts as professional as possible. We’ve seen so many celebrities, artists, sports and media figures, and politicians needlessly harm their careers as a result of some embarrassing social media posts, even if they were way in the […]
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