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Category: music business

  • Spotify Is Cracking Down On Fake Music Streams

    Spotify Is Cracking Down On Fake Music Streams

    Popular music streaming application Spotify, is cracking down on fake music streams and warns all about the acts of fake music streams. Content that is gaining fake streams will be removed and mechanical royalties will be withheld. Spotify has made policing fake streams a warning in the past, however the real hunt for cracking done on fake music streams has begun now.

    The abuse of fake music streams also known as bot streams on the Spotify platform has been a trend of late. These practices are performed by Artists, who either don’t know they are being scammed by untrustworthy music promoters or they are blatantly committing streaming fraud. Those artists who don’t know they are being scammed are in an awful situation, but for those artist who know what they are doing need to stop!

    Spotify is cracking down on fake music streams to save more of the marketing bag for their self. The business structure for any mega giant like Spotify is simple, control market share. Spotify’s biggest money maker is advertising and their business goals as a music social media platform is to make money through different advertising streams. Fake streams takes away from Spotify potentially controlling the music advertising market share. Spotify wants more independent artist to spend money on their ad studio for artists.

    The issue is the Spotify ad studio is not as effective in my humble as opinion. Facebook, Instagram and google ads. These social media platforms are better options that will give you a better ROI on your music promotions.

    Artist look for short cuts and go for fake music streams, because honestly the streaming game is garbage. Spotify gives artists and content creators fractions of pennies for royalties. The Spotify algorithm seems to favor artists signed to record labels and this makes things unbalanced in the industry. Those who want organic streams  don’t have the financial backing to run major marketing campaigns, so they look for cheap options not knowing cheaper is not actually good! Generally if you see some marketing agency offering and guaranteeing 1 million streams for $50 dollars or $100 dollars that’s a untrustworthy music promoter serving you bot streams.

    In the long run acquiring fake streams will only hurt your music. Spotify is on the hunt looking for musical content that has gained fake music streams to take down. You can bet that your music will be at risk if you are engaging in streaming fraud. January of 2021 Spotify had a massive removal of content, which sparked some controversy because many of the take downs were in fact inaccurate. This goes to show, how far Spotify is willing to go to eliminate bots streams.

     

    Fake Music Streams

     

  • Best Company To Distribute Your Music

    In our opinion the best company to distribute your music with is Distrokid. If you are looking for a simple and straight forward way to distribute your newly recorded music the Distrokid platform does just that. Distrokid also charges the artist or label annually for your catalog distribution apposed to Tunecore and CD Baby which charges you the artist a annual rate per song distributed.

    Best company to distribute music with

    Also if you are a artist or label that releases music consistently Distrokid allows unlimited song distribution. They also allow contribution splits on the platform. You can give mechanical splits automatically to artist, songwriters, producers or anyone entitled to revenue shares on a song. This feature prevents the contributors to a recording master from missing out on their fare share of mechanical royalties. They have also added recoupment options. Which allows parties to recoup expenses if paid upfront before releasing royalty payments to contributors to a particular project.

    We use Distrokid to release records and we recommend it 100%, especially if you are a independent artist that records and releases several pieces of content a year. Since we signed up with Distrokid we have also noticed new features that help artist with playlisting and streaming. You can get a exclusive 7% discount off your subscription with Distrokid through us. Open a music distribution account with Distrokid today. Click the link below to get started!

     

     

  • Soundcloud fan powered royalties for streaming

    Soundcloud fan powered royalties for streaming

    Big news for independent artist as Soundcloud has announced fan powered royalties. A new and more effective way for artist to earn money on Soundcloud, through streaming. Unlike other streaming platforms in the new space of the music industry. Soundcloud has done some tweaking to build trust and transparency with the independent music community. Soundcloud has changed their steaming model by giving the power to the fans of the artist. Allowing the fans to support their favorite artist through listenership.

    Fan powered royalties are royalties the artist will earn directly from their fan base when their music is steamed by fans. Apparently independent artist have been asking for this for sometime and Soundcloud decided to deliver. Fan powered royalties will begin as of April 1st 2021 but only applies to Pro Unlimited subscribers in the Premier monetization program and Repost by Soundcloud artists, including those in Repost Select. If you dont use Soundcloud as one of your sources for branding or promoting your music, this would be the a perfect time to start.

    Soundcloud broke into the digital independent music space since 2007 and built a vibrant independent music community. The music platform has given many independent artist the ability to upload music and share it with the world. Allowing artist to build a growing fanbase and also giving a avenue for listeners of unsigned independent music a place to discover new artists. Which was great for unsigned artist to breakout without a record label, because during the years of 2007 – 2015 labels were pretty much done with signing or developing new acts.

    Soundcloud has gone through bumps in the road to survive as the digital music site never really implemented means for artist to make money using the platform and streaming giants such as Spotify and other platforms started to get all the attention. During the year of 2017 Soundcloud was extremely close to shutting down as Eric Wahlforss stepped down from his role as CPO. Since then Soundcloud has had investors supporting their company and has also tailored their marketing towards creators and have added series of integrations with DJ software and made its direct monetization program public.

    Now with the release of fan powered royalties Soundcloud will continue to serve their subscribers with more value and if you are not apart of Soundcloud you should ad this to your marketing and branding sources as a independent artist. Click Here and follow us on Soundcloud and we will follow back

     

     

     

  • Opportunities As A Independent Artist

    Preparing Your Music For Opportunities As A Independent Artist

    Have you ever heard the term opportunity meets preparation? Well it’s absolutely true! Surely you don’t want to run into an opportunity and you are not prepared to take advantage of it right? Many of us are never prepared for that one instance where we may get that chance to break through. Then we sit back and wonder why we never can get a break. Next we start to blame everything and anything around us for our misfortune, when the fact remains we were not prepared.

    Being unprepared can be easily corrected with planning. As a musician a simple action, such as keeping your latest music on your cell phone is good planning. Why you may ask? Because we are in a mobile and digital age. What if you attended a casual party and you ran into a music professional and after you introduced yourself they were interested in hearing your music. With something as simple as watts app you can message them your catalog directly. Waiting to get their email and then sending your music the next day is giving yourself greater chances to lose that opportunity. They may not remember you the next day.

    Many independent artist neglect this next subject that is vital in the preparation of their music. Its been mentioned several times. Get your music mastered! Some artist, feel it is okay to put out music that is not mastered. The truth is, it’s not okay. Whether you like it or not, if you are serious about your music as a career at some point it will become a business. You are going up against talented artist who are seeking fans, just as much as you are. You need to put your best forward. Many independent artist, are investing into their brand and catalog of music and you must do the same to become successful. Take the time to get a mix and master done to the songs you know are going to grab people’s attention before you release your music. You don’t want to miss the opportunity of grabbing the attention of a new fan.

    Another mistake is artist do not take steps to put in place agreements, if they are collaborating with other artist. What’s going to happen if you work with another songwriter or producer and no points of percentages have been agreed upon? Then the song go’s international, you open yourself up to lawsuits. Now all the royalties you have earned are tied up, because of one simple preparation that was neglected. Artist must put in place agreements with collaborators and other contributors to a project. Usually when there is only 1 song writer and 1 producer its usually 50/50 on a split, but when other people are involved there’s more people to feed. Get your songwriting and publishing splits figured out before any release of a record. You never know what can happen with the song.

    There are many things you can do to better prepare yourself as an independent artist. It would be impossible to cover everything in one passage though. Thankfully these are some of the pointers you can start with, to open your mind up to creating ideas to make yourself prepared as a independent artist. Look out for more valuable information like this and follow us on instagram and youtube.

    Regards

    Jae

    www.fyahbeats.com

     

     

     

     

  • 5 Mistakes That Keep Artiste from Getting A Record Deal

    5 Mistakes That Keep Artiste from Getting A Record Deal.

    Mistake 1, Stay Away From Scammers! So Called Music Industry Insiders Claiming They Can Get You A Record Deal For A Small Fee… 90% Of The Time The People Claiming They Can Deliver This Type Of Help Never Stand Up To Their Promise.

    Mistake 2, Thinking Your Music Is The Best It Can Be, When It Really Isn’t. Take The Time Out To Evaluate Your Self As A Artiste And Be Honest With Yourself. Take The Time Out To Have Others Give You Constructive Criticism On Your Work. A&Rs For Record Companies Are Extremely Picky, So You Need To Bring Forth Your Best That You Can. Master Your Songwriting Ability, So You Can Be Consistent in Making Hit Songs. Practice Singing and Delivery Patterns That Will Make You Look Impressive Talent Wise.

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    Mistake 3, Not Being Mentally Prepared For The Business. Not Having The Proper Discipline And Work Ethic To Get You Through The Levels Of The Business. If You Don’t Have The Proper Mindset You Will Loose. A Artiste Will Not Make It Only On Talent…

    Mistake 4, Not Understanding The Current State Of The Music Industry. Study The Changes In The Music Business. The Days Of Shopping Your Music To Record Labels & Landing a Record Deal Are Pretty Much Over. The Business Model Now Is Building Yourself Up Independently Through Performing, Social Media Presence And Fan Base Building. You Need To Make The Record Label Chase You.

    Mistake 5, Not Being Consistent. By Far This Is The Most Important Aspect Of Perusing A Music Career These Days. As an Artiste You Need To Be Consistent With Your Music, Videos, Performances And Interviews.

     

     

     

  • 5 Steps to landing bookings as a unknown artiste

    5 Steps to landing bookings as a unknown artiste

    We have spent years in the music business learning about lots of tricks, do’s and dont’s that can help artiste achieve specific goals. Like the 5 steps to landing bookings as a unknown artiste, that we are about to share with you.

    One area that we seem to get consistent questions about is in regards to performing. A lot of artiste have trouble getting
    promotional shows these days.

    Below i have listed 5 things you can do, to land promotional bookings as a unknown artiste. Everything that we are about to tell you worked for our artiste.

    First you may have that same question as many artiste may have. Why is it so hard to get promotional gigs, when you are basically performing for free?

    The answer is promoters and stage managers like to work with artiste who have something to bring to the table. Pretty much you need to ad value to your self.

    Here are 5 steps to landing bookings as a unknown artiste.

    1. The first rule of thumb would be to build a strategic way to get well known in a 50 mile radius of your local market. Build a local buzz and make the event promoters come to you.
    2.  Offer to help taking on the expense of the promotional flyers. The promoter will be able to wash his hands clean of any duties of spending money on artwork for the event.
    3. Offer to help promoting the show to people you know. When doing this you will create a incentive to adding you on the show. The promoter will see you as a tool to free promotion of his or her show.
    4. Provide a DJ or band for the event, this way the event promoter will not have to worry about extra expenses. When you provide a DJ or band it really allows the promoter more time to spend on promoting the event.
    5. Many artiste don’t want to hear this but paying to perform is the last resort but a good choice if it is worth it. Analyze the situation before doing so. Make sure you are getting the best out of what you spend. Make sure you will get on every promotional flyer, radio and video media ad. Make sure you will get to perform with in the prime time slot of the show and only do it if big acts are on the same show that will boost your stage presence.

  • Getting A&R Attention

    Today we want to give you some insight on how you can be proactive in getting a&r attention. Surly you know their are lots of artiste out their, that want to know how to get signed to a record deal, some do music as a hobby and some want it to be a career.

    The best way to get to the top of the massive pool of artiste is to stand out from the rest. Create the best marketable package you can. We have written down some key notes that can help you out.

     

    1. BE THE BEST – What do we mean by be the best? be the best in your style of music. It wont be easy but consistent work and building your self up as a artiste over time will allow you to climb over the rest. It’s not so much the talent that makes you the best, its the consistent show’s, song releases, music videos and publicity that will give you the edge, this alone can help you land a record deal.
    2. BUILD A REAL FAN BASE – Please separate your self from the average artiste that says they have a fan base but has no proof. Having a fan base is much more than a few Facebook, Twitter and Instagram followers. Having a fan base means song sales, shows and generating press independent of a record label.
    3. SOCIAL PROOF – Get real social proof organically, stop buying likes, shares, plays and retweets. Gone are the days when this fooled record label reps. The reps at record labels are younger now and are just as computer savvy as you. They know the tricks ans lies and look into mush more than a couple likes. Social engagement is what they look for and even that is starting to be compromised with paid comments. The idea is to have cold hard proof, through download stats, song purchase stats, concert video’s and analytics.
    4. RELEASE GOOD MUSIC – Consistently release good music, don’t put out music just to have something new out. An a&r would rather hear 5 great songs than hear 20 songs and only 3 of them sound descent. Make sure your music is at the best it can possibly be. You don’t have to put out a whole album, and in many cases a&r’s don’t care. They just want to know you have great material, that can be marketed to the masses.
    5. RELATIONSHIPS – Music relationships are hard to get into and easy to break. What does that mean? You need to be slightly diplomatic. Don’t burn bridges you never know who is who, so don’t speak badly about someone because you never know who they know. Your in the business of music to build a career and all your pears are like co workers. Would it look good to speak bad about your co worker? no it wouldn’t look good at all, so stay focused and maintain your relationships the best way you can.
    6. SHOWMANSHIP – A good performance can say it all when getting a&r attention. Own the stage build a experience with your audience. Be engaging, look the part and take control over the people who came to watch your show. A a&r can tell when a artiste conveys influence on people and your live show is the optimal place to show you have what it takes to be a star.
    7.  BUILD THE RIGHT TEAM – Create a team of people who are just as passionate about your music as you. Get yourself a manager, publicist, agent or attorney. Not just anyone though one that has some kind of clout. One that can help you in getting a&r attention, just by them simply knowing a&rs and record executives. Find someone with experience, one who has great relationships with their connections.
    8. NO TRICKS – Please remember their are no tricks or special overnight strategies on how to get signed by a A&R and get a record deal. It boils down to building a work ethic, planning and having a consistent approach to your music.