In this article, I share with you some of my favourite ways to find bloggers, influencers, and playlisters who are looking for new music. Hype Machine Hype Machine indexes music blogs and curators around the world. If you manage to get a feature on a blog that’s indexed by HM, your track will make it […]
If you are a music artist, and you write your own songs, you are entitled to 200% of the royalties. 200%?! How is that possible? This means you are entitled to 100% on each side of the pie. 100% on the artist side (sound recording / master), and the other 100% for the underlying composition […]
Mastering in Logic Pro X is absolutely possible, even with just stock plugins! Many get lost though. Not because they don’t know, but because they don’t know what they are aiming for. Perhaps you can relate! This article should help you get going, so you can confidently make great sounding masters for your music. I’ve […]
This article is designed to give you a simple worflow for mixing tracks in Logic Pro X. I have broken down the process into a handful of simple steps that you can apply to any genre of music. 1. Gain Staging If you know me, you know I am hot (pun excused) on the issue […]
I find there to be many misconceptions in understanding stereo. So I thought I would clarify some things. Many thanks to Aliki Rodgers for his contributions. What is Mono? Mono (short for monophonic) means one channel of audio. Stereo means more than one. When you record a vocal into your DAW using one microphone and […]
This article serves to help you understand the concept of gain staging and how to apply it when mixing in Logic Pro X. What is gain staging? Gain staging is level management. It comes from the analogue days where it was essential to get a good signal-to-noise ratio whilst preventing clipping distortion. More info on […]
This is according to this report from the UK government’s survey on how music creators are remunerated from streaming. Many stakeholders express concern about how revenues from streaming are currently distributed, particularly the approximately 52 per cent of total streaming revenues (after VAT) that currently goes to recording rightsholders. The music recording sector argues in […]
In this article, I share with you favourite tools to do marketing the DIY way. Canva By far one of my favourite tools ever. I use it for YouTube thumbnails, presentations, PDFs, artwork, and much more. It allows me to create high quality graphics for free with no skills. Get Canva. OBS Open source streaming […]
An ISWC is a unique identifier for a musical work. Every song has an ISWC. Whereas an ISRC is a unique identifier for sound recordings. More info on ISWC: https://www.iswc.org More info on ISRC: http://isrc.ifpi.org Where to get them Your distributor will assign an ISRC. But ISWCs will be assigned by your PRO. If you […]
My voice has been enjoyed by 100,000s of people on YouTube and Udemy so far. As a born and bred Londoner, I’m heard across the globe as someone who knows what they are talking about. When people hear me, they trust me. That’s why my voice will help promote your brand, product, or service. Visit […]
Because you are delivering to the most-valubale-player first. The real music fan. Not the passive music consumer. Also, releasing on Bandcamp first allows you to focus on promoting that one link before the streaming release date. You can also add merch specifically to that release, all listed on Bandcamp. Plus, anyone who follows you on […]
I love it when artist pages are formatted this way. Not only does it take you to the latest release, but also offers merch, info about the artist, and the full discography. It is BY FAR my favourite way to format a Bandcamp page. Note: You need at least 3 releases on Bandcamp in order […]
Podcasts are blowing up right now. And it’s of no surprise really! It’s like having radio without all the layers of production and it’s available on-demand. And it’s such a diverse medium. There are podcasts that are 5 mins long that deliver bitesized bits of info. And there are others that are like being a […]
Through my work with artists, I’ve found that there are two different approaches to building a music business. Though the difference might sound subtle, it makes a world of difference in the direction it sends artists. Going for streams Let’s assume that your stream count is the most important thing. The next step for most […]
This strategy is designed for indies releasing an album on Bandcamp and streaming platforms. This is a fan-first tactic that delivers the most value to the most-valuable-player. The idea is to use your Bandcamp profile as a landing page for your campaign, allowing you to deliver to real music fans first, collect emails, and foster […]
A waterfall release is where a string of singles are released, each one building into an EP or album as they come out. Streaming has done away with any set in stone ways to release music, and the waterfall strategy is an outcome of that. So if you’re stuck as to whether to release a […]
So you’ve heard of The Harry Fox Agency, and more recently The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC). But understandably you’re confused as to who does what. So here it goes… What is the MLC and why does it exist? Put simply, the MLC’s job is to collect royalties for songwriters and publishers from the DSPs such […]
A music publisher is simply in the business of handling and exploiting musical compositions (aka musical works / songs). This includes, but is not limited to: Collecting royalties Securing sync opportunities Setting up co-writes And generally sourcing opportunities for the songwriters they represent. How is this different to a record company? Record companies deal with […]
In contrast to a traditional publishing company, a pub admin manages your musical works for you without you giving over control. They’re typically more flexible than traditional deals and allow you to retain ownership of your songs. If you write and distribute your own music, then using a pub admin in tandem with your choice […]
In this article, I share my favourite reasons why artists like you should channel your efforts into your Bandcamp presence more than on Spotify and other streaming platforms. Shared audience When someone follows you on Bandcamp, they get emails of your updates. Not only that, Bandcamp actually gives you access to the names and emails […]
In this episode, we have our good friend and uber talented website designer Ross Barber-Smith on to talk marketing and websites. Ross’ website: https://electrickiwi.co.uk/ Episode links: https://anchor.fm/uys-podcast/episodes/Why-websites-are-WELL-important-e1468db Clip from episode: https://youtu.be/6vceAm0NjPU
Through my work with my artist clients, there are a handful of big lessons that I would like to share with you. Playlists don’t create fans I’ve managed enough Spotify Artist accounts at this point to know this. You spend a bunch of money and calories getting on loads of playlists. And you get thousands […]
Musosoup is the only music pr platform I wish I could spend more money on. Because there I pay for what I get. In contrast to Submithub, my money only goes to those who say “yes” to my submission. It also features a handy system to building out a press kit for those who haven’t […]
Spring (Formally Teespring) has partnered with popular link aggregator tool Linktree. This means it’s easier than ever for you to sell original merch to your fans without buying any inventory. More info: https://blog.linktr.ee/shop-ecommerce-linktree-spring-store Spring is an on-demand merch design and fulfilment platform for creators. Creators can design their tees, hoodies, and many other items. Then […]
It’s what it says on the tin. Marketing directly to your audience, bypassing anyone in the middle. How it’s done Garner awareness Funnel the attention with a call-to-action Nurture audience Promote releases and products Rinse and repeat The above steps are your marketing funnel. HERE is a free pdf and HERE is a free mini […]
This episode features Katy Pickes (PILLARS, Air Management / Studios) We discuss politics, the pandemic, and much more. Katy’s Mental Health paper: https://issuu.com/katypickles/docs/katy_pickles_-_33472894_dissertatio Listen on… Spotify, Anchor, and all other podcast platforms