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 […]
In this video, I talk to Udemy Best Seller Tomas George about using a call-to-action to foster engagement. A clip from the Copywriting For Creators Course. Preview more of the lectures HERE
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 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 of […]
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
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
Niche is the new mainstream I read this on a Mark Mulligan tweet. And got excited because it encapsulates a concept I’ve been dying to get out there. People assume you have to be mainstream to be successful. That the mainstream is the only path. When the internet is actually built for the niche, not […]
I get a call. It’s my good friend Daniel. He says it’s a location recording gig. At Stonehenge. In the stones of Stonehenge. Obviously it was a yes. The event was Stonehenge 100. Fast forward to the big day. It pours it down. So everyone from every broadcaster there ran underneath a big canopy. There […]
In this episode we are joined once again by record producer Daniel Halford. In the show… Chris has a Zoom pro account and won’t stop banging on about it. Dan hates Microsoft Teams. Dan teaches us how to illegally organise an opera. We start the podcast episode 3 times. We talk about working in the […]
The big 3 as I see them are Tunecore, CDBaby, and Distrokid. But then others like LANDR threw their hat in the distro ring as well. But which one is best? It kinda depends on your needs. CDBaby and Tunecore have been around for a long time. But Distrokid came into the scene which a […]
We’re on a mission to create a new music economy where artists and fans exchange value directly, without anyone in the middle. We believe that artists are their own entities, and don’t need industry between them and their audience. We believe in empowering artists and producers to build their own platforms and stay true to […]
