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Music Industry News

A collection of articles from the Disc Makers blog that relate to the music industry, including trends and news that relates to the independent musician.

publishing split

When should a producer get a publishing split?

November 30, 2020March 10, 2022 Tony van Veen

While a producer may get points on your sound recording, is he or she entitled to a share of the composition (songwriting) royalties? It depends on how they’ve contributed. Read the post.

grow your music career

The services and skills you need to promote and grow your music career

November 24, 2020December 10, 2020 Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan

In part three of our DIY music business series, you’ll learn to leverage key services and expertise to help you delegate promotion, sales, and marketing tasks so you can grow your music career. Read the post.

holiday songs

Licensing holiday songs — don’t assume it’s in the public domain

November 17, 2020December 7, 2021 Andre Calilhanna

Recording your own iconic versions of familiar Christmas carols or holiday songs might be the perfect way to catch the attention of new fans or thank your existing fan base with a free download or limited-edition CD. But don’t assume your choice is in the public domain. Read the post.

music release strategy

My overnight success was 15 years in the making

November 10, 2020October 15, 2022 Carter Fox

With an adaptable music release strategy and an eye on results, I was able to get over 700,000 streams for one of my singles and over 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Here’s how it happened. Read the post.

music licensing

Make your music easy to license for TV, ads, and film

October 20, 2020October 21, 2020 Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan

To license your music, you need to understand the role of the music supervisor as well as how to prep your music. Follow these steps to increase your chances of getting your music licensed. Read the post.

Top 40

How Spotify blew up the “Top 40” and made it the top 43,000

October 6, 2020October 6, 2020 Johnny Dwinell and Brent Baxter

In the continuing democratization of the music industry, Spotify and other streaming sites are spreading the wealth as more artists are getting their share of the pie every year. Read the post.

music career resources

Fuel for your music career — a collection of music industry resources

September 14, 2020September 14, 2020 Tony van Veen

One of the drivers of any successful career is developing expertise in your field. Where and how do you gather that information for your music career? Here’s a place to start. Read the post.

copyright questions

Your copyright and royalty questions answered

August 19, 2020August 19, 2020 Tony van Veen

On the heels of his YouTube series addressing copyrights and royalties, Tony van Veen solicited questions from you, our viewers and readers — and you responded. Here are answers to some of the copyright questions that are on your mind. Read the post.

sell 1,000 CDs

How to sell 1,000 CDs in ten weeks

August 14, 2020October 11, 2021 Brian Hazard

Brian Hazard sold 1,000 CDs in ten weeks using a “free CD plus shipping and handling” offer. He also made over $3,500. Here’s a detailed look at how he did it. Read the post.

music marketing campaigns

Tailor your music marketing campaigns for paid and earned media

August 7, 2020October 11, 2021 Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan

To boost the effectiveness of your marketing, you need to understand the four different types of media channels. In this article, we explain how to make the most of paid and earned media to get the message out about your music. Read the post.

McCoy Tyner

Things every musician and songwriter can learn from McCoy Tyner

August 6, 2020March 2, 2021 Michael Gallant

McCoy Tyner, a giant of jazz piano, embodied powerful lessons that music-makers of any sort can learn from. Read the post.

Ben Folds "2020"

Ben Folds’ “2020” — A case study for indie artists

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020 Michael Gallant

From songwriting ideas to recording technique, there’s a lot you can learn from the songwriter’s tragi-comic recording-in-quarantine project. Read the post.

Neighboring Rights

Neighboring rights and SoundExchange

July 22, 2020September 25, 2020 Tony van Veen

In our sixth video about music copyrights and royalties, Disc Makers’ CEO Tony van Veen discusses neighboring rights and SoundExchange, the organization that tracks and pays those royalties. Read the post.

performance royalties

Performance royalties and PROs

July 7, 2020September 25, 2020 Tony van Veen

In our fifth video about music copyrights and royalties, Disc Makers’ CEO Tony van Veen discusses performance royalties, the PROs (ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC) who collect them, and why you’re probably not getting all you deserve. Read the post.

mechanical royalties

What are mechanical royalties (and how do I get mine)?

June 23, 2020September 17, 2020 Tony van Veen

In our fourth video about music copyrights and royalties, Disc Makers’ CEO Tony van Veen discusses mechanical royalties — the money that gets paid to the songwriter or publisher for the “reproduction of your song.” Read the post.

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