Josef Haid, from Switzerland, had an awesome radio interview in Interlachen where they featured 4 of his songs on the air, one of which was a live acoustic performance!! Be sure to check out the interview and the performances here!! (The interview is in Swiss German, but the performances are in english. As an added bonus, the link includes a youtube video to a 20 minute compilation video of a CD release concert! Do you want to do radio interviews for YOUR music? To reach new fans around the world? Check out what our Musik Radio Productions team can do for you, here!!!
All I see these days on Linkedin, Facebook and everywhere are people bitchin’ about streaming, the declining music industry and lack of opportunities for Indie artists. Today I see on Linkedin “5 Reasons the Music Business is in the Toilet”. We all know its in the toilet, but what are you gonna do about it. Boo Hoo there are no more record labels willing to plunk down cash to fund artists. There are no more publishing deals offering cash advances. “Boo Hoo there is no place for starving artists to obtain funding.” Indigogo and others were great at first but now its worn thin. You know what they say “Can’t Never Could”.
A brief background. Major labels fought the digital age. When they finally knew they could not fight it anymore, their way of embracing it ruined the Indie artists. The way they embraced it was to buy every digital distributor there was on the planet. Then the international President of Sony stated publicly, “Indie artists are becoming competition we need to level the playing field”. Their way of leveling the playing field was to embrace streaming services, but they went to the extreme on that one too. They took hundreds of millions in advances to allow streaming services to stream their catalogs. They never asked any artists permission to do so. Then to add insult to injury they keep the yearly advances, nothing is shared with the artists. Then they fed the artists with this crap “oh it’s a great opportunity for the indie artist’s exposure”. Bullshit! How is ANYONE going to find you among Billions of artists? Enough Bitchin’.
Let’s face it streaming is here to stay, it ain’t going away. They may raise the rates by 1/1000 of a cent but what difference will that make? Major labels have always been the gatekeepers and the big money. It doesn’t matter if its music or politics the 1% who has all the money rules the world.
Face the music its always been this way. But there are plenty of tools for the indie artist to succeed. Did you know, this week was the first week in history that 8 artists in the UK’s Top 40 were indie artists? Its starting to happen everywhere. You may not be able to make yourself a superstar, but with a limited budget you can chart, you can tour, and you can make a good living.
Artists have to realize music is a business and they have to run it like a business. Business’s need advertising. In this case advertising is not only social media but worldwide radio airplay. Cause you cannot successfully tour without radio airplay. Neil Young recently said “the only way for artist to make money these days is in the live experience” Perform in front of people all over the world. Sell your merchandise and collect your radio airplay royalties and license your music. But nobody’s gonna do it for you anymore. You have to do it for yourself.
Musik and Film has been working on opportunities worldwide for the Indie Artists through world radio airplay and charting, touring opportunities. Email us at promotions@musikandfilm.com and we will consult with you and help you achieve that success.
Inspiration for a hit song can strike whenever! It hit Monk Filip Steeno, from the Netherlands, last soccer season during the final round. He wrote the song “‘t Spel van OHL” to support his favorite soccer team, and partnered up with the Musik Radio Promotions Team at Musik and Film to promote it to the world! He was picked up on Radio BBC, stations in Czech Republic, Italy, Brasil, Ecuador, and the list goes on!! Because of the success of the song, a local dutch news station did a report on it! The link to the video (turn on subtitles for English) is below, and so is the online article (Can be translated with Google Translate on Chrome Browser)! Check out the dancing monk as he celebrates his team and promotes his music to the world! If you want YOUR music to play worldwide, then contact the Radio Promotions Team at Musik and Film, and get YOUR music heard!!
The world is filled with artists, bands and songwriters. All are compelled to make music. Why? Because it’s in their soul. They have no choice. It’s a creative outlet, they feel it, breathe and hear in their head.
I have been creating music since I was a kid, and I will never stop. We musicians have to do it regardless of free streaming or whether we make money from it. But we should be paid for our creativity and there are ways even in today’s music market that a creator of music can make a living from it.
“How?”, you ask? The first thing a creator of music has to do is realize that it is a business. Your business of creating music. Like any other business, your business needs capitol to operate. You need a sound business plan and a good product. In this case the good product is good music.
Okay, so you have recorded the tracks at home and think they are good enough for the world to hear. This is generally not correct unless you are one hell of a studio engineer. When you’re done recording take your session files to a greatstudio. That’s right great – not good. Have them remix and re-master for you. Radio compresses files so if your tracks are thin and goes to radio they will sound thin. The ole’ saying is “If you are going to do something do it right…”.
Now you have a great product. That’s the start of being in business. So now you think you can go to CD Baby and the world will hear you and want your product. Wrong again. You think that people will see your release and want to hear it. There are literally not millions or billions but TRILLIONS of songs on Spotify and other streaming services. How are they going to find you?
So now you think “Ah Ha!”, social media and I will get fans. You will find a lot of other fellow musicians but rarely fans that will buy your music.
The answers are simple. Radio is still the best way to get and artist heard and gain fans. Yes there are a lot of radio promotion companies out there. Some good and some not so good. You want mass airplay around the world. After all, we are all connected globally now.
Don’t promote your music locally or just in your country. Promote it globally. Find a good publisher who knows what they are doing. They will track down your airplay royalties worldwide. Yes, airplay royalties. Radio actually pays you to play your song. The BBC network 1 thru 6 is the largest radio network in the world. If you get picked up on the main BBC networks they pay in the hundreds of dollars for each spin. A hit song can generate thousands in airplay royalties.
That’s one way to make money off your music. Then after radio is playing your music contact them. Tell them you are coming to their town and want to perform. Ask them what some of their advertising venues. They will be happy to tell you and in most cases be happy to do a 3 way call with the venues. Radio will tell the venue you are playing on their station. If they are playing you in Warsaw Poland then you are a star in Warsaw. Use that status. Radio wants the venue’s advertising dollars. You want a good paying gig. You go to the well-advertised gig, get paid and sell out all your merchandise. Radio got paid so they are now your friend and will play anything you send them. The venue had a full house and want you back. It’s a win-win for all.
An artist needs to make sure they properly code their digital content to increase their chances of getting paid appropriately for their airplay and songwriting royalties. Without proper coding, there is practically zero chance of getting paid. Here is a tutorial about how to code your MP3 files with metadata for the airplay to be tracked.
As a veteran, the plight of soldiers returning home is near and dear to Roberson’s heart.
Suicide statistics -22 veterans every day. Every day. “After cheating Death from Wars of Hell they live through everyday just trying to survive. They come home to the ones they love for which they sacrificed so much”, Roberson comments.
A native of Mississippi, Jeremy Roberson recently released his single, “Suicide” with Musik and Film Records and spoke candidly, “I don’t know what happens at that moment when someone thinks they can’t take life anymore. It is such a tragedy, but I also wish before they get to that point, Please Stop! And think what it is going to do to all those that love you, and how they will suffer for the rest of their Lives.”
Watch for an in-depth interview coming soon from this thought provoking singer/songwriter.
Stephen Wrench, President, Musik and Film Records, recently answered the prevailing question, ‘How does a DIY artist get paid for songwriting and airplay royalties?
I deal with a lot of artists who have spin reports and reports of airplay. I am often asked, “Where are my airplay royalties?” The song was named “My Friend”. Now, there are probably 50,000 songs worldwide named “My Friend”; how is ANY collection society going to collect royalties on this?!? I then ask them if they sent in a properly coded MP3 with their registration. In most cases, they didn’t seem to understand what I meant by asking this.
There are 3 major songwriter collection associations in the U.S.; as well as a few other companies advertised on other sites. They all tout, “we collect world royalties”. One would think it would be easy to track airplay with ISRC numbers, bar codes, and digital tracking.
If you want to get paid for airplay royalties, then you need to code it properly. Here’s how if you’re in QuickTime: right click on the mp3, then click Properties, and click on Details. From here you type in the correct registered title, album artist, album, year, and genre. When you get to publisher and composer, type in the registered writers names / publishers names and affiliation. Then, and only then, will they be able to track the release and collect your royalties.
I have numerous artists, including myself, who belong to US songwriters associations. Many of us have complained that we are not getting paid airplay royalties from the US societies that “claim” to collect airplay royalties worldwide. Proper coding may be one of the issues, here’s another possibility.
About 3 years ago I charted a top 40 hit in the UK and Europe. I waited and waited and waited for my airplay royalties. I eventually contacted my songwriter’s collection society, which I have been a member of for decades, and I was asked for the airplay information. So I provided them with spin and airplay reports; not once, not twice, but several times. Still anxiously awaiting my royalty check, I worked my way up the corporate ladder for answers as to why I was not getting paid.
I was finally verbally informed, by my collection society, that they only monitor 5% of Billboard reporting stations. I was also informed that they only monitor major releases, worldwide. I pressed on for more answers, “You mean I have provided you with spin and airplay reports and you will not collect my royalties”? I was told they would not actively seek to collect my royalties; but if they were to receive a check, it would be forwarded to me.
What kind of songwriter’s representation does the US have? How is it possible, in this digital age, to ONLY monitor a 5% sampling of Billboard reporting stations and NOTHING overseas? Extremely perplexed, I sought answers about world publishing collection societies and what societies ACTUALLYcollected royalties for the average songwriter.
What I found, was that songwriters can collect their airplay royalties even if minuscule, but not with the US societies. With a US society, you will only get your royalties if you are with a major label and spun on billboard reporting stations. I recommend joining PRS, in the UK, they are serious about a writers royalties and not in bed with major labels.
Contact promotions@musikandfilm.com for more information.
Musicians these days are always looking for ways to improve themselves, market themselves, and inspire themselves. With the advent of YouTube, that goal has become immensely more achievable right from home, for no charge at all. There are countless ways to exploit this service to your advantage, but Dylan Welsh of the online blog SonicBids.com has clearly spelled out 5 ways to utilize YouTube as a freelance musician. These don’t just apply to freelance artists however, feel free to take advantage of these methods with your band as well. The article is definitely worth reading.
“I’ve seen a lot of active session musicians using video content on YouTube as a way to drive traffic to their websites and attract potential clients. This, of course, also strengthens your web presence and makes your brand even stronger. Here’s some of the smartest content that I’ve found active session musicians using for their YouTube channels.”- Snippet of full Article by Dylan Welsh
Have you ever felt like you weren’t being paid appropriately for your music streaming? Well it turns out you’re not alone on that one! Deals between streaming services and music distribution companies have long been affecting artists, and not for the better it seems. Distributors never asked the artists themselves for permission to stream their content, nor have they spoken with them about proper compensation.THIS is why artists aren’t making any moneystreaming, because they’re being cut out of the negotiation process. Online news blog “The Verge” recently got its hands on the 42 page contract between Spotify and Sony Music that was signed back in 2011, spelling out the details between the streaming service and the record label giant’s mega deal. Apparently Spotify pays Sony MASSIVE advances of money, to the tune of $42.5 million, to have streaming access to the vast music catalogue that Sony possesses.
“In section 4(a), Spotify agrees to pay a $25 million advance for the two years of the contract: $9 million the first year and $16 million the second, with a $17.5 million advance for the optional third year to Sony Music. The contract stipulates that the advance must be paid in installments every three months, but Spotify can recoup this money if it earns over that amount in the corresponding contract year.
But what the contract doesn’t stipulate is what Sony Music can and will do with the advance money. Does it go into a pot to be divided between Sony Music’s artists, or does the label keep it to itself? According to a music industry source, labels routinely keep advances for themselves.” – The Verge
The million dollar question seems to be…why aren’t the artists getting a piece of this?? Artists are paid fractions on the penny per stream on these services, making practically NOTHING for their music play, which is in turn making it hard for artists everywhere to make a living making music these days. The problem is not exactly an unknown issue either, you may have already heard about Taylor Swift pulling her entire music catalogue off of Spotify. The platinum artist wasn’t happy with the outcome of her streaming profits, and decided to do something about it!
Musik and Film has THOUSANDS of songs streaming from their catalogue, and has yet to see ANYTHING from our digital distributors in the form of advances, has anyone else? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
Here is the full article so you can check it out for yourself:
