Information For Musicians

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Neil Young’s Archive Has 25,000 Subscribers, Each Paying $1.99 a Month

October 25, 2019

Neil Young's Pono player was a high-profile disaster. But he's bouncing back with a low-profile success story. Instead of grousing about the wretched state of artist compensation, rock legend Neil Young is ... Read More...

Frustrated Singer-Songwriter Liz Longley Asks Fans for $35,000 to Get Out of Her Label Deal, Gets $130,000 on Kickstarter

Marsha Silva

October 23, 2019

It's not unusual for artists to have problems with their record labels. But rarely do such problems culminate in a happy ending. But this is exactly what happened to country artist Liz Longley, in a story th... Read More...

How to Be a Star in Your Hometown

Ari Herstand

October 22, 2019

As important as establishing yourself online is, everyone has a hometown community they come from. This is an excerpt from Ari Herstand's new book How to Make it in the New Music Business (Second Edition) Y... Read More...

Should You Tour on a Private Jet? (No, Seriously)

Richard Zaher

October 14, 2019

For the hour or so that they’re on stage, it might look like an artist has the world in their hands. The following comes from Paramount Business Jets, a proud partner of Digital Music News. Their name in br... Read More...

How to File Taxes When Self-Employed: 4 Tips for Musicians

Gabe Yont

October 13, 2019

What do Whitney Houston and Judy Garland have in common? Both of these musicians were completely broke when they died. Whitney Houston earned over $33 million, yet when she passed all of her accounts were at... Read More...

FIX Music Rewards Layers In Credit & Debit Card Points

Ashley King

October 10, 2019

FIX Music Rewards says it's changing the way fans engage with music. Nearly one million installs on, it might be on to something. The app rewards music fans with points for listening to music and engaging wi... Read More...

Alibaba's Xiami Music Partners with MQA to Offer Lossless Audio Streaming in China

Tunecore, CD Baby Broker Massive Chinese Distribution Deals for DIY Artists

Marsha Silva

October 10, 2019

Tunecore and CD Baby have both signed deals with Tencent Music Entertainment Group, which is the largest music streaming service in China. But Chinese distribution could be tricky for certain artists. Tunec... Read More...

YouTube Music Says It Pays the Same Royalty Rate as Spotify — At Least on Its Subscription Streams

Paul Resnikoff

October 9, 2019

Not sure this is good news, exactly. But YouTube Music is at least offering some data on its per-stream royalty payouts. Spotify is notorious for crappy royalty payouts to artists. But compared to YouTube,... Read More...

Iceland Offers Massive Incentives to Attract Foreign Musicians and Producers

Marsha Silva

October 8, 2019

Iceland has unveiled a subsidy program that's designed to entice foreign-born music professionals to record their work in the country. Per the program's official website, "producers can apply for reimburseme... Read More...

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe Decides He Wants to Make Money, Skips Spotify, Apple Music, Other Streaming Services on His New Single

Marsha Silva

October 8, 2019

Michael Stipe's "Your Capricious Soul" is available exclusively on Stipe's website for a suggested $0.77. After a long creative hiatus, Michael Stipe has released his first song since R.E.M. broke up in 2011... Read More...

Spotify’s Shopping Spree Continues — This Time, It’s a SoundBetter Acquisition

Paul Resnikoff

September 12, 2019

Buying SoundBetter's the easy part. Now, Spotify's gotta figure out what to do with it. And Spotify's latest acquisition? That would be SoundBetter, an audio production professional marketplace that's bee... Read More...

Burt Bacharach Dazzles at the Guild of Music Supervisors Awards in LA — Here’s Who Took Home Trophies

Songtradr’s Big Sync Music Embarks on a Global Expansion — Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany

What Is Sync Licensing? A Look at One of the Music Industry’s Fastest-Growing Sectors

Now That the Music Modernization Act Has Passed, Who's Gonna Run the Damn Thing?

Spotify Probably Owes You More Money — Here’s How to Get It (Our Latest Podcast)

Meet the Artist Who Is Literally Saving His Fans’ Lives — Our Latest Podcast

How to Game the Billboard Charts (And Why You Shouldn’t) — Our Latest Podcast

Meet the Single Mom Cellist Who Makes a Living Off Her Music — Our Podcast Interview

How to Protect Yourself From the Copyright Trolls — Our Latest Podcast

Stop Chasing Playlists and Start Building a Music Career — Our Latest Podcast

Identifyy Sees Massive Growth — HAAWK Now Represents YouTube, Facebook & Instagram Rights for Over 75,000 Artists

What Is Sync Licensing? A Look at One of the Music Industry’s Fastest-Growing Sectors

Just Got My Spotify Mechanical Royalty Check In the Mail — $11.06 for 32,222 Plays

Thematic Is Unlocking the Content Creator Economy for Artists — 2.5 Billion Plays, 1 Million Fan Conversions

Composer Discovers His Music Is All Over Chinese TV, Can’t Get Paid

If You Need Free Legal Advice — UCLA Law Students Are Available

Neil Young’s Archive Has 25,000 Subscribers, Each Paying $1.99 a Month

Frustrated Singer-Songwriter Liz Longley Asks Fans for $35,000 to Get Out of Her Label Deal, Gets $130,000 on Kickstarter

How to Be a Star in Your Hometown

Should You Tour on a Private Jet? (No, Seriously)

How to File Taxes When Self-Employed: 4 Tips for Musicians

FIX Music Rewards Layers In Credit & Debit Card Points

Tunecore, CD Baby Broker Massive Chinese Distribution Deals for DIY Artists

YouTube Music Says It Pays the Same Royalty Rate as Spotify — At Least on Its Subscription Streams

Iceland Offers Massive Incentives to Attract Foreign Musicians and Producers

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe Decides He Wants to Make Money, Skips Spotify, Apple Music, Other Streaming Services on His New Single

Spotify’s Shopping Spree Continues — This Time, It’s a SoundBetter Acquisition