Month: September 2021

Categories
News

Alex Jones of Undeath Appears On The Latest Inside Music Podcast

Undeath pod

With their first tour of 2021 now underway, Alex Jones of Undeath stops by Inside Music to discuss returning to the road, new music, and more.

It finally happened! For the first time since March 2020, host James Shotwell recorded a new episode of Inside Music in the same room as the guest. The return of live music is providing new opportunities for connection, and we couldn’t miss the chance to speak with one of our favorite fast-rising new groups.

Subscribe to Inside Music on Spotify!

While the world was isolating indoors, Undeath burst onto the international death metal scene with their blistering Prosthetic Records debut, Lesions of a Different Kind. The relentlessly brutal record combines influences from the genre’s greatest acts with a modern approach to storytelling to create an engaging listening experience for fans of all ages. The band’s following seems to confirm this, as it features people from all walks of life and every economic level. We’re not saying modern death metal needed Undeath to exist, but their existence is helping the genre carry onward into a new decade with fresh talent and new listeners.

Undeath is currently touring America for the first time since Legions‘ release. The group serves as the act on The Black Dahlia Murder’s fall headlining run, which features additional support from After The Burial, Carnifex, and Rivers of Nihil. Undeath is already rubbing shoulders with their metal peers in a big way, and they’ve got the bonus of being the first band to welcome fans back to live metal shows. Their presence on stage sets the tone for everything that follows, and we’re happy to report that they do not disappoint.

In this Inside Music episode, host James Shotwell chats with Undeath frontman Alex Jones about his band’s return to the road. Jones recounts the band’s efforts to remain creative during the pandemic, as well as the conversations that lead to their first shows back. There is even some discussion about the band’s next release, which Jones claims is already written and ready to record.

Inside Music is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Categories
Artist Advice Business Advice Editorials Industry News News

Bobby Bones Exposes The Truth About Radio’s Top Songs

Nationally syndicated radio host Bobby Bones is pulling back the curtain on radio politics, and the music industry doesn’t know how to react.

Bobby Bones, the host of the nationally syndicated Bobby Bones Show, recently made waves in the music community for sharing industry secrets about radio’s top songs. According to Bones, the decision about who gets to be the number one artist on any given day or week is made entirely by music’s biggest labels. Along with leading radio broadcast companies, those companies work together to pick and choose who becomes tomorrow’s next star. Listener input is minimal.

“Here’s the truth about Number One songs on the radio: It’s basically politics,” Bones said, strolling through a sunny park in a clip that had more than 36,000 likes a day later. “They trade them out like baseball cards. A record label will talk to another record label and go ‘Ok, I’ll give you this Number One on this date, you give me that Number One on that date.’ Which really, it should just be the song that’s the most wanted, the most listened to, the song that people demand. That should be the only Number One song.”

But Bones didn’t stop there. In a series of videos originally shared to his TikTok account, Bones describes the day-to-day operations of most radio stations, including the thinking behind what songs get played and how often they appear in rotation. It’s the honest look at radio you never knew you needed, and it’s likely to make you rethink your music industry goals.

In this Music Biz update, host James Shotwell shares Bobby Bones’ comments and offers additional insight into the inner workings of the music business. He also shares a fresh perspective for young artists who feel the revelations in Bones’ videos make it less likely that they will succeed. Check it out!

Music Biz is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Categories
Artist Advice Business Advice Editorials Industry News News

TikTok Is Now More Important Than YouTube For Musicians. Here’s Why

A new report finds Bytedance-owned TikTok is quickly overtaking YouTube as the world’s leading video platform.

TikTok’s users now spend more time each month watching content than YouTube users, according to a report from app analytics firm App Annie. In the US, ByteDance’s app first overtook YouTube in August last year, and as of June 2021, its users watched over 24 hours of content per month, compared with 22 hours and 40 minutes on YouTube.

The difference is even more apparent in the UK: TikTok overtook YouTube in May last year, and users there now reportedly watch almost 26 hours of content a month, compared to less than 16 on YouTube.

App Annie’s report’s reliance on Android user data may not accurately represent mobile users as a whole, but then again, it easily could. TikTok has witnessed a meteoric rise in recent years, and its influence as a music discovery platform has grown with it. Virtually every story about a new viral music sensation begins with a TikTok video in 2021. YouTube only enters the conversation later, after budgets and executives get involved.

In this Music Biz update, host James Shotwell shares insights from App Annie’s report to explain why artists hoping to maximize the value of their time should focus on TikTok instead of YouTube. Such a suggestion goes against over a decade of conventional music marketing thinking, but it’s a necessary change to meet the evolving demands of audiences. Video is dead! Long live video.

Music Biz is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Categories
Artist Advice Editorials Industry News News

How To Increase Fan Engagement With Spotify Blend

Spotify Blend can help artists better engage fans while also providing valuable insight into their listening habits.

Spotify‘s latest feature, Blend, is a tool made in playlist heaven. Blend, which allows two people to combine their favorite songs into one shared playlist, uses the same music mixing technology that powers other multi-person playlists like Spotify’s Family Mix and Duo Mix. However, Blend allows any Spotify user, including both free users and paid subscribers, to merge their musical tastes, too.

Users who create a Blend (aka their shared playlist) will receive a short presentation known as the “taste match score” that shows how similar or different their listening preferences are compared to their friends. After the Blend is created for the first time, this taste match score is demonstrated as a percentage and will be accompanied by text that tells users which song brings them together. Blends also feature unique cover art to help users find their playlists more easily.

Blend also presents valuable marketing and data-gathering opportunities for artists. In the latest Music Biz update, host James Shotwell explains how artists can use Spotify’s new feature to raise fan engagement and increase an artist’s understanding of their fans’ listening behaviors. He also shares ideas on how musicians can collaborate with other artists to promote albums, tours, and more.

Music Biz is brought to you by Haulix, the music industry’s leading promotional distribution platform. Start your one-month free trial today and gain instant access to the same promotional tools used by BMG, Concord, Rise Records, Pure Noise Records, and hundreds more. Visit http://haulix.com/signup for details.

Exit mobile version