There are a million songs written about virtually every topic imaginable, so why should anyone care about your music?
Music is all about who you know. If you don’t know anyone, like most people when they start, you better be good at making connections and selling yourself. It doesn’t matter if you’re pitching music or your talent as a professional—nobody will care unless you give them a reason to pay attention. Don’t know how? No worries. I can help.
There are countless ways to gain exposure in 2022, but most will agree that playlists are the primary way people discover new music. Be it through algorithmic selections like those curated by Spotify or the trusted taste of an influencer, placement on the right playlist can change any artist’s career overnight.
But there’s a problem. Everyone who is anyone wants to be on playlists, and that means curators are inundated with requests for inclusion. The big-name talent often has little-to-no problems getting heard, but what about regular musicians? How can up-and-coming talent stand out from the overwhelming amount of competition?
Your story is unique, but you have to know how to sell your story for tastemakers to understand that.
Each day, in offices and remote workspaces around the globe, playlist curators and industry gatekeepers sift through countless songs from artists hoping they’ll give them one of the very limited spaces available on editorial playlists. Certain tastemakers specializing in mood-themed playlists may hear upwards of one hundred or more tracks with a similar theme or story in a single day.
If you want to be the ONE song that stands out from the competition, there are two factors you have to nail:
The song needs to be GOOD. Obviously.
You need to sell the heck out of that song.
Part one is up to you. As for part two:
The only thing separating your story of wanting to leave home and every other dreamer is how you sell it to someone else.
Start by breaking your song down to the simplest description possible.
“My song is about growing up in a small town and waiting to escape.”
Great! We have a relatable perspective that millions, even billions, can easily recognize.
The only problem is—everyone has a song about wanting to leave their hometown.
If you want to attract playlist curators, tastemakers, or anyone, you need to be more specific.
Let’s start with the “why” of it all. WHY do you want to leave your hometown?
“My song is about growing up in a small town and waiting to escape because I have big dreams.”
That’s better. You’ve narrowed the target audience slightly, but you’ve also gotten closer to your true market.
Let’s add another detail, perhaps explore WHAT made us want to leave our hometown. Was it our family, the community, or something more existential? Maybe it’s all three!
“My song is about growing up in a conservative small town and how nobody, not even my family members, can relate to your ambitions of a life outside the village limits.”
The significance of your song and your perspective on life increases exponentially with each detail we add to our story. Those same details attract entertainment gatekeepers and inspire countless passive listeners to seek out more of your music.
With a little effort, our song about growing up in a small town and waiting to escape can be sold as an epic tale of wanderlust and misadventure inspired by unfortunate yet relatable circumstances.
“My song is about growing up in a conservative small town and how nobody, not even my family members, can relate to your ambitions of a life outside the village limits. It’s about taking advantage of the opportunities presented to you and exploring them. Sometimes we will fail, but that’s okay because failure is part of the journey. What’s more important, to me, is that we try in the first place.”
A few things to keep in mind as you develop your selling power:
You are already a storyteller. Your music proves that. Don’t let the lack of music cause you to lose confidence in yourself. The story you are telling is yours (or one you made up). Nobody can sell it better than you.
Storytelling is a skill you never stop developing. It will take time to build great pitches, but it’s worth the effort.
As you refine your story, always look for new angles to promote your single. Maybe the song elicits a very specific feeling or reaction from the listener. If so, there’s probably a playlist for that.
Not all stories are created equal, and the same goes for the recipient. You may need to develop multiple pitches for a single song to maximize its reach.
Playlisting is the way of the future. Taking time out of your schedule now to develop and refine your pitching skills will expedite the promotional process down the line. Best of luck, and if you have any questions, email james@haulix.com for advice.
From surprise albums by Beyonce and Drake to YouTube’s take on Spotify Wrapped, we’ve gathered all the music news you need to know.
Three weeks into June, and life has yet to disappoint. As the temperatures continue to rise and more artists hit the road with summer sunsets on their minds, something about the season feels shockingly normal. As long as you don’t look at the news or spend too much time on social media, there is plenty to love about life at the moment. We have great music, new opportunities, and another day to chase our dreams. What more could you want?
We cannot ease your workload or give you more hours in the day, but we can help you stay informed. Below you’ll find the biggest stories of the week, all covered by the best outlets in tech and entertainment. Click around, learn what’s happening, and use the weekend to prepare for the end of the month.
But let’s be honest. There is no way we can hope to cover everything that happens. If you see a headline we missed that people need to know, please do not hesitate to send james@haulix.com an email. We’ll include your links in the next update.
Drake surprised followers Thursday with news that new music was coming and so it did.
“Honestly, Nevermind” dropped at midnight and has begun its race up the charts.
The album features Drake mostly singing instead of rapping.
“I let my humbleness turn to numbness at times letting time go by knowing I got the endurance to catch it another time,” he wrote in an editor’s note on his Apple Music artist page. “I work with every breath in my body cause it’s the work not air that makes me feel alive.”
YouTube Music has launched a new feature called seasonal recaps, a culmination of your top artists, songs, albums and playlists. “Spring Recap” will be the first recap that users can try. This acts as an expansion of its 2021 Recap experience introduced last year.
According to the company, it received positive feedback after rolling out its annual recap the previous year, wrote YouTube Product Manager Ayshaw Khan in a blog post. The recap, inspired by Spotify Wrapped, had offered users a look back at their year on the app. Now, YouTube is taking the concept further with seasonal rundowns.
“Similar to the 2021 Recap, you’ll find your personalized content in the Spring Recap landing page on the YouTube Music app along with your personalized Spring Recap playlist,” Khan wrote. “Want to tell your friends about your favorite songs of the Spring? Easily share your Spring Recap playlist and stats by simply tapping the arrow at the bottom of your stats card.”
Songclip, the world’s only patented music clip company, today announced a strategic partnership with The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), the trade association representing all American music publishers and their songwriting partners. The partnership aims to facilitate music licensing and compliance within the global app marketplace.
During the NMPA’s Annual Meeting at New York’s Lincoln Center on June 15, 2022, NMPA President & CEO David Israelite outlined the NMPA’s app initiative to cease and desist applications who provide unlicensed music to their users and an enforcement plan of action to combat music infringement within the global app marketplace. Israelite also announced that Songclip will be a strategic partner of NMPA to facilitate licensing across the app marketplace.
Songclip works in partnership with the major labels, publishers and more than 7,500 independent licensing entities to provide a streamlined solution for licensing and integrating music “as a feature” within consumer applications. The Songclip API seamlessly integrates into any app, manages and facilitates search, catalog & compliance, licensing, royalty payments and reporting.
“We are excited to partner with Songclip in our effort to ensure applications use music legally and responsibly,” says NMPA President and CEO, David Israelite.
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has announced a new album, titled Renaissance, out July 29 according to a new listing for a Renaissance CD and products on her website. Several streaming services, including TIDAL and Spotify, also announced the forthcoming Beyoncé release on social media. No further details about the new album have been released.
Rumors of a new 2022 release first started to spread online June 9 after Beyoncé removed her profile pictures across all of her social media pages, with her highly organized fanbase the Beyhive theorizing the avatars signaled new material on the horizon.
Spotify is reducing its new hiring by 25 percent as recession fears mount, according to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg. It is unclear which parts of the business will be most affected.
Spotify is far from the only tech company to reevaluate its staffing as the stock market tumbles. Twitter and Meta each announced some degree of hiring freeze last month, and Netflix made headlines in April for its layoffs, particularly at in-house fan site Tudum.
During Spotify’s investor presentation last week, CEO Daniel Ek emphasized the company’s growth not only in subscriptions but in verticals beyond music like podcasting and, soon, audiobooks. But chief financial officer Paul Vogel did hint at the event that staffing could be affected by economic conditions.
Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got and more, but the men of RXPTRS make it looks easy. Today, they tell us the secrets to their success.
Take a moment and try to remember life in 2018. It was only four years ago, but it feels like several decades have passed since any of us lived such simple lives. There was no COVID, no average gas price over $5, and endless opportunities for young talent to make themselves known—both online and in person.
Life back then may seem easy in hindsight, but that’s not the world RXPTRS frontman Simon Roach remembers. That wasn’t long after he was nearly decapitated in an incident that caused him to rethink his approach to life. He coined the phrase Living Without Death’s Permission not long after, which has since become a mantra for the band.
“We never approach anything with a genre or an audience in mind, it has to be what we’re feeling in that moment. If it comes out punk, sick, if it sounds metal, awesome, if it doesn’t sound like anything else, even better. Nothing’s off the table,” explains Roach. “We all come from different backgrounds and have all been inspired by so many different genres, we wanted to hear a sound that mixed all those influences, so we thought, ‘let’s be that band.’ I totally get that genres help steer people, but we don’t want that stability. I feel like nothing great can come from a comfort zone.”
RXPTRS debut album is filled to the brim with seamless combinations of varying corners of rock. There are elements of rock, punk, metal, and hardcore present—often in a single song—yet it never feels overstuffed or forced. Instead, RXPTRS lead listeners on a sonic journey through tough times in search of the strength needed to persevere when all hope seems lost.
In this Music Biz update, host James Shotwell chats with Simon Roach about the origins of his band and the birth of their debut album. They also discuss how RXPTRS built a name for themselves while the world was in lockdown and how algorithmic playlists may have changed their lives virtually overnight. 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.
Whenever people ask me what resources I use to get ahead, I give them a single answer: Newsletters.
Nobody has time to read anymore. Between the constant demands of the workday and our need to be present with family, finding time to consume anything beneficial to our professional efforts is hard for most adults. That is if you can even find something worthwhile in the first place. Newsletters are the answer.
The Internet is an endless expanse of information and ideas. You can find anything at any point, but if you don’t have time to read, how can anyone expect you to do the searching? Every extra step between finding information and consuming it is yet another reason people don’t or can’t or won’t better themselves.
It sounds tired to write, but it bears repeating that we only get ahead when we all get ahead. I believe the key to a better, more lucrative, and fair industry for all is education. People need to be able to better themselves and feel encouraged to help one another.
In other words, we owe it to one another to try a little more.
No matter your genre or role, newsletters available right now will make you a better professional. Whether crunching data on the biggest names in your market or following industry-wide trends, newsletters can help you stay ahead of your competitors without wasting too much of your time.
There are hundreds of incredible newsletters available, but there is a handful I swear by and share daily. Enjoy.
Anyone who claims that rock ‘n’ roll is dead must not subscribe to Ryan Downey’s newsletter. Downey is a best-selling author and fixture of alternative music who uses his newsletter to keep everyone updated on all things rock. From the most popular artists on Spotify to the best-selling albums of any given week, Downey provides data dumps on the state of rock and its many sub-genres that no other publication seems to offer (at least not for free). We learn more look at Stream N Destroy each week than we do from several leading industry news sites, and we bet you’ll feel the same after subscribing.
Whether you’re curious about what’s happening in Nashville or need another perspective on where things are headed, The Nashville Briefing is your new go-to read three times a week. Enjoyed by over 5,000 industry leaders and counting, The Nashville Briefing offers a high-level overview of the country’s biggest moves and in-depth breakdowns of emerging industry trends. Thrown into the mix on occasion are also music and app recommendations, all delivered through the witty and insightful wordplay of Zak Kuhn.
I don’t care if you consider yourself a writer or not—Music Journalism Insider should be viewed as a must-read for everyone in the industry today. Todd L. Burns is doing the Lord’s work by bringing together the latest and greatest criticism, essays, podcasts, videos, and everything related to the current music discourse. This weekly newsletter tells you what people are talking about and who those people are, including many voices you might not otherwise discover. Burns does offer a premium tier that unlocks a contact sheet for people hoping to pitch stories, but the free level is more than enough to keep you entertained and informed every Monday morning.
Bobby Owsinski is a music industry veteran who believes in transparency. Bobby’s blog and accompanying newsletter take the biggest stories and moments from the industry and use them to educate readers about the music business as a whole. What his writing lacks in personal revelations is more than made up for with industry know-how, so if you’re looking to get ahead, Music 3.0 may be the answer.
I admittedly know very little about electronic music as a whole. But Shawn Reynaldo’s writing makes it relatable to anyone in music. His ability to not only make data digestible but finding the most interesting ways to look at the information available to us is what separates First Floor from other electronic-focused publications. If you need someone to handle an investigative report for your startup or want a second opinion on your next release, Shawn is a person you can trust.
Floridian metal band Seven Kingdoms has made a career out of fan-backed releases, but that level of support didn’t happen overnight.
We live in an age where the barriers to creating high-quality content are unbelievably low. You can do more with your smartphone to build and manage a music career than a team of people could accomplish just thirty years ago, and you can do most of it without leaving your bed. The problem is figuring out how to pay for it, but if you ask Florida metal band Seven Kingdoms, they’d tell you that’s why fans matter.
Seven Kingdoms knew early on that they had a sound that people wanted to hear and, like most groups, believed a label would be the best path to widespread success. The band found a deal early on and used the added benefit of a promo team to build their reputation on a global scale. More releases followed, and the band continued to work its way through the metal hierarchy, but in the mid-2010s realized a change was needed.
Now, as we all know, every group is different, and so is every career. What works for one artist will not work for others and vice versa. That’s the nature of the business. In 2016, after spending their first decade in the label system, Seven Kingdoms chose to go independent with the first of several crowdfunded releases. The group did not know how much support fans would offer, but the results speak for themselves. More than perhaps any American heavy metal band in the scene right now, Seven Kingdoms are beholden only to themselves and their audience. The only people they have to please are those who want to hear from them, and that’s where all musicians hope to find themselves.
We knew we had to speak with them when we caught wind of Seven Kingdoms’ long streak of successful crowdfunding efforts. Music Biz host James Shotwell called the band last week, and they were happy to share the secrets to their success. 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.
From Tunecore’s unlimited release pricing model to Spotify’s new audio verticals, we’ve gathered all the music news you need to know.
Two weeks into June and the feeling of summer is everywhere you look. Bands are hitting the road, festivals are taking place in beautiful destinations, and music fans are getting the closest thing to a ‘normal’ year that they’ve experienced this decade. Professionals are busy as well. Between the onslaught of tour-related work, the ongoing release pipeline congestion, and the need to continue developing new talent, the industry is operating at near maximum capacity. If you are reading this now, it means that you have survived. You made it through the week without losing your mind or livelihood, and that’s considered a massive win in the world of entertainment.
We cannot ease your workload or give you more hours in the day, but we can help you stay informed. Below you’ll find the biggest stories of the week, all covered by the best outlets in tech and entertainment. Click around, learn what’s happening, and use the weekend to prepare for the end of the month.
But let’s be honest. There is no way we can hope to cover everything that happens. If you see a headline we missed that people need to know, please do not hesitate to send james@haulix.com an email. We’ll include your links in the next update.
Believe-owned DIY distributor TuneCore has announced a revamp of its pricing, moving from a system where artists pay an annual fee per release to a system where they pay a set fee per year and can then release as many tracks as they like.
Although most of the DIY-level music distributors offer a similar service when it comes to what platforms they deliver content to, there is differentiation between rival companies when it comes to things like add-on services and pricing models.
Some charge less upfront but take a commission on future royalties, others charge fees and then take no commission. Some charge per release, some per year. And some bundle in add-on data and promotional services, while others charge extra for such things.
TuneCore says it is launching its new Unlimited Release service because artists increasingly want the flexibility to release more tracks more often and to test release tracks to a small number of services. The new distribution packages now available will allow artists to do that in an affordable way, it adds.
The firm’s CEO Andreea Gleeson states: “We’ve spent a year speaking directly to artists and labels about how we can make our service better for them. What emerged is: artists want to be able to test their new music for free before distributing to all services and they want to release the music they are creating instantly, regularly, and seamlessly with one annual subscription enabling unlimited music distribution”.
“TuneCore’s new programme gives self-releasing artists at any stage of their careers the freedom to choose the plan that works best for them”, she goes on, “while maintaining the high quality of service TuneCore is known for. With TuneCore Unlimited, artists pay less and earn more”.
Foo Fighters and the Hawkins family have announced two Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts. The shows commemorating the band’s late drummer are set to take place September 3 at London’s Wembley Stadium and September 27 at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum. The announcement promises performances from Hawkins’ peers and idols, with the lineup to be announced at a future date.
Ahead of the concerts, Hawkins’ wife Alison released a statement for the first time since the musician’s death:
My deepest thanks and admiration go out to the global Foo Fighters community and Taylor’s fans far and wide for the outpouring of love each and every one of you have shown our beloved Taylor. Your kindness has been an invaluable comfort for my family and me during this time of unimaginable grief.
As Taylor’s wife, and on behalf of our children, I want to share how much you meant to him and how dedicated he was to “knocking your socks off” during every performance. Taylor was honored to be a part of the Foo Fighters and valued his dream role in the band every minute of his 25 years with them. We consider every band member and the extended Foo Fighters team our family.
Taylor’s endearing spirit and deep love of music will live on forever through the collaborations he so enjoyed having with other musicians and the catalog of songs he contributed to and created.
In celebration of his life, it is now up to all of us who loved him most to honor Taylor’s legacy and the music he gave us.
Thank you all again for your love and sympathy. Taylor loved all of you & we love you too.
The City of Brotherly Love will welcome Bad Bunny and Tyler, the Creator as co-headliners for the Made in America Festival which returns for its 10th year. As usual, the event will take place at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia over Labor Day weekend, from September 3-4.
With a lineup curated by festival founder, Jay-Z, Made in America will include performances from hip-hop and R&B artists Lil Uzi Vert, Jazmine Sullivan, Burna Boy, Snoh Aalegra, Kodak Black and Pusha T. Fans can also expect additional performances by Lil Tjay, Tate McRae, Fuerza Regida, Toro Y Moi, Babyface Ray, Key Glock, Larry June, Rels B, Victoria Monét, Chimbala and Ryan Castro.
According to a statement from the festival, Made in America has generated over $150 million in economic impact for the city of Philadelphia since its inception in 2012. This year, Cause Village will be highlighting the efforts of groups like Black Voters Matter, HeadCount, ACCT Philly Animal Welfare, United in Community and more.
Bad Bunny’s headlining appearance follows the release of his summer blockbuster, “Un Verano Sin Ti,” which saw one of the biggest debuts for an album so far in 2022. Tyler, the Creator is also set to perform in mid-June for Pharrell’s Something in the Water Festival, after achieving best rap album at the 2022 Grammys for “Call Me If You Get Lost.”
American pop artist Becky G has recently announced that she will giveaway Bitcoin worth $500000 to her fans. She has recently partnered with the Cash App and doing the giveaway. After dropping the news, all her fans went crazy. Not for the Bitcoin but for taking such an amazing initiative. This advanced method of the giveaway has stunned everyone.
This giveaway has been sponsored by the Cash App owner Block Inc. this company also owns many platforms, for example, the music streaming site Tidal.
Becky announced this news through her social media on 8th June, and by doing so she started her partnership with the company.
The pop artist has said ‘I’m thrilled to partner with Cash App for this Bitcoin giveaway.’
She has also added ‘I’m so thankful for my fans, who continuously support me through it all – it’s a priority for me to find moments where I get to give back to them and match their efforts however I can.’
According to the post, the celebrity has announced that her fans need to comment on her social media posts with $Cashtag which is the unique identifier of the Cash App. along with that they also have to put the hashtag #ESQUEMAS IN THE#ESQUEMAS in the comment section.
The artist has also said that the winner will be chosen randomly, and no order will be followed. On an average 27,500 winners will get $10 to $100 amount of Bitcoin, through the application Cash App. In more detail, she has said that 25000 people will win the prize of $10 in Bitcoin and the rest will be awarded with $100 in Bitcoin.
In its second Investor Day, streaming service Spotify updated the financial community about its potential for further growth and monetization, despite the overall economic downturn impacting the tech sector. The company spent a good portion of its presentation specifically focused on podcasts, which it said had been “largely unchanged” for years before its entry into the market, due to the limitations of RSS.
Spotify cited how unbundling podcasts from RSS technology has paved the way for Spotify to generate revenue through these popular audio programs — a sentiment that’s not universally beloved by those who support an open podcast ecosystem. Spotify has disrupted that market by bringing some podcasts in-house, where they can only be heard on its service, and competitors have followed. This has fractured the ecosystem and left consumers at a disadvantage as some shows are no longer broadly available.
“We’ve been able to replace RSS for on-platform distribution, which means that podcasts created on our platform are no longer held back by this outdated technology,” Maya Prohovnik, Spotify’s head of Talk, told investors.
The company also highlighted the growth of podcasts on its service, noting that Spotify today has over 4 million podcasts, up from 500,000 in 2019. One thousand of these are either operated or licensed as exclusives by the company. It noted, too, that its podcast creation tool Anchor has helped to contribute to this growth, saying that the app powers 75% of the podcasts on Spotify and each new show created on Anchor brings in an additional 2.5 million monthly active users to the service.
Combined with its other hosting platform, Megaphone, Spotify says that shows powered by its tools account for 45% of all podcast consumption on the platform.
President Trump's executive order against Bytedance-owned TikTok goes into effect this Sunday, September 20.
In an incredible new documentary short, VOX and The Pudding deliver an in-depth look at the wild and miraculous ways TikTok is upending the music business.
Big Machine Label Group’s Scott Borchetta sharply criticized the rush to ink TikTokers to lucrative label deals earlier this year by pointing to the lackluster results. “Not any of those [Tiktok stars] that got signed to big deals have worked,” Borchetta bluntly assessed while urging others to consider the difference between “a moment” and longer-term success potential.
But many in the industry believe Borchetta’s comments may miss the bigger picture. While many artists who experience past viral success on TikTok do not have the talent or community-building skills to leverage that moment into bigger opportunities, others do, and an increasing number of musicians are choosing to forgo the allure of major label deals in preference of the DIY lifestyle.
After all, what can a label offer someone whose already garnered more success and attention than artists on that label’s roster?
The answer, it seems, depends on your understanding of business. As a new documentary short from VOX and The Pudding explores, TikTok has forced labels and artists to reconsider how they interact with one another. As one talking head puts it, “It turns out the app is completely revolutionizing the way record labels work and giving artists more leverage than ever.”
VOX and The Pudding spent months pouring over datasets related to TikTok success, industry signings, and revenue to uncover the truth. They also spoke to a dozen or so experts on the topic, including former TikTok executives and music industry experts.
Playlists are the key to discovery and growth for many musicians, but very few know how to pitch tastemakers successfully. We can help
Every artist has a story to tell, but alarmingly few seem to realize how many artists are telling similar stories. Every life is unique, but there are only so many relatable experiences that can be mass-marketed through song. That’s why there are so many love songs and an equally large amount of heartbreak anthems. The same goes for songs about realizing life is short, mourning the dead, aspiring to better oneself, and of course, the timeless desire to flee one’s hometown and chase big-city dreams.
Your story is unique, but you have to know how to sell your story for tastemakers to understand that.
Each day, in offices and remote workspaces around the globe, playlist curators and industry gatekeepers sift through countless songs from artists hoping they’ll give them one of the very limited spaces available on editorial playlists. Certain tastemakers specializing in mood-themed playlists may hear upwards of one hundred or more tracks with a similar theme or story in a single day.
If you want to be the ONE song that stands out from the competition, there are two factors you have to nail:
The song needs to be GOOD. Obviously.
You need to sell the heck out of that song.
Part one is up to you. As for part two:
The only thing separating your story of wanting to leave home and every other dreamer is how you sell it to someone else.
Start by breaking your song down to the simplest description possible.
“My song is about growing up in a small town and waiting to escape.”
Great! We have a relatable perspective that millions, even billions, can easily recognize.
The only problem is—everyone has a song about wanting to leave their hometown.
If you want to attract playlist curators, tastemakers, or anyone, you need to be more specific.
Let’s start with the “why” of it all. WHY do you want to leave your hometown?
“My song is about growing up in a small town and waiting to escape because I have big dreams.”
That’s better. You’ve narrowed the target audience slightly, but you’ve also gotten closer to your true market.
Let’s add another detail, perhaps explore WHAT made us want to leave our hometown. Was it our family, the community, or something more existential? Maybe it’s all three!
“My song is about growing up in a conservative small town and how nobody, not even my family members, can relate to your ambitions of a life outside the village limits.”
The significance of your song and your perspective on life increases exponentially with each detail we add to our story. Those same details attract entertainment gatekeepers and inspire countless passive listeners to seek out more of your music.
With a little effort, our song about growing up in a small town and waiting to escape can be sold as an epic tale of wanderlust and misadventure inspired by unfortunate yet relatable circumstances.
“My song is about growing up in a conservative small town and how nobody, not even my family members, can relate to your ambitions of a life outside the village limits. It’s about taking advantage of the opportunities presented to you and exploring them. Sometimes we will fail, but that’s okay because failure is part of the journey. What’s more important, to me, is that we try in the first place.”
A few things to keep in mind as you develop your selling power:
You are already a storyteller. Your music proves that. Don’t let the lack of music cause you to lose confidence in yourself. The story you are telling is yours (or one you made up). Nobody can sell it better than you.
Storytelling is a skill you never stop developing. It will take time to build great pitches, but it’s worth the effort.
As you refine your story, always look for new angles to promote your single. Maybe the song elicits a very specific feeling or reaction from the listener. If so, there’s probably a playlist for that.
Not all stories are created equal, and the same goes for the recipient. You may need to develop multiple pitches for a single song to maximize its reach.
Playlisting is the way of the future. Taking time out of your schedule now to develop and refine your pitching skills will expedite the promotional process down the line. Best of luck, and if you have any questions, email james@haulix.com for advice.
Riding high on a successful string of releases, Unique Leader Records CEO Jamie Graham chats with Haulix about how his label continues to thrive amid an ongoing global pandemic.
When Jamie Graham took over Unique Leader Records following the untimely death of founder Erik Linmarkin in 2019, nobody knew what would come next. Graham was suddenly leading a global music company with a thriving roster of hardworking young talent and an inbox flooded with the dreams of aspiring musicians. The young industry mind had to work fast to get on his feet, but another unpredictable event happened almost as soon as he found his footing.
“We probably had nine to eleven releases in various stages of rollout when March (2020) happened,” Jamie explains while speaking from his home office. “I was actually on the road at the time, and I remember we got a message that everything was canceled. It was a crazy time.”
Metal, much like rock and roll, will never die. However, that doesn’t mean the genre pioneered by legendary bands Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple hasn’t found itself on life support once or twice in its nearly 100-year existence. One decade rock and metal define our culture, but the next, they take a backseat. That ebb and flow will continue throughout time, and it’s the duty of the labels and bands in the genre to weather the storm.
Even before the pandemic hit, rock was already suffering. A years-long stretch of falling behind the streaming numbers of pop and hip-hop has left the genre struggling to break new talent on a massive level, and the pandemic only made matters worse. As artists hunkered down at home, the label had to step back and reevaluate every aspect of its business. Were releases still going to come out, or would they be shelved until reopening? When would vinyl be available? For artists who were writing, how could they record? Where would the money come from to cover the bills and keep everyone paid?
The answers labels and music professionals came up with in response to these concerns are countless. For Jamie Graham and Unique Leader, their choice was to double down on digital marketing efforts while continuing to search for and nurture the next generation of genre-defining talent. Many chose a safer path, but two years on, Graham and the Unique Leader team are experiencing one of their biggest growth periods yet.
In the latest Music Biz ‘Fast Five’ interview, Jamie Graham chats with host James Shotwell about the pandemic’s effect on his business, the talent he supports, and his views on the industry overall. The conversation inevitably runs long, so the pair also discuss the secret to landing a deal with Unique Leader. Check it out:
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From the untimely death of Bollywood singer KK to the incredible first-week debut of Zach Bryan, we’ve gathered all the music news you need to know.
The first week of June is nearly complete, and you’re still standing. Congrats! Go ahead and pat yourself on the back. Whether you conquered your greatest fears in recent days or merely managed to not get fired, you survived. You are now on the precipice of a weekend with boundless possibilities. Who knows!? Maybe you’ll even get a few minutes free from your devices.
We cannot ease your workload or give you more hours in the day, but we can help you stay informed. Below you’ll find the biggest stories of the week, all covered by the best outlets in tech and entertainment. Click around, learn what’s happening, and use the weekend to prepare for the end of the month.
But let’s be honest. There is no way we can hope to cover everything that happens. If you see a headline we missed that people need to know, please do not hesitate to send james@haulix.com an email. We’ll include your links in the next update.
Halsey’s next single has a release date — with or without a TikTok moment to fuel it. Capitol Records announced in a tweet Tuesday morning that “So Good” will come out June 9, with Halsey additionally declaring that the “fiasco” over its release is apparently over.
Curiously, the release date was framed as an open letter to Halsey, suggesting that the two parties may still be doing a lot of their dialoguing via social media right now, although the promise of “open dialogue” may be as much for the fans and other artists who have rallied behind Halsey in the dispute as for the artist.
“Halsey,” tweeted Capitol, tagging the singer, “we love you and are here to support you. We are committing to a release of ‘So Good’ on June 9th, 2022.
“We are an artist-first company that encourages open dialogue,” the statement continues. “We have nothing but a desire to help each one of our artists succeed, and hope that we can continue to have these critical conversations.”
Indian police said Wednesday they are investigating the death of star Bollywood singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, who died at age 53 after a concert.
The singer died shortly after performing at a college festival in Kolkata on Tuesday evening, prompting a wave of tributes.
He was rushed to hospital from his hotel at around 10:30 pm, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Aroop Biswas, a government minister in the eastern state of West Bengal, said KK had died of a “suspected cardiac arrest.” But police said they are probing whether he died an “unnatural death”, with media reports saying there were injuries to his face and head.
What hath Kravis wrought? Las Vegas’ Elvis-themed wedding industry is all shook up, after a series of cease and desist letters were issued at the behest of Authentic Brands Group. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, ABG controls the King’s merchandising as well as trademarks on “Elvis, “Elvis Presley,” “and “The King of Rock and Roll.” The letter told multiple wedding chapels that Elvis weddings were unauthorized in using “Presley’s name, likeness, voice image, and other elements of Elvis Presley’s persona in advertisements, merchandise and otherwise,” and that if they did not stop by May 27, they would be seeking legal action. “This could be very damaging to our industry,” Melody Willis-Williams, president of Vegas Weddings and Viva Las Vegas Weddings, told the R-J. “Most of us are small businesses, and we’re up against a superpower with a lot of money. It could kill us in lawyer fees to fight this.”
Elvis weddings have been synonymous with Vegas since Viva Las Vegas, in which Elvis has a Vegas wedding. So why now? Did ABG object to the fake wedding that Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker had after the Grammys? Maybe with the Baz Luhrmann biopic rearing its kaleidoscopic head, ABG felt it was time to protect its investment. Regardless of why, ABG has decided the time has come to TCB.
In the May 20-26 tracking period, Heartbreak earned 71,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 65,000 are from streaming equivalent units. That translates to the best streaming week for any LP on Top Rock Albums since the chart moved to a consumption-based methodology (from ranking sales only) in February 2017. It tops the 60,000 units accrued by Machine Gun Kelly‘s Tickets to My Downfall on the Oct. 10, 2020, survey.
Bryan’s 71,000-overall unit start is also the third-best for any release on Top Rock Albums in 2022, bested only by the bows of Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Unlimited Love (98,000 units, April 16) and Machine Gun Kelly’s Mainstream Sellout (93,000 units, April 9).
On Americana/Folk Albums, Heartbreak claims the biggest week of the year in terms of units, surpassing The Lumineers‘ Brightside, which launched with 37,000 units (Jan. 29). It logs the top sum since Kacey Musgraves‘ Star-Crossed debuted with 77,000 units (Sept. 25, 2021). As on Top Rock Albums, Heartbreak tallies the biggest frame in terms of streaming units since the chart moved to a consumption model in 2017, more than doubling the 30,000 first-week streaming units for Musgraves’ Star-Crossed.
Spotify for Artists has reorganized and revamped its extensive self-help offering as In Focus, a new free self-guided interactive site designed to help artists and their teams achieve career goals.
While centered on Spotify, In Focus goes well beyond it to offer tools, resources, and advice centered around five categories: Create, Promote, Connect, Earn, Learn. The help comes from the Spotify for Artists team, industry experts, and artists like Olivia Rodrigo, A$AP Ferg, Phoebe Bridgers, and dozens more.
In Focus features topics including:
Growing streaming royalties and creating new sources of revenue
Promoting music, reaching new audiences and building a brand
Improving songwriting and honing your music-making craft
“We get it, the music industry today is complex – requiring artists and their teams to take on more responsibility than ever before,” says Rob Fink, Senior Brand Marketing Manager, Spotify for Artists. “We’re always chatting with artists about the biggest questions and aspirations they have in their personal career journeys, and we designed In Focus as a direct result of that feedback. We want to remove the guesswork, and help artists focus on what matters most to them so they can reach their music goals.”
