From Soundcloud’s impressive royalty payments to Lizzo’s Roblox debut, we’ve gathered all the music news fit to print this week.
April is ending on a high note this week, as dozens of incredible artists flood new music Friday with exciting releases that will inspire waves of creativity worldwide. One could argue every new music Friday accomplishes that feat, but something about this week feels special. Maybe it’s the way we watched the world’s richest man spend the equivalent of the US budget for fighting climate change to purchase Twitter, but there is a feeling in the air that anything is possible—as long as you have several billion to spare, of course.
As for us, we’re hard at work on the biggest developments in company history. The bosses tell us we cannot spill the beans, but believe us when we say the future is bright.
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.
Spotify loves to promote having 8 million creators on its platform, but Music Business Worldwide has learned some startling truths about the activity of those musicians. Notably, the site found that only 21.6% of all artists on the app have more than 50 monthly listeners, and only 7% have more than 1,000.
Logitech has announced its second annual Logitech Song Breaker Awards will be hosted in Roblox and will feature a performance by Lizzo.
The Song Breaker Awards will premiere in Roblox on Saturday, April 30, and will be hosted by YouTuber and TikTok entertainer Bretman Rock, along with multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Lizzo, who will debut her metaverse performance.
“I’m excited to be making my metaverse debut with Logitech and to be performing ‘Special,’ which is a song that means so much to me,” said Lizzo. “As a musician and creator, I love that [the] Logitech Song Breaker Awards show recognizes the unique talent of all creators, and how each of them are making an impact on pop culture and music.”
Warner Music Group has launched a podcast network that will include a slate of shows hosted by Lupita Nyong’o, Jason Derulo and Billy Mann. Called Interval Presents, the network is led by Allan Coye, WMG’s senior vp digital strategy and business development, and will focus on developing podcasts with subjects at the intersections of music, pop culture and social impact, the company said on Tuesday.
Nyong’o’s podcast, produced by Snap Judgment, will explore the African diaspora through the lens of nonfiction storytelling. Derulo will star in a fictional romance show with noir influences, while Mann will speak with other artists about failure and overcoming adversity.
WMG has also partnered with Snap Judgment, Awfully Nice and Double Elvis to create content for the podcast network. Upcoming podcasts will include a series from Double Elvis that explores the impact communities of color have had on entertainment mediums like radio, print and TV, while another series from the production company will tell the history of major Warner Music artists like Aretha Franklin.
To celebrate one year of their fan-powered platform, SoundCloud is launching ‘Fan-Powered Friday – a one-day event on Friday, April 29th thatinvites fans to stream music from their favorite independent artists all day long, and SoundCloud will double the artist’s payout — matching 100% of the revenue earned that day.
Think about that for a second. Soundcloud will match every cent earned by artists on its platform this Friday, April 29. Such an undertaking would be crazy for any label to attempt, let alone a streaming service boasting thousands of artists. Nothing like this has been attempted at such scale previously, except for Bandcamp Fridays, and even that isn’t a far comparison.
In addition to announcing Fan-Powered Friday, Soundcloud shared several data insights from the first year of their new royalties system:
On average, independent artists earn 60% more through Fan-Powered Royalties v. the traditional pro-rata model
Communities are feeling the love from fans: artists from scenes like Tribal House and Neo-Soul, and the collective Soulection, earned 2X more
Fans are making an impact by supporting the artists they love: there was a 97% increase in fans contributing more than $5 to a single artist
Fan-Powered Royalties contributed to the growth of the number of independent artists monetizing on SoundCloud by 30% (March 2021-present)
What remains to be seen is whether or not another streaming service will follow Soundcloud’s lead and offer fan-powered royalties.
Roger Daltrey has said he believes that the music industry has been “stolen” from artists during a recent interview.
Speaking toThe Independent, the frontman of The Who claimed that the band’s 2019 studio album ‘WHO’ left him £10,000 out of pocket. “Musicians cannot earn a living in the record industry anymore,” Daltrey told the publication.
“That is ridiculous, and they’re being robbed blind by streaming and the record companies, because the old deals with record companies that existed in the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties, they’re still working on the same percentage breaks.”
In a time when everyone is arguing over streaming royalties, Soundcloud offers a forward-thinking solution that fans and artists love.
The problem with music is not the access that streaming allows but the deals made by those controlling streaming to minimize what they pay artists. For example, you give Spotify $10 a month to stream as much music as possible. Spotify, in turn, takes that $10 and takes a cut for themselves before dividing the remaining money between every artist you stream, right?
Wrong.
Calculating streaming royalties is no easy feat. Each platform has a specific formula, and no two systems are alike. Spotify may pay $0.004 per stream one day but $0.006 another, and there is no way to know which day has what rate until they’re already underway.
But Soundcloud has a different approach. Starting in 2021, Soundcloud began using a fan-powered method for calculating music streaming royalties. Whenever someone pays Soundcloud for streaming, that money is divided among the artists that person listens to during their subscription period. In other words, if you give Soundcloud $10 a month and only listen to two artists, each artist gets half of your total subscription.
To celebrate one year of their fan-powered platform, SoundCloud is launching ‘Fan-Powered Friday – a one-day event on Friday, April 29th thatinvites fans to stream music from their favorite independent artists all day long, and SoundCloud will double the artist’s payout — matching 100% of the revenue earned that day.
Think about that for a second. Soundcloud will match every cent earned by artists on its platform this Friday, April 29. Such an undertaking would be crazy for any label to attempt, let alone a streaming service boasting thousands of artists. Nothing like this has been attempted at such scale previously, except for Bandcamp Fridays, and even that isn’t a far comparison.
In addition to announcing Fan-Powered Friday, Soundcloud shared several data insights from the first year of their new royalties system:
On average, independent artists earn 60% more through Fan-Powered Royalties v. the traditional pro-rata model
Communities are feeling the love from fans: artists from scenes like Tribal House and Neo-Soul, and the collective Soulection, earned 2X more
Fans are making an impact by supporting the artists they love: there was a 97% increase in fans contributing more than $5 to a single artist
Fan-Powered Royalties contributed to the growth of the number of independent artists monetizing on SoundCloud by 30% (March 2021-present)
What remains to be seen is whether or not another streaming service will follow Soundcloud’s lead and offer fan-powered royalties. Send us a tweet and let us know your thoughts.
Soundcloud is onto something revolutionary in the world of streaming: Give listeners’ money to the artists they listen to and not those they don’t.
Calculating the amount of money an artist is likely to earn from streaming is far more complicated than most would assume. No service, including Spotify and Soundcloud, pays based on stream counts alone, and none offer a consistent royalty rate per stream.
Generally speaking, subscriber money is traditionally placed into a large pool that streaming services then pay to artists by comparing their streams for a month to the total streams on the platform.
Here’s an example: If Taylor Swift gets 5% of all streams on Spotify in June, she and her label will get 5% of your monthly subscription fee, even if you never listened to one of her songs.
Soundcloud has a plan to change this, and it begins with fans.
According to an announcement made on Tuesday, March 2, Soundcloud will soon begin using what it calls a “fan-powered royalty” system to compensate artists on its platform.
Under the new model, if a user paying $10 a month only listens to five artists, those five artists will get an equal split of that $10 — after SoundCloud takes its cut — no matter how many times the user listens to each of them.
Users paying to support the artists they listen to instead of every artist on a platform may sound like an obvious notion. However, Soundcloud is the first mainstream streaming service to attempt such an effort. Others may follow suit in time, but it seems unlikely to happen unless artists and labels work together to push for change.
Soundcloud’s “fan-powered royalty” system goes into effect on April 1.
A smart marketing campaign may propel your next release into the spotlight, but you can’t get there without actionable data.
Music promotion is harder than it used to be, and it’s growing increasingly difficult with each passing day. The old method of compiling a list of contacts that artists then send a generic email to with a single link to Soundcloud or Dropbox page rarely produces results. Even worse, the results such efforts do produce are hard to quantify. Here’s an example:
Let’s say I have a new single to promote ahead of its official release. I upload the song to Soundcloud, set the stream to private, and then send the share link the service offers to 500 media contacts. After a few days, I check and discover the song has 250 plays. That information is good to know, but there are many questions Soundcloud cannot help me answer: Who listened to the song? How many times did they listen to the song? Did anyone start the track, but not finish it? And if so, who?
While the low cost of Soundcloud or Dropbox has long been attractive to artists on tight budgets, the use of such services requires talent to sacrifice the most valuable thing in promotion: Data.
In this episode of Music Biz 101, host James Shotwell addresses the drawbacks to promoting music on Soundcloud and offers a low-cost alternative method of promotion that is used by everyone from Chance The Rapper to Metallica.
You can join Haulix today and receive your first month of service free. Cancel anytime during that trial period and your credit card will not be charged.
Getting people to listen to your new music is important, but knowing who is listening and how much of it they consume matters more.
Your next release is the most important thing that has happened in your career. Whether it’s your debut single or your third studio album, everything that has happened in your life lead up to this moment. The record you’re preparing to share with the world is incredibly special, but to reach a wide audience you will need help from influencers and tastemakers all over the world. Successful music promotion will play a pivotal role in determining what happens next in your life, and it’s important that you do everything in your power to market your materials to the best of your abilities.
The problem is, every other artist with a potentially life-changing release is also seeking help from the influencers and tastemakers of the world. There are far more artists releasing music today than there are people in a position to help artists get ahead, and that has increased the already high difficulty of being noticed (let alone covered).
For many artists, Soundcloud and Dropbox are go-to promotional platforms. Both services are free and easy to use, which makes them ideal for cash-strapped talent with limited time. However, the simplicity of both services comes with a drawback that is increasingly placing artists who rely on those platforms at a disadvantage.
Soundcloud and Dropbox, as well as the numerous sites like them, may make it simple for anyone to upload tracks and share them using a private URL, but that one URL is more of a hindrance than a gift.
Let’s say you send your new release to 500 media contacts. You watch the streams rise on Soundcloud, and after a few days, you’ve accrued dozens of plays for your new material. That’s a great start to any promotional campaign, as it means people are actively engaging with the material. That’s where the good news stops, however, because the services mentioned above cannot tell you the data that matters, including who listened to your music and what songs they streamed (or downloaded). It can’t even tell you who opened the email, which means you have to keep contacting the same 500 people with generic messaging in hopes someone replies to express their interest.
That approach to marketing is incredibly passive and impersonal. You’re engaging with an audience you cannot properly identify, and because of that, your ability to connect with those who care about your music is limited.
Active marketing requires data, which is why more and more artists are turning to services such as Haulix for their promotional needs. Haulix not only tracks email performance, but it offers in-depth analytics that tells artists who is listening to their music and how they’re engaging with the material (streams vs downloads) in real time. The platform empowers artists to create personalized follow-ups that only people who care about the material being promoted, which allows for better relationships to be cultivated throughout the music business.
The Haulix activity feed
Haulix also outshines Soundcloud and Dropbox when it comes to presentation. Every single private stream on either service looks exactly the same, offering little to no opportunities for branding or customization. Haulix, on the other hand, encourages artists to create beautiful album promos that showcase the art and aesthetic that accompanies your latest release.
You can try Haulix for free today by signing up on the platform’s official website.
SoundCloud is joining Spotify as the latest streaming giant to offer distribution services.
SoundCloud is joining Spotify as the latest streaming giant to offer distribution services.
A good CEO can change everything. With the right person in power, a company can go from the brink of failure to being widely considered an essential component of its industry in a relatively small amount of time. They can also change public perception, raise awareness, and discover new revenue streams that do not alienate users or further complicate a product.
SoundCloud CEO Kerry Trainor cannot is unstoppable. Two years after reports of the platform’s demise began to circulate throughout the industry, Trainor’s guidance has helped the company bring in over $100 million in revenue annually, as well as many significant updates that have raised the profile and utility of Soundcloud to new heights.
Trainor’s next move may change everything. This week, SoundCloud announced the beta launch of SoundCloud Premier, a distribution service that will allow artists to upload their music to numerous streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. The company hopes the service, which is the first to be built directly into a streaming platform, will make SoundCloud a kind of ‘mission control’ for artists on the rise. Musicians can now choose from their uploaded tracks and albums and distribute to all major music services while keeping 100% of their rights and payouts (SoundCloud takes nothing) and getting streamlined payments directly from SoundCloud.
SoundCloud Premier is available at no additional cost to all eligible Pro and Pro Unlimited subscribers who are 18 years of age or older, creators of original music, have zero copyright strikes, and at least 1,000 monetizable track plays. Eligible creators can expect eligibility notifications via email and in-product notifications over the next few weeks.
In the meantime, you can learn more here. If you think you’d be eligible but haven’t gone Pro, you can upgrade now, and the company will contact you if/when you qualify. In addition to one revenue stream that reigns supreme, you’ll get the pro tools to level up your career, so that you can grow your audience and make even more music to distribute.
Inside Music is a podcast about the lives of professionals in the music business. Each week, host James Shotwell chats with an artist or industry tastemaker to learn how anyone can navigate the world of entertainment.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, James sits down in a crowded coffee shop with Allison Lanza to discuss her career in music. Like many aspiring professionals, Allison started her relationship with music as a fan. She tells James about waiting in the snow for concerts, and how her dedication to music lead to a career that has taken her around the country several times over. Allison is currently on tour with The Wrecks, but has also worked with Vans Warped Tour and Nothing But Thieves, among others.
In other news, Inside Music is now available on YouTube! Click here to stream the latest episode on our official channel. You can also subscribe to the show on iTunes, as well as any other podcast streaming service.
A lot has been written about the supposed dire state of the music industry, but truth be told there are a number of successful and growing companies, including record labels, that are thriving in 2016. In this column we bring together every job opening we can find from the companies responsible for building the future of the business and present them to you, our reader, in hopes of aiding you on your journey to join the global music industry professional family.
Each week we scour the internet for the latest and greatest job postings throughout the music industry. You can help us better serve our community by sending any job openings you find or have to james@haulix.com. Be sure to include the name of the company hiring, a detailed description of the position being offered, a desired start date, contact information, and any additional supplemental information you feel may be needed.
Job summary: Apple is seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial leader with a passion for music and entertainment to coordinate communications between the company’s Cupertino and Los Angeles central teams and its international music teams. The International Music Communications Manager will work with closely with the business, artist & label relations, marketing, product marketing, business development, design, analytics, and other teams to foster better information exchange between more than a dozen teams worldwide.
Job summary: We’re looking for an experienced and versatile advertising salesperson, responsible for closing new business and growing existing business with advertisers and ad agencies alike. Each of our Account Executives manage a regional territory account list, and should have a minimum of 7 years experience working with advertisers and ad agencies in the Midwest. You’re not opposed to travel, and you have a profound understanding of the advertising marketplace. Bonus points if you have prior experience within music, mobile and/or emerging digital platforms.
Job summary: This piece-work position requires a high-energy, self-directed, deadline-oriented individual who has exceptional communication skills. The successful candidate will research and write articles in a conversational, engaging style. Each blog entry will reinforce Candid Brilliance Music’s main objectives: offer best practices information, create a sense of community, offer continuing education information, and create an opportunity for reader comments.
Job summary: The ideal candidate will have Music or Entertainment experience and have experience supporting at the EVP level or above, with a high level of discretion and confidentiality. Must be very efficient and highly attuned to the smallest of details. Multi-tasking and working on tight deadlines in a high pressure environment is crucial. Must be a master scheduler. No task is too small and no challenge too great. A “can-do” attitude is essential.
Job summary: Wixen Music Publishing, Inc. in Calabasas has an entry level opening in in our copyright and licensing department. We’re looking for a non-smoking backroom geek like us who has a passion to do right by our clients. This person can juggle a multitude of tasks, projects and demands, prioritize effectively, execute with a meticulous attention to detail, work well both independently and as part of a team, communicate clearly and do it all with a sense of humor. In addition, this person is a motivated, quick learner fueled by a strong work ethic who is proficient in Outlook, Excel and Word.
Job summary: 99.5 zpl, Indy’s Hit Music Station has an amazing opportunity for you! Our current Afternoon Drive talent has accepted a new position within the company and that means we’ve got a prime opening. We are now actively seeking a new Afternoon Drive, Asst. Program Director/Music Director. We’re looking for someone fun, energetic, intelligent, outgoing, out-spoken, street-credible, quick witted, enthusiastic, team oriented, determined, and has a strong work ethic. You will need to be social media fluent and PPM friendly. You should be brilliant at the basics and have some production and web skills. Some working knowledge of Music Master would be a plus too.
Job summary: As an Artist Evangelist, you are a fully dedicated business leader, shaping the future of one of our many Google products. Whether you’re on a consumer product (like Gmail, Search, Maps, Chrome, Android) or a business product (AdWords, AdSense, DoubleClick, Analytics), you take part in a complete marketing experience as you lead every facet of the product’s journey. From determining positioning, naming, competitive analysis, feature prioritization and external communications, you help shape the voice of the product and help it grow a loyal consumer base. This means you work with a cross-functional team across sales, corporate communications, legal, webmasters, product development, engineering and more. In this role, you’ll be involved with product marketing strategy from beginning to end.
Job summary: Universal Music Group is looking for a Director/Manager Digital Marketing to serve as a member of the Verve Records team located in Santa Monica, CA. Oversee and direct aspects of day-to-day digital management. Responsible for creating and executing digital marketing and promotional plans across all areas of online including portals and distribution partners, artist websites, social media, new technology, CRM, SEM/SEO, third party lifestyle, and e-commerce. Responsible for nurturing and leveraging relationships with the artists and their management teams. Required to set goals and manage campaigns in an effort to optimize reach and revenue. Responsible for managing and interpreting departmental reports and partner data.
Job summary: Music Box Films seeks a motivated, resourceful individual with excellent written and verbal communications skills to oversee and maintain the quality of our marketing efforts in traditional areas while energizing and innovating our online and social media presence and providing creative approaches to publicity.Music Box Films is a Chicago-based independent film distribution company that specializes in foreign language, documentary and American independent releases. Our acquisitions are highly curated to appeal to the art house segment whose core demographic is an educated, affluent older audience.
Job summary: This person will be responsible for communicating event marketing plans, budgeting advertising spends, communicating branding decisions, organizing marketing meetings, cross-divisional marketing communications as well as doing power point decks and research on marketing initiatives.Ideal candidates will have extensive music knowledge; event planning, concert or sports marketing experience; familiarity with multiple music genres, a thick skin and the ability to work at a fast pace while juggling multiple tasks.
Job summary: Grammy nominated Tucson-based arts organization needs expertise in marketing and media relations. Works closely with founding music director to create messaging for 2016-17 season, marketing strategies for subscriptions and individual concerts, and to develop copy, photos and artwork for ads, newsletters, videos and website.
Job summary: The Coordinator or Manager, Community Management role sits within Capitol Music Group’s Digital Marketing team, and will be responsible for the digital strategy and development for some of Capitol Music Group’s most storied brands. The successful applicant will create content and develop plans to release that content across our labels’ social, web and email properties. As such, this role will require someone who is able to not only quickly learn and speak the language of our various imprints, but also who is a native user of all of the leading and emerging digital/social platforms.This is a junior role sitting within the Digital Marketing department’s Community Management team. The successful applicant will be expected to collaborate with other members of the Community Management team (as well as teams throughout the company) to develop campaigns to grow Capitol Music Group’s brands among consumers, in support of cross-department initiatives as well as throughout the industry.
Job summary: The School delivers a model of music education which best supports the vocational and professional needs of music students grounded in a vision of public service. At its heart, the school affirms an ideal of musical excellence that is ethnically informed, intellectually rigorous, outward looking, and receptive to new ideas. The Head, School of Music will be responsible for the strategic leadership and ongoing sustainability of the School while harnessing opportunities to develop and articulate a clear vision for the future. This is an opportunity to shape the role in response to significant change that the school is undergoing.
Job summary: We are currently seeking a Records Coordinator responsible for assisting our in-house staff in conducting research using our company archives. The ideal candidate should be detail oriented, able to work in a complex corporate environment, and skillful at assisting UMG personnel in a tactful manner. This position must work with the full range of our company business units, including finance, accounting, legal, human resources, publishing, royalties, record labels, and executives.
Job summary: The Label Relations team at Spotify works to transform the music industry value chain for artists & rights holders by driving innovative and fruitful partnerships – with labels, the greater music industry, third parties, and internally through Spotify driven initiatives.The Label Relations Operations Team provides the tools, frameworks and resources across the global Label Relations team to enable the team and associated rights holders/partners to move faster and more efficiently. Responsibilities encompass work across many of Spotify’s key cross-functional verticals including communications, business development, partnerships, marketing, advertising and licensing. In addition, the LR Ops team works closely with external partners.
Job summary: San Antonio Current is seeking an San Antonio-based journalist to fill the role of music editor. We’re looking for an experienced writer/editor who has a strong writing voice, broad musical interest and an interest not just in writing reviews but in telling stories about the local music scene. Responsibilities will include editing, creating content, analyzing data and responding appropriately, and partnering with internal and external contacts to publish material that is interesting, entertaining, and relevant to the publication’s audience. The music editor is expected to contribute and edit weekly feature stories, curate work from freelancers and write at least three daily blog posts. The music editor also assists the editorial team with proofing pages and other production-oriented duties. Attention to detail and accuracy is a must.
Job summary: The Marketing Coordinator supports the brand activities for Heid Music. Responsibilities include preparing printed, electronic, and social media collateral to support events and promotional activities. This position will also analyze digital and social media performance and make optimizations within to ensure best performance. The Marketing Coordinator is also involved in developing social media strategies, project plans, and campaigns that build audience engagement.
Job summary: Red Bull’s Artist Marketing department is a team of passionate, arts-driven creators and curators committed to inspiring artist development and innovation in music. The Artist Marketing Manager role in the West Business Unit contributes to the goals of the various Culture programs including Red Bull Sound Select, Red Bull Music Academy, Red Bull Studios and more. He/she is an excellent project manager first, an expert at converting creative ideas into realistic timelines with actionable tasks that deliver tangible results. Secondly, he/she is a creative manager with diverse music taste and a solid network of 1:1 music industry and artist relationships.
Job summary: Join the Sideways team as a publicity & marketing assistant. You should be online savvy and familiar with the online music and media space. This is a detail-oriented position where you will be responsible for the management and communication of information to not only the media, but to clients as well. Work from the heart of Silver Lake in an easy-going, fun workplace for a variety of national musicians, record labels, management companies and brands.
Job summary: The Coordinator Integrated Media is responsible, under the direction of the Director Integrated Media Strategy, for assisting in the creation and implementation of best-in-class integrated media plans across paid, earned, owned, and shared connection points. He/She will do this by understanding and utilizing marketing mix learning, consumer insights, communication strategy and thinking, data driven analysis, and industry and marketplace knowledge.This position will work across all MSG brands, including Radio City Christmas Spectacular and other holiday productions, Rockettes New York Spectacular, Bookings, New York Rangers, New York Knicks, New York Liberty, Westchester Knicks, and any other sports or entertainment marketing priority.
Job summary: Bedford Box Office is a premier live music production company based in New York City. We are currently seeking a Marketing Assistant to fulfill the below noted duties. This role reports directly to the Executive Assistan
Job summary: Responsible for maintaining awareness of The Smith Center brand and promoting performances and events through publicity and media relations efforts.
Job summary: Output is seeking a Digital Marketing Coordinator to join the Marketing team in our Los Angeles office. We are developers of creative music software for composers, producers, musicians and DJs. Our focus is to create new and ground-breaking products for the worlds leading music makers.
Job summary: Alternative Press is seeking a smart, self-motivated and resourceful individual to join our team as our Marketing & Brand Manager. Our company is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and prospective candidates will preferably live in the general Northeastern Ohio area. Candidates should be highly organized and adaptable to our dynamic work environment. Qualified applicants will have had experience in similar marketing roles (preferably within the media and entertainment industry).
Job summary: Alternative Press is seeking a smart, self-motivated and resourceful individual to join our team as a full-time editor for the Altpress website at our headquarters in Cleveland, OH. The editor will be in charge of developing site growth strategies, identifying content opportunities to increase site traffic and managing freelance contributors and budgets. This position requires managing the brand’s day-to-day editorial operations across its digital platform at www.altpress.com .
Job summary: Red Bull’s Artist Marketing department is a team of passionate, arts-driven creators and curators committed to inspiring artist development and innovation in music. The Artist Marketing Manager role in the East Business Unit contributes to the goals of the various Culture programs including Red Bull Sound Select, Red Bull Music Academy, Red Bull Studios and more. He/she is a creative thought-leader with a deep knowledge of music; exposure to, and interest in, diverse genres and various groups within music; and, understands the importance of balancing “story”-based marketing initiatives with “reach”-based tactics.
Job summary: The Artist Relations Intern shall be responsible for directly assisting TuneFactory with the scheduling, coordination, and organization of communication between artists, as well as between TuneFactory and industry professionals. In addition, the Intern should be able to assist with the management of our artists’ social media accounts, promotions, show and tour schedules, and recording arrangements. The Artist Relations Intern should be knowledgeable and comfortable working in various genres, including gospel, pop, hip-hop, and more.
Job summary: Gibson Brands, Inc., the world’s premier manufacturer of musical instruments, professional audio equipment and consumer electronics, is seeking an experienced Entertainment Relations Professionalbased in Nashville, TN. Candidate should be a highly motivated, self starter that is able to work at a very fast pace, manage multiple projects, and have strong organizational skills. The ER Pro should be a team player who is able to produce innovative programs through a network of local, regional, and national contacts within the entertainment industry.
Job summary: The Content Curation team is responsible for maintaining the very best user experience possible around content. We are responsible for filtering out the content our users don’t want, organizing the content they do want so it’s easy to find, and fixing, or sending back to our partners to fix when appropriate, anything that doesn’t match our style guide, resulting in immaculate media and metadata. We’re data driven and automation minded.
Job summary: Spotify is looking to further build out its performance marketing team with a SEM manager who can own the overarching paid search strategy and business. The ideal person for this role has strong SEM background, can be the lead day-to-day subject matter expert, and knows how to stay ahead of industry trends.
Job summary: The global marketing technology coordinator’s primary responsibility will be to support the marketing team to develop innovative marketing initiatives and digital tools that can be scaled across Universal Music worldwide, as well as global digital marketing artists campaigns.
Longtime Haulix contributor Andrew Jones has done a ton of research regarding the best methods of giving away music for free so you could read his work and get back to creating your art. If you love the article below, please check out Andrew’s own website and consider hiring him for your future management needs.
Free music giveaways can be an important part of a marketing strategy these days. However if you go this route you are going to want to think through your options carefully. The first step is to determine your goals. Are you looking to:
a) Give a gift to your fans b) Expand your e-mail list c) Grow your exposure d) Get some revenue via tips e) Other
Depending what you are looking for there are several options. After some research here are all the “major” options I have come across. There may be others, but remember the more you have to teach your fans, the fewer of them are going to convert to actual downloads. If you know of any other great options, I’d love to hear about them!
NoiseTrade
If you have followed this blog for long you will know I am a big fan of Noisetrade. The system works nearly perfectly. You give out a URL when your fans follow it they get a really pro looking page. Hit download, enter their e-mail and postal code and are immediately sent an email with a download link.Fans are also given the option to “tip” you for your music which you can keep or give away to charity from their system.
Added Pros:
You get an e-mail address and postal/zip code with every download. If you are smart about adding them to your e-mail list and tracking postal codes, this is invaluable to your tour marketing.
An added bonus is that they have a chart on the front of their page (which is quite popular) which gets additional exposure across the world.
It’s incredibly easy for fans to share the page to other potential downloaders
There are nice looking embeddable widgets
Cons:
At this time there is not a great discovery system on Noisetrade. There are several curated albums featured every week, but there I feel there could be a stronger “related artists system” especially since they have now added fan accounts.
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is essentially built around sales, however they do have a free download option as well. Again in exchange for an email. You give out a URL when fans follow it they are taken to a page with a “buy now” link and asked to name their price (if you set it up as pay-what-you-want). After that thy are directed through a shopping cart and soon receive the files via e-mail.
Added Pros:
The “pay what you want” language generally leads to better sales.
They have a robust charting system
It’s easy to re-direct fans to other albums
Lots of high quality file options
Cons:
The charts aren’t featured very prominently.
I don’t feel like the system encourages fans to share as much as it could
Soundcloud
One of the biggest music sites on the planet that allows both streaming and downloads. It requires very little from the customer. The site is reasonable intuitive, though there are lots of buttons like repost, add to playlist, etc. that could distract from the download. Again it’s a simple URL to send out. They click the button and receive instant MP3 download.
Added Pros:
Soundcloud is a social network in and of itself with a MASSIVE following, especially in the hip-hop and EDM worlds.
Many people look at Soundcloud stats as an indicator of a band’s popularity.
It’s easy to include a large catalogue of material.
Great looking embed options.
Cons:
There is no direct way to convert those downloads into sales.
You receive no fan data (such as emails, location, etc.) without a pro account, and even then it’s fairly limited.
You cannot set up to allow fans to download a full album, each track needs to be clicked on separately.
ReverbNation
The download process on ReverbNation is a little different than the URL you give out will lead to your artist page not individual downloadable music. Then they see a list of songs (no album differentiation) and a bunch of them have a Download button. They can click on each song individually to download.
Added Pros:
ReverbNation rankings can give you a warm feeling in your belly
There is certainly a crowd who routinely finds their new music through ReverbNation
Cons:
Very few professionals consider ReverbNation stats a major factor.
For people who aren’t used to the site all the buttons and dongles can distract them from the download options
You cannot set up to allow fans to download a full album, each track needs to be clicked on separately.
BitTorrent
Thom Yorke (of Radiohead) made headlines last year distributing his album through BitTorrent. I think there is a TON of potential for other artists to grow in this area, but for this style of promotion I think the torrenting process is still a little above the average consumer. It requires downloading a torrent link, using a separate torrent client software…etc.
Added Pros:
You can also add pay gates to packages
If the torrenting community really embraces you…you are gold.
You are not limited in what goes into your package. Bio, video, music, whatever you want!
I’ve heard nothing but great things about working with the BitTorrent team.
Cons:
Many people aren’t familiar with torrenting and may get lost in the process.
As Dropbox wasn’t created for this type of function you may run into troubles with files/bandwidth/crashes etc.
You receive no fan data (such as emails, location, etc.)
There is no direct way to convert those downloads into sales. Or allow fans to tip etc.
Self Hosted ZIP
On your own website you can easily host a download link. If you have fairly basic knowledge of website building you can easily add something to the backend of your own site to direct fans to when they went there they would get a nice splash page with a download button. They click on it, and get an instant download.
Added Pros:
Get people to your own site as opposed to some “rented” space
Complete flexibility. Make it password protected for your fan club, give it away to everyone. Stick it in your blog. Put it on a page with all your tour dates, create a re-direct to your sales page after they download…whatever you want!
Add whatever you want to that folder
Cons:
Depending on the size of your band/bandwidth limits etc. you may need to be careful
You do need to understand how your website, servers etc. work or hire someone who does.
Conclusion
Personally I feel like Noisetrade or a self-hosted ZIP are the best two options. Both allow for simple professional branding that can prominently display/and build your relationship with the downloader.Noisetrade edges self-hosted for me, primarily due to the potential front page placements on the chart, simplicity, recognition within the industry and the simple share functions that are so effective.However, at the end of the day, it all depends what your goals are.
This post was written by Andrew Jones, editor of Checkered Owl. It originally ran on his blog, but we loved it so much we felt it deserved to shared once more on ours. If you like his work and want to read more of his writing, or if you want to be super cool and offer him full time industry employment, reach out and connect with him on Twitter.
Hello, everyone. This will be our last post of the week before the company recap, so if we miss you on other networks be sure to have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. We know many of our friends in music are unable to be home tomorrow and if that applies to you just know our thoughts are with you. Keep chasing the dream and we’ll keep doing whatever we can to support you.
If you’re looking to protect your music ahead of its official release while promoting your work to journalists and other industry figures we’re confident there is no better service available than Haulix. We offer secure music hosting, watermarking, and a state-of-the-art distribution system that allows you to present your latest material exactly how you want it to be presented. If you want to learn more about our services, click here. If you’re in the market to share material already available for sale or otherwise with the general public, please read on.
There are a million ways to share your music online, but few work as simply and efficiently as the software developed by our friends at Soundcloud. It’s the one player that runs on pretty much every social network and/or blogging platform, and over the last few years it has developed a community of passionate music fans all its own who are ready and willing to take a chance on rising talent. Many of you are likely already members of Soundcloud, but in today’s article we’re going to look at ways you can expose your music to even more people by leveraging the awesome power of this unique music sharing platform.
1. Never underestimate the power of sharing your content. Getting people to listen to new music released online by small/unknown acts in 2013 requires a lot more than a simple upload to Soundcloud. You need to promote your work, to fans and members of the industry alike, and Soundcloud has made that amazingly simple thanks to state-of-the-art sharing options. After you successfully upload a track on SoundCloud you should post it on all of your other channels to maximize its reach. After that, repost your material on a regular basis at varying times to better expand your reach. Time zones (as well as other contributing factors) cause a variation in peak engagement points around the world. Don’t be afraid of reposting your content, but do take time to be creative in your approach. You may even have to send a few emails, but don’t worry – we can help with that.
2. Utilize all data fields when uploading new material.
Soundcloud offers a variety of options for tagging, metadata, and the like to artists uploading new content. These data fields allow you to be found through Soundcloud’s search system, and by leveraging them properly you can reach potential new fans who may have otherwise never stumbled across your efforts. Be specific and you will reach people interested in the style of music you perform. Winning them over is all on you.
3. Put effort into your artwork.
It can be very tempting to slap your current band photo or Facebook/Twitter icon on your latest Soundcloud upload and share your work with the world, but artwork with even the tiniest of original effort will have a much better chance of catching people’s eye. This is the image that will make an impression on listeners new and old before they even hear your music. Don’t take that for granted.
4. Use Soundcloud to share demos/progress as you develop your new material.
The key to successfully marketing yourself in the modern music industry is creating a bond with listeners that goes beyond entertainer and audience member. Fans want to feel like they know you personally, and through leveraging Soundcloud’s comment system you can allow fans to engage with your creative process. Upload demos or rough recordings so listeners can hear what you’re working on, even if it’s only for a limited time. Sharing this ‘unpolished’ side of you may come with a sense of vulnerability, but it’s through allowing fans to see that side of you that a lasting bond will be forged.
5. Engage the Soundcloud community.
Sharing new material with fans and social networks is important, but don’t get too wrapped up in discussions outside Soundcloud that you overlook the built-in community of music lovers that comes with your membership. There are groups perfect for sharing your music with if you take the time to look, and their state-of-the-art commenting system makes highlighting specific moments in your music for discussion easier than ever before. Embrace the community.
