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First off, if you've read the new edition of my book and you dug it can you please leave me a review on Amazon. Those really, really help. Let me know you did it and I'll give you a shout out on IG.
Secondly, my article about California's new law AB5, which will crash the California music economy if it doesn't get amended, went crazy viral. Because so many musicians wrote into their representatives they have taken notice! If you wrote in, THANK YOU! Assemblywoman Gonzalez (who spearheaded the bill) has agreed to meet with me and a group of independent musicians to educate her on how the music industry actually works. And we put pressure on the AFM to stop lying to their members about the bill and actually come to the table and get some language into the clean up bill that makes sense for California musicians. Score! It's not done yet, but we're on the right track. I will keep you updated as I hear more on what's going on.
+Read this (and comment) on aristake.com
When my high school band released our very first (and only… RIP Jahaziwoga) CD, there was one game in town to get it sold online. That was CD Baby. Shortly after, they were the first and only company that allowed self-released artists to get their music into iTunes. Maintaining a modest signup fee and tiny commission, it was quite the deal to get into the #1 music store in the world without a label. Then Tunecore barreled in offering commission-less distribution (with heftier fees). Then there were two games in town. But now, well, there are so many distributors for indie artists and labels that it’s hard to keep up. I keep an updated comparison of 16 of the biggest independent distribution companies, but more pop up every day and it’s even hard for me to keep up.
+ CD Baby vs. Tunecore vs. DistroKid vs. AWAl vs. Ditto vs. Stem vs. Routenote vs. Symphonic vs. OneRPM vs. Amuse vs. Horus
Maybe you distributed your first band’s album with Tunecore 5 years ago because at the time you thought the album was going to take over the world and $50 a year seemed like nothing when you were going to be making millions off of it and the 0% commission seemed way more attractive at the time. But now that the band has been broken up for 4 years you really don’t want to keep paying that $50 annual fee. It may be worth switching. Or maybe Ditto f’d up your releases for the very last time and you just need to get out of their system. Or maybe your songs got included in a bunch of playlists and you’re starting to make some serious cash and AWAL’s 15% commission is really starting to add up and now you have to pay your producer and other collaborators their proper cuts and the accounting is just too much of a headache so you decide you want to switch to DistroKid for their 0% commission and automatic payment splitting. Or maybe your laptop just crashed and you need to distribute your music via your phone so you need to switch to Amuse.
How can you do this without losing your play counts or getting removed from playlists? A few years ago, this was actually quite challenging and there were no guarantees it would work. If you’re making some serious dough from a few of your songs which are included on hot playlists - you definitely want to make sure you do this correctly so you don’t lost the playlisting slots, losing potentially boat loads of money.
+11 Ways To Get Hired for (or Fired From) the Second Gig
Most distributors have their own instructions on how to do this and after helping a few artists do this with various distributors, researching all the distributors' (and Spotify’s) FAQ, I’ve put together Ari’s Take guide to switching distributors.
Just to be clear, this is about moving your old releases from one distributor to another.
To make sure this process goes smoothly and you don’t lose your stream counts, related artists or playlists, you need to make sure a few key points are met when redistributing a previously released song or album:
What are ISRC and UPC numbers and where do you find them?
ISRC numbers are assigned to each song. UPC numbers are assigned to releases (like albums, EPs or single releases). You will want to grab both the ISRC numbers for the songs and the UPC for the release.
No matter which distributor you use, you will be able to find each song’s ISRC number. Just login to your distributor’s backend, click on the release and you’ll see there will be an ISRC number assigned to each song and the UPC assigned to the full release. If you’re having trouble finding this with your distributor, just write into their customer support and ask where to find it.
+So You Want to Kiss Her During a Songwriting or Recording Session
Copy this ISRC number from your old distributor and paste it into the section where your new distributor asks for the ISRC number. This is super important and it must be done correctly. Don’t accidentally assign song A’s ISRC to song B with your new distributor. Triple check this.
It’s also super important that you don’t miss this step. When distributing a new song, every distributor will assign you an ISRC number if you don’t provide it. Some charge for this, some don’t. And if you’re not looking for this, you’ll miss this step because distributors assume you don’t have ISRC or UPC numbers and they will automatically assign you fresh ones.
Can you distribute a deluxe version or new album with some of the same songs and maintain play counts?
Yes. If you’re distributing a new release - like a deluxe edition with additional tracks, you’ll need to use a new UPC number. Your new distributor will assign this for you. As long as the audio files, track length and titles of the individual tracks are the same, the play counts will link. So even if you keep the old album version up, the songs’ play counts will link. This is how people release singles in advance of albums and the single version's play counts match the album version's play counts (and the songs aren’t listed separately in your top songs on Spotify).
+Who is the best digital distribution company for music
Can you redistribute a remastered version of a previous album without losing stream counts or playlists?
Yes. A friend of mine had millions of streams on his first album. But at the time of that release he didn’t know much about production or mastering and actually hadn’t gotten it mastered. It bugged the hell out of him that this super popular album was so quiet and felt flat. So he spent some money, got it properly mastered, redistributed it, took down the old release and all play counts remained the same.
So this is definitely possible. Even though everyone says the audio files need to be identical to retain play counts, they don’t have to be exactly the same. The track length definitely needs to be identical and the format you distributed (wav, AIFF, etc), but if you’re distributing a remastered version, it should be fine.
To make sure that it all worked correctly once you see the (new distributor) release is live on Spotify, check to make sure the play counts are the same on all songs for both releases by hovering over the popularity bar. If it is, you’re good to take down the release from your old distributor. Most distributors have a button to take down a release. Some require you to write in and request it. Some do this for free, some charge for it. Some, I’ve heard, will refuse to do this because they’re pissed you’re deciding to leave coughcoughDITTOcoughcough.
+We Asked Ditto if they payed mechanical royalties. This is what they said...
And wallah! You’re done. You’ll see the play counts remained and you’ve maintained all playlist inclusions. Crisis averted!
~Ari
If you'd like to learn how to break into the college entertainment market (which pays boat loads for 70 minutes of original music with no fan base...truth), you can apply for the new ATA course here.
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The biggest reason I was able to quit my day job at Starbucks in 2008 and become a full-time musician was because of college gigs. Sure, at the time I was making just enough from my music to get by and as I kept reducing my hours at Starbucks I realized that I didn’t need the job to pay my bills. It was more of a security blanket. But once I ripped that blanket off and felt the crisp, cold, harsh air of self-reliance, I had to start planning out my career further than just a few months out like I had been doing up until that point. I was tipped off to the college market pretty early on and that first year I made $50,000 playing original music at universities around the country with little to no fan base.
Breaking into colleges is anything but luck. Actually, luck has very little to do with it. The college market has a code. And if you can crack it, you can make bank. There is a reason that I used to see the same faces at all the conferences. We all cracked the code.
The college market is the hidden secret of the music industry. Only in the college scene can you make $1,200+ for 70 minutes of original music with absolutely zero fanbase. I know, I've done it. My gigs have ranged from $800 - $3,200 for a 70 minute set. Over the course of my career, I’ve played just over 100 official university sanctioned shows averaging about $1,500 (plus expenses). That's the other thing, colleges will cover ALL of your expenses from plane tickets, car rental, hotels, food, sound and lights.
As you know, I always maintain the philosophy that we are in it together in this crazy music industry. No competition. We should work together to rise together. And I've been passing along virtually everything I've learned over the course of my 15 year career to dedicated musicians who want to learn.
But colleges are a completely different beast. Because most schools only book a few singer/songwriters and bands a year, there really is competition. If they book you on April 12th, they won't book me. That's the thing, colleges setup programming for the entire year before the semester starts. Sometimes a full year in advance.
So, even though there are about 4,000 colleges and universities that bring music to campus, each only brings a few artists a year. There are exceptions, some bring an artist a month (or week!), but most bring 2-3 a semester. If you do it right, you can make $50,000+ a year like I made my first year. And I know some who make $100,000 a year.
But breaking into the college market takes time, money, planning and some rejection. It's definitely not for everyone.
Because of the success of last year's course, We've decided to run it again.
Apply for Ari's Take Academy: Cracking Colleges by December 23rd.
The course will run from January 27th - April 20th and will require about 10 hours of work a week.
This course is extremely hands on. My team and I will guide you through the process of putting together a bulletproof package for colleges and help you secure showcases at the biggest conferences around the country. This isn’t just dumping info into your lap and wishing you the best of luck, we will be with you every step of the way.
And best of all, every ATA student of this course will get to (digitally) showcase in front of agents from the top 10 college booking agencies. My goal is to get every member signed to a top 10 college booking agency.
Because of that, we are only accepting artists who we feel can be successful in the college market.
75% of the students in the 2019 class got signed to a top 10 college booking agency!
If you are interested in applying for this course or want more information you can fill out the application here before December 23rd at 11:59PM.
Apply here.
~Ari
Click To Share On FacebookFollow Ari's Take on Instagram for daily doses of inspiration: @aristake_
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There are just a few days left to apply for Ari's Take Academy: Cracking Colleges course where you can make $1,500/gig without a fanbase. Read more about it here
Also! The audiobook version of the second edition of How To Make it in the New Music Business is OUT NOW! You can grab it on Audible or however you listen to audiobooks. And if you've read the book already and dug it, PLEASE leave a review on Amazon. Those really, really help.
+Read this post (and comment) on aristake.com
Yesterday morning 5 musicians and I piled into my car at 7am (!!) and we made the excursion down to San Diego to Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez’s office to discuss the effects of California’s new law AB5 on the music community.
If you’ve been living under a rock the past couple weeks, read my piece: California’s Music Economy Is About To Crash
After my article finally got the conversation started about how AB5 will be catastrophic for the music industry in California, I was offered a meeting (via Tweet) by Assemblywoman Gonzalez - who wrote the bill and got it passed. It’s funny how effective Twitter is these days in politics. Ask a musician the last time they logged into Twitter and most will say not since the Obama era, but man, if Twitter ain’t where politics lives and dies. Welp, it got me a meeting.
+So You Want To Kiss Her During a Songwriting or Recording Session
Now as an update on what went down since my article was posted just about a month ago, the RIAA, A2IM, MAC and AFM finally got back to the table to continue negotiations on coming up with language to exempt music professionals for a potential clean up bill. A petition was started which garnered over 2,500 signatures in 24 hours. (SIGN IT) The A-list working musicians’ app Jammcard ran a survey of its members about AB5 and got some startling results back (more on this in a moment), Assembly members and Senators were FLOODED with letters, calls and tweets from the music community of California (thank you!) and I got a meeting with Assemblywoman Gonzalez.
Also, someone wrote a critical response on Medium to my article entitled, Ari’s (not so good) Take: A Measured Response.
Which he tweeted to Assemblywoman Gonzalez and she retweeted exclaiming “so well written!” In this piece, the author, Nathan York Jr., basically says that no one should fret because this won’t be enforced. And included the letter written by AFM Local 7 Vice President Edmund Velasco back in September when the law was signed - which contained extremely misleading, nay, false information about the effects of AB5 on working musicians. Either Velasco flat out lied to his members to save face and preempt the backlash or was just misinformed and passed along that misinformation. Unfortunately, this is what some musicians in support of AB5 are basing their opinions off of. And 10 different attorneys say that Velasco is flat out wrong and spread misinformation. So there’s that.
Nearly everyone (well all 5 musicians) who are in favor of AB5 (as it relates to music) bring up enforcement.
They say that we don’t need to worry because this will never be enforced. They are basically saying that we should just not comply with it and break the law. And that it’s actually a **good** thing because it gets us closer to forming a NEW union for musicians. A couple things about this argument: 1) intentionally not complying with the law hoping that no one will come after you is no way to run your business and 2) enforcement comes in many different forms. Will the Attorney General of California be knocking on indie musicians’ doors? Probably not. But the EDD (Employee Development Department) very well could. And do! One of the members in our meeting was recently audited by the EDD where they were checking to see if the people he issued 1099s were properly classified. So enforcement actually does happen. And not only that, if you have a disagreement with someone you hire for a gig and they really want to fuck you, they very well could sue you and bring up your non-compliance with this law. And once they bring this suit against you, you’ll now have a spotlight on you and will be an easy mark for the EDD.
How Do Producer and Songwriter Splits Work?
So not complying, is not smart business.
Back to the meeting at hand.
I organized a group of 5 musicians to head down to Assemblywoman Gonzalez’s office in San Diego to plead our case:
Elmo Lovano (drummer and founder of Jammcard), Raquel Rodriguez (singer, songwriter, studio owner), Nick Campbell (bassist), Danica Pinner (cellist, string quartet member), Alicia Spillias (violinist, string quartet owner). My meeting was confirmed just about a week ago and the group and I had a very active email thread going, preparing for this meeting. On the drive down we talked the entire way down (not a single song was played!) prepping for what we were expecting was going to be a contentious meeting.
But let's backup for a second.
The night before, I was at School Night in LA. Nick Campbell came up to me after he finished playing his set and said “Hey Ari, you know that guy who wrote the response to your article? Well, apparently Assemblywoman Gonzalez invited him to our meeting!” Nick was tipped off by his friend Martin Diller who Nathan York (the writer of the “Measured Response” piece) asked to join him for this. Martin had been similarly critical of my article in my comments section so apparently Nathan saw that and found an ally to join him. Martin called Nick as a courtesy because he figured we were in the dark about this and didn’t want us to be startled. Martin and Nick are friends and they do gigs together.
Assemblywoman Gonzalez did not give me a heads up about them joining our meeting.
I’m not exactly sure why she brought them into our meeting - especially without telling us about it. Maybe she was hoping for an all out brawl in her office. Maybe her Pay-Per-View subscription had expired and she was in need of some head to head entertainment. Regardless, it was a little odd that she surprised us with this. It could have completely derailed the meeting and our agenda. Maybe that was her intention? I’m not sure.
11 Ways To Get Hired For (or Fired From) the 2nd Gig as a Freelance Musician
Luckily, we were tipped off. So on the drive down, literally 45 minutes before our meeting, we all got on a call together to attempt to work out our differences over the phone through stop and go traffic on the 5 to attempt to present a unified front going into the meeting. After 45 minutes of discussion, we realized we are actually much more closely aligned than our conflicting articles and comments would make it seem. All we needed was some time to hash it out. Luckily we were able to do that BEFORE walking into her office.
The 9 of us (oh, Nathan and Martin brought an attorney with them. Cool.) piled into Assemblywoman Gonzalez’s office and I explained to her that we are all in support of the intentions behind AB5 - to help workers who are being taken advantage of by greedy corporations - but unfortunately this will be absolutely catastrophic to our business. The added costs we will incur to comply with this law will crush us. We went around the room and explained how we each run our business. How most of us are both “workers” and “employers.” Oftentimes on the same gig. Gonzalez asked very pointed questions and genuinely seemed to want to learn more about how we operate our business. She was very engaged and it was actually a really excellent conversation.
Nick mentioned how his accountant told him he could expect a 20% increase in costs for every musician he hires. My accountant estimated that it would cost me an additional $6,000 or so a year to get fully setup and comply with this.
Gonzalez pushed back a bit and said that the costs are just being transferred - that someone has to pay these taxes and before it was the contractor and now it will be the employer. Which is not accurate. Most of these costs are not taxes, they are additional costs to comply. It’s the $300/mo payroll companies charge (you have to have a payroll company to withhold the proper taxes and issue payment). It’s payroll tax for each ‘employee.’ In any given year, I hire 40 or so music professionals for various gigs and studio sessions. Oftentimes for one-off gigs where they’re paid $100-200 or so. There is an added payroll tax for every single employee. Not to mention that payroll companies are not setup for one-off gigs and charge extra fees for short term ‘employees’ like this - with an additional cost to add a new employee. Previously, it cost me around $550 to file tax returns as a sole proprietorship with my accountant. As a corporation it will cost about $2,500. To register and maintain an LLC or S-Corp costs a minimum of $800/year (to be able to actually put people on payroll and W2 them). This is honestly just scratching the surface.
+9 Things Singer/Songwriters Need to Know About Hiring Freelance Musicians
Not to mention that with the new Trump tax law, W2’d employees are no longer able to itemize their expenses like independent contractors are.
Since most musicians will have multiple (oftentimes 30+) “employers” in any given year - none of whom cover our expenses like equipment, rehearsal studios, recording studios, software, hardware, travel, lodging, food, etc. - we need the ability to write off these expenses. But if we are forced to be W2’d employees, we can’t do that anymore.
So there are actually quite a lot of added costs (and diminished benefits). What middle class musician can afford an additional $6,000 a year without it putting a serious strain on them? I honestly don’t know any.
Elmo shared the results of the Jammcard survey that was sent to their 4,000 California members (all vetted working music professionals):
Are you a member of the AFM (musicians union)?
64.8% - No I'm not
17.8% - Yes I am
13.2% - I used to be
2.4% - I am but I'd like not to be
1.7% - I don't know what the AFM is
Do you make the majority of your income from union work or non union work?
97.6% - Non union
2.4% - Union
How do you prefer to be taxed as a music professional?
76.4% - 1099 (freelance/independent contractor)
15.6% - W2 (employee)
8% - I don't know
Do you support California AB5 for music?
66.7% - I do not support it
8% - I support it
25.3% - I don't know what it is
All in all, it worked out to be a very healthy discussion and she expressed willingness to create a ‘clean up bill’ and add clarification for the music community - essentially carving out certain music professionals from the law.
She explained that come January 6th when the Assembly is back in session, they can get to work on drafting language for the new Bill and once the language is agreed upon by all interested parties (us, RIAA, A2IM, AFM), they will vote on it. She did say that it will be voted on before September 1st (the deadline), but we shouldn’t expect it much sooner - these things take time.
But, and this is a huge Kardashian but, if this clean-up bill is passed, it will be retroactive. Meaning, even though nearly every musician in California will be in breach of this law come January 1st, this clean-up bill will essentially wipe away these, uh, crimes. So even though literally thousands of musicians will be breaking the law come January 1st, no one will be able to come after us once this clean-up bill is (hopefully) passed because it will in essence change the law from when it was enacted (January 1, 2020).
It was absolutely wonderful to meet with Assemblywoman Gonzalez with my fellow musicians and exercise our rights a bit. And I’m excited to continue to work with her to get this thing passed so musicians can continue to thrive in the state of California.
It seems like we’re moving in a positive direction, but we need to keep up the momentum to get us over the finish line. So! Please hit up your representatives and let them know that you’d like an exemption for music professionals.
You can find out who your representative is here.
~Ari
If you'd like to learn how to break into the college entertainment market (which pays boat loads for 70 minutes of original music with no fan base...truth), you can apply for the new ATA course here.
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Happy 2020! I want you start your year off right. The most important thing you can do for your career is to set goals. SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, Timely.
No matter where you are at in your career, it’s always important to set goals. In the book I call this the 26 year marathon and encourage you to set 1 year, 5 year, 10 year and 26 year goals.
But for right now, I want you to come up with 3 SMART goals for 2020. Don't use words like "more" or "get better at." That's vague. Be specific. Give me numbers, dates. Make these concrete. Write them down on a physical sheet of paper and pin them up in your studio or office. Look at these every day.
Manifest this shit! Let’s make it happen!
And to make sure you are held accountable, reply to this email and let me know what they are.
If you want even more encouragement and accountability, there’s quite an active thread happening on Twitter right now.
This is going to be such an amazing year. Do you feel it? I do.
Let’s go!
~Ari
PS - if you're going to be in LA for NAMM (or if you live here) I'm hosting a book signing at Barnes and Noble at the Grove in LA on January 16th at 7PM. I will be interviewing Andy Grammer live for my (upcoming) podcast and will be giving away a Fender Strat and a Shure SM58. Seriously.
Follow Ari's Take on Instagram for daily doses of inspiration: @aristake_
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First off, if you're going to be in the LA area this Thursday (it's NAMM!), January 16th, please stop by my book signing. It will be held at the Barnes and Noble at the Grove at 7PM (sharp). I will be interviewing Andy Grammer live for my (upcoming) podcast and we will be giving away a Fender Strat guitar and Shure SM58 mic. No RSVP required - just show up!
+Read this (and comment) on aristake.com
I just left Senate Majority Leader of California, Robert Hertzberg’s office in Van Nuys. We were awarded this meeting based on the petition (started by Alicia Spillias and Adrianne Duncan) which now has over 30,000 signatures. SIGN IT!!
If you've been out of the loop about the shit show that is going down in California right now, read my piece California's Music Economy Is About To Crash and then the recap of my meeting with AB5 author, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez.
Adrianne Duncan, Katisse Buckingham, Nick Campbell, Danica Pinner, Elmo Lovano, Karen Garrity, Peter Petro and Ned Menoyo and I piled into the Senator’s office and took our seats in extremely comfy chairs (he mentioned were from the old Beverly Hills hotel). The Senator came into the room singing. We joked that he can join the band!
I started off the meeting explaining that we are in support of the intentions behind AB5 - how it is intended to help the little guys getting taken advantage of by greedy corporations - however it will be absolutely catastrophic to how we, as independent musicians and music professionals, run our businesses. He asked, “why haven’t you guys been in the other meetings” and I explained that the organizations who have been invited to all the meetings previously do not represent our interests. The organizations that have been part of these conversations are the AFM (the union that represents primarily orchestral musicians and those who play on major label records), the RIAA (the organization that represents the major labels), A2IM (the org that represents the independent labels), and MAC (the new org formed by Irving Azoff and includes superstars like Anderson.Paak, Maren Morris, Don Henley and Dave Matthews and others). Since most of us are not in the AFM, are not on a label or superstars, our voices have been completely absent from the conversation.
Hertzberg quipped “good thing you’re not here on behalf of the cosmetology industry” (referencing my crazy hair) and I popped back “so my parents got ahold you before this meeting huh.”
He is very charming and it’s clear how he has risen in the ranks of California politics. He was very present for everyone speaking and, for all the power and weight he holds, he kept the meeting casual and made us feel at ease. At one point he even mentioned how he wished we brought our instruments.
He was engaged and generous with his time - our meeting lasted over an hour and a half.
We went around the room and explained how each of us run our businesses. I discussed how, as a singer/songwriter, I am both the contractor and contractee - oftentimes on the same gig. The music venue cuts me a check and then I pay each of my backup musicians. And how throughout the year I may hire 40+ musicians for one-off gigs. With AB5, I would be required to put every single musician on payroll with a payroll company, W2 them, get workers comp insurance, incorporate myself, get unemployment insurance. But it doesn’t just affect musicians I hire. For the studio, I hire recording engineers, producers and at live shows I’ll hire lighting designers, front of house sound engineers along with the musicians on stage with me.
My accountant informed me that it would cost an additional $6,000 a year to comply with this law. Others have estimated it will be an additional 20% in costs for every person hired.
When Danica Pinner mentioned she’s a cellist, Senator Hertzberg shared an endearing anecdote about his cello playing son, David Hertzberg - who happens to be a very accomplished Opera composer. The Senator reminisced about how when David was auditioning to get into arts school on the cello, he had only been practicing at home on their carpeted floor. But at the actual audition, which was on a concrete floor, his cello slid all over the room because he was unaware he needed a floor stop endpin to keep his cello in place (he made it into the school all things considering!).
It was clear that the Senator was very empathetic to our cause.
He understood that the music business is one of the huge parts that makes California so special. What would our state be without the music industry? What if California lost all of our incredible musicians to Atlanta, Nashville or New York? It would be an awfully sad reality for the state. But this will happen if nothing is done very soon.
Elmo Lovano, founder and CEO of the musicians app Jammcard, discussed how his community of vetted, working music professionals has 4,000 members just in the state of California - nearly the same amount of Californians who are part of the AFM and the Recording Academy. And shared the results of the survey he sent his California members concerning AB5:
Are you a member of the AFM (musicians union)?
64.8% - No I'm not
17.8% - Yes I am
13.2% - I used to be
2.4% - I am but I'd like not to be
1.7% - I don't know what the AFM is
Do you make the majority of your income from union work or non union work?
97.6% - Non union
2.4% - Union
How do you prefer to be taxed as a music professional?
76.4% - 1099 (freelance/independent contractor)
15.6% - W2 (employee)
8% - I don't know
Do you support California AB5 for music?
66.7% - I do not support it
8% - I support it
25.3% - I don't know what it is
Karen Garrity discussed how she lost a major account YESTERDAY which cost over 50 music professionals their jobs.
She runs a contracting agency for composers. When a composer needs to get one of their scores recorded she contracts the musicians, recording engineers and studios for the job. Yesterday, a composer she had worked with many times before, backed out of a major deal after the studio, engineers and musicians were all in place and took the job to Florida because he couldn’t feasibly W2 all of these people for a one-off gig.
Karen revealed that she had actually spent the past 3 months working on how to comply with AB5. She discovered that payroll companies are not setup for one-off contracts. Payroll companies do not know how to add someone on for one gig and would charge a monthly fee for each “employee” - not to mention the payroll taxes that come with each added employee. She also learned that tracking down workers comp insurance was all but impossible for this kind of company with hundreds of one-off “employees.”
Here is an example of someone attempting to comply, but simply cannot because the infrastructure is not setup for it. Not only is this completely cost prohibitive, but actually impossible to do.
Adrianne Duncan introduced herself and the Senator joked “Yo Adrianne” - and she hit back “you’re allowed one more of those this meeting. Well, because you’re the majority leader you get two more.” And then she told a sweet story about how she was in love with Sylvester Stalone when she was 12. The Senator humblebragged how he just ran into Stalone at Arnold’s (Schwarzenegger) party. Ahhh the perks of being a power player in CA politics.
In the end, he got the point. He felt our plight.
So! Where are we now?
Well, Assemblywoman Gonzalez asked us to give her language that she can add to the cleanup bill. While the RIAA, A2IM, MAC and AFM and the other unions are duking it out, I sent her language that we in the independent music industry agreed on (and the 30,000 who signed our petition are relying on us to speak on their behalf).
Speaking of which, last I heard, IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) got ahold of the music carve-out language, completely rewrote what the RIAA, A2IM, MAC and AFM all agreed upon, to something totally unacceptable to us.
IATSE is now holding this all up and could kill all the progress we've made.
Frankly, it’s a shit show with all the powerful organizations and unions. And while they are throwing their proverbial dicks around breaking out their rulers, thousands of independent, working musicians are suffering. We do not have time to wait for them to agree on where the commas should be placed.
We need a carve-out NOW. Like 12 days ago.
So, to Governor Newsom, Assembly leader Ian Calderon and Assemblywoman Gonzalez, we BEG of you, please add in clarifying language which will give music professionals an exemption from this law. You can add it to section 2(c)(2)(B), directly following: esthetician, licensed electrologist, licensed manicurist, licensed barber, or licensed cosmetologist:
"Musician, or music industry professional except where a collective bargaining agreement applies.”
This doesn’t step on union member toes, protects their members, and covers everyone in the industry that needs the carve-out including recording engineers, music video directors, producers, composers, music teachers and so forth. All those who musicians and composers regularly hire to conduct our business on a daily basis.
This needs to happen right now.
What can YOU do, fellow California musician, to help this pass?
Write your representative and ask them to include this language (above).
Find out who your reps are here.
The email can read:
Dear _________, now that AB5 is law, my peers and I in the music industry are losing work every day. This is catastrophic to our business and we need immediate action on this for me to survive. I beg of you to get this clarifying language which will give music professionals an exemption from this law into a clean-up bill immediately. Please add this carve-out language to section 2(c)(2)(B): "Musician, or music industry professional except where a collective bargaining agreement applies.”
Also tweet Governor Newsom, Assemblywoman Gonzalez and Assembly Leader Ian Calderon:
Hey @GavinNewsom @IanCalderon @LorenaSGonzalez, re #AB5 my peers and I in music are losing work every day. We need a carve-out asap. Please add this language to section 2(c)(2)(B): "Musician, or music industry professional except where a collective bargaining agreement applies.”
Let’s go!
~Ari
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First things first, enrollment for the Ari''s Take Academy course Advance Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games closes THIS FRIDAY! It won''t be open for another 6 months. Already, our students have gotten sync agents and placements in just the first couple months of enrolling. It''s taught by Vo Williams, who has over 1,000 placements of his own music. He just started a sync agency and will be signing ATA students to his roster.
Yes, this course is for ALL GENRES: singer/songwriters, hip-hop, metal, pop, rock, etc.
Learn more and enroll here.?
+Read the full article, see the checklists, images and budget spreadsheet?on aristake.com
Last month, we at Ari's Take had the distinct honor and pleasure of presenting one of Los Angeles' first (and only) concerts since March!?
The concert was the release show for the incomparable Annabel Lee for her new song "Los Angeles." You should stop what you're doing and follow her on IG @yourannabellee and Spotify. She's an absolute, undeniable star the world will soon be privy to. She is hands down the best performer in Los Angeles. I used to go to 4 shows a week in LA, and no one tops what Annabel Lee does at a show. No one.?
Here is a video recap of the show.
LADYGUNN also reviewed it here.
I would be lying if I said putting on this show was a walk in the park. Our team and Annabel worked extremely hard to make this a success. But success it was! We sold it out 4 days before the show and everyone had a blast.?
One of the things I have been missing most about quarantine is live music.
I'm sure you feel me on this. And, man was this a magical day.
I HIGHLY encourage you to put on your own drive-in concert. Just make sure you put a solid plan together for this and devote plenty of time to making this happen. Literally the week of this show, was the biggest spike of COVID-19 in Los Angeles. It almost didn't happen. But we pulled it together and man are we happy we did. What. A. Show.
Here are a few things you want to think about when putting on your own successful drive-in concert:
READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON ARISTAKE.COM
~Ari
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PS - Check out the New Music Business podcast with guests liks Andy Grammer, Zaytoven, Lucidious, Kevin Garrett and music supervisors, managers and publishers here.
Follow Ari''s Take on Instagram for daily doses of inspiration: @aristake_
Keep up on Twitter: @aristakeSubscribe to the New Music Business podcast
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Quick note that the 3rd episode of the New Music Business podcast has just been released! It features Lauv''s label manager Emma MacDonald. Lauv has 4+ billion streams, was the most spun artist of 2019 with his top 40 hits and, get this, is fully independent. How is that possible? You''ll have to listen to Emma on the show! Even though Emma is a "label manager" she actually is employed by Lauv (because he''s fully independent). Take a listen to the show on Apple podcasts, Spotify or your favorite platform here.?
+Read this post (and commen) on aristake.com
Late last night/early this morning, Trump administration officials and top Democrats finalized an agreement on a nearly $2 trillion rescue package which will include provisions that help musicians, freelancers and other gig workers. As the New York Times reports: "At the insistence of Democrats, the program was broadened to include freelancers, furloughed employees and gig workers." The LA Times writes, "(Senate Minority Leader Chuck) Schumer said negotiators agreed to put ''unemployment insurance on steroids'' by expanding those covered to include people who were furloughed, gig workers and freelancers, and by increasing the payments by $600 per week for four months on top of what states provide as a base unemployment compensation."
This was added in and was not in the initial bill. Your letters helped!
+9 Things To Do Now That Your Gigs Are Cancelled Because of Coronavirus
Thank you to everyone who wrote your representatives, educating them that musicians don't work paycheck to paycheck, but gig to gig and that we needed to be taken into consideration with the stimulus bill. It worked!
And if you're a "small business," like if your band is an S Corp or LLC and you are an employee of it, or if your project has people on salary, "the bill provides federally guaranteed loans available at community banks to small businesses that pledge not to lay off their workers," writes the New York Times. "The loans would be forgiven if the employer continued to pay workers for the duration of the crisis." Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida and chairman os the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, who worked with Democrats to create the program said "The goal is to keep employees connected to their employers, so that people aren't just having to stay home and aren't just feeling the stress of being laid off, but the uncertainty of whether they'll even have a job to go back to."
This is really great news! And for everyone who wrote your reps, well done. If there's one thing I learned during the battle I've had the past few months getting the music industry an exemption under the "gig worker" law AB5 here in California, it's that most politicians have no idea how we operate our businesses - until we educate them on it. And that letters, phone calls and public pressure helps tremendously.
It's a crazy time we're living through right now. I hope you're staying creative, inspired and productive. And inside.
We will get through this, together. Even if we have to be physically apart for a little while longer.
Sending you much love out there.
+9 Things To Do Now That Your Gigs Are Cancelled Because of Coronavirus
~Ari
PS - I'm running a contest to help get the word out about the show. Prizes include getting your music/name featured on the show, $50 Guitar Center gift card, Shure SM58 mic, comped ATA enrollment. Enter here.?
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Quick heads up, enrollment for Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games ends TONIGHT at 11:59PM PST. Enrollment won''t open again for 6 months.
Enroll and learn more here
~Ari
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Quick heads up that enrollment for Ari's Take Academy's course Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games closes TONIGHT at 11:59pm.?
Enrollment won't be open again for another 6 months.?
Unlike the live music industry, the sync industry is thriving right now. Our instructor Vo Williams, who is hands down one of the most successful artists in the sync game right now (with over 1,000 placements himself) has already helped our students land sync placements and representation from sync agents.?
Also, Vo has his own sync agency that he just started and will be signing standout students from the course.?
If you're unfamiliar with the sync licensing industry, it can be quite lucrative.?
Typical up-front sync fees look like this:?
Commercial Campaigns: $20,000 - $150,000+
Films: $10,000 - $80,000
Trailers: $10,000 - $80,000
TV: $500 - $20,000
Video Games: $2,000 - $10,000
Theme Songs: $5,000 - $10,000
And this is just the "up front" fee. We teach you how to make sure you're setup to collect your back-end revenue as well which can get you paid for years from these placements.?
One sync placement covers the cost of this course.
Ari''s Take Academy courses are unlike every other advanced education offering out there. We make sure to setup our students for real, sustained success. We make sure that our students can implement what they learn immediately. Our programs are not for you to earn a degree. Our programs are meant for you to build your career.
Forbes recently cited Ari''s Take Academy as the future of music education. Because we are completely turning the music education landscape on its head. We charge a fraction what most other programs charge and are 1000x more effective. Ask any of our students.
One of our sync students Menice New Era said:
I went to Full Sail, and this course got me further ahead in one day than two years there. Vo pinpointed everything I needed to do that I wasn''t doing. I included contracts and had all of the split sheets together with the music and BOOM! It''s crazy how the smallest details can make the biggest difference. My first pitch landed with Universal Music UK just by following the course. Well worth it for real.
And another student Janelle de la Rosa said:?
This course is one of the best investments I've made in my career as an artist. Vo''s hands-on guidance in addition to the vital information in the course landed me a deal with a major sync agency. Before, I had been hopelessly shooting in the dark. This course really puts you in the shoes of a sync agent (or music library/supervisor) and guides you on how to make music that fits into the sync world from sound quality to thematic elements. From email pitches, to follow-ups, to creating a brand around yourself as a sync artist, this course will equip you with all the tools you need to land a deal or a placement.
Let''s fuckin GO!
Enroll and learn more here.?
~Ari
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Enrollment for the newest Ari's Take Academy course Hip Hop in Sync closes TOMORROW Friday May 8th at 11:59PM PST.?
Enroll here.?
Your instructor Vo Williams has 1,000+ sync placements in film, TV, video games, ads. He is an architect and pioneer of the emerging genre dubbed Epic Hip Hop and has been synced repeatedly by brands such Play Station, Mercedes Benz, in productions like Lethal Weapon, Empire, and in games such as "Watch Dogs 2", and "The Crew 2"
Inside, we''ll take a deep dive into topics including:
- Everything you need to know about sync licensing
- Why and how hip hop works well in sync
- Preparing your music to be sync ready
- How to put together winning pitches
- How to get signed by the best sync agents (for any genre)
- How to get paid (front end and backend)
- Differentiating between music libraries and sync licensing cos
- How music supervisors operate
In addition, we will be bringing in experts on sync licensing for live Q&As, interviews, guest lectures and be adding in more lessons throughout the year which will cover all genres of sync licensing - not just hip hop. We called this "Hip hop in sync" because Vo specializes in hip hop. But we have many students in the course already who are not hip hop artists already learning a ton.?
Every month, you will get a live streamed Q&A session with Vo to ask him any questions that you have and have access to him and the community every day through our private FB Group to ask whatever pressing questions you have.
A reminder that something cool we have for this course is the ability to sign with Vo as your sync agent. Twice a year we will be opening applications for current students to apply for the Certified Ari's Take Artist program. If accepted, you will be officially repped by Vo as your sync agent. He will pitch you for film, TV, trailer, video game and ad placements. He isn't just repping hip hop artists. If he believes your music can work for sync, he may sign you.
Enroll here.?
See you in there!
~Ari
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First off, announcing the winners for the podcast sharing contest!?
First place (podcast feature & shoutout): Britney Holman?
Second place (enrollment in ATA - one course - up to $1,000 value):?Pamela Machala
Third place (Shure SM58):? Jennifer Blankenship?
Fourth place ($50 Guitar Center giftcard): Timoleon?
Fifth place (Signed copy of the book): John Stu
When we setup this contest, I didn't think I'd have to risk my life to send you this mic and signed copy of my book by hand delivering these items to the COVID infested USPS - but alas, I am a man of my word! I have a great homemade mask and gloves. We will be in touch to get your info.
Also, this week on the show is Vo Williams. Vo is a hip hop artist with over 1,000 film, TV, trailer, commercial and video game sync placements. He digs into the how and why in this episode.?
You can listen here.?
I was so impressed with Vo''s knowledge, command over the sync space and generosity with his wisdom, that I decided to bring him on to be an instructor for Ari's Take Academy.?
We just launched: Hip Hop in Sync. We're currently running a 50% off sale for the next 50 people who enroll. Use the code STAYATHOME50. Learn more about it (and enroll) here.
Again, we're releasing new podcast episodes every Wednesday. Upcoming is Patreon CEO, Scary Pockets and Pomplamoose co-founder Jack Conte, and superstar producer Zaytoven. Make sure to subscribe!
~Ari
PS on the UnCancelled Music Festival stages today and tomorrow?we have Betty Who, Jukebox the Ghost, the Night Game, Rizzi, VINCINT and other great artists. Tune in here.?
Follow Ari''s Take on Instagram for daily doses of inspiration: @aristake_
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This week''s New Music Business podcast episode is a roundtable discussion about making music during COVID-19. It was recorded Friday, May 22nd. It features Ari''s Take Academy instructors Lucidious (Streaming and Instagram Growth), Vo Williams (Hip Hop in Sync), Kristen Mathe (Cracking Colleges), Allyson Toy and Andrew Spalter (Breaking China - coming soon). Listen here or watch the episode?here.
In case you?missed them, make sure to check out previous episodes with Zaytoven, Vo Williams,?and?Oprah''s Drummer Madame Gandhi. You can check them all out here.?
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We are living in unprecedented times. This moment will go down in history as a turning point in American society for police reform and racial equality. It''s been hard to focus on anything else the past few weeks and I''ve felt it''s extremely important to use whatever platform we have to make our voices heard. Remember, silence = violence. Society encourages conformity. Falling in line. Keeping your head down. But Artists are leaders. Artists help people connect with their souls. Artists not only tap into a higher consciousness, but guide their followers to explore states of existence outside the daily mundane.
I know not all of my readers understand the history of systemic racism in America. Whether they don't care to or have never done the work to actually learn it, I'm not sure. But if you're spending your time ignoring what's happening right now or simply reading and watching stuff that reinforces your own opinion, you're doing it wrong. History will judge this moment.
I rewatched 13th on Netflix last night. If you haven't watched 13th yet, drop everything and do it tonight. It's a documentary by Ava Duvernay about the history of policing and mass incarceration in America. It's utterly disturbing. But it's history - and you can't understand what's going on now unless you understand what came before. There are images of hundreds of people in a city center viewing public lynchings. What does history have to say about those people who attended? There were clips from black students being screamed at and assaulted by whites in the South during desegregation. Those people are still alive. What does history have to say about them?
What do you want history to say about you??
Artists can guide culture. Artists are extremely powerful voices during movements.?
If you're going about your normal life, only posting self-serving promotional videos and photos right now, you're doing it wrong. You're embarrassing yourself. If you haven't spoken out, DO IT. Selena Gomez has been using her incredible platform on Instagram to profile black leaders in the movement. Major props to her for speaking up for justice. You don't need 180 million Instagram followers to join the movement. Whether you like it or not, people look to your for guidance. Some people, maybe it's a few, maybe it's a few thousand, are looking to you to help make up their minds. Where do you stand? How do you want history to judge you in this moment??
That being said, no one is saying you shouldn''t post other things that relate to your life and career. That''s not sustainable. Find ways to integrate the demands from this movement into your daily life and career so this is not merely a moment in time. Be the change you wish to see. Many companies, organizations, artists and leaders are taking a hard look at their own businesses and discovering ways they can fight systemic racism in their own way and restructure their operations to do their part. This is what this moment demands of us. Post your selfies, songs, videos and baby pics, but also post about the movement.
I've received a lot responses from the Ari's Take community after my "Who in Music is Supporting the Black Community Right Now" article and spreadsheet profiling over 100 music companies and how they are partaking (or not) in this movement. And responses to my "White Musicians for Black Lives" video and podcast.?
Here are a few. Thank you for engaging. Even if you called me an asshole. Here for it.
~Ari
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Thank You Ari for this! I am a black person and reading this email made me tear up because I felt a sense of hope. It''s been a difficult and triggering last week, and to see you use your platform and privilege to spread a very important message made me realize that as black people we are not alone in this fight we truly have allies. Thank you!
- Olivia Ambani
@oliviaambani
YouTube
Its amazing to see a white male who actually understands what white privilege is and what it actually means without taking offense to it. It''s not an offensive term its true it simply just is.
Growing up on the east coast of america I''ve dealt with this my entire life and its a difficult thing to explain to people.
As a solo touring?black artist I''ve been able to travel the country because inspiring people like yourself and the words you write. Regardless it hasnt come without its own challenges that my fellow white musicians havent fully understood.?
Driving at night or anytime with my hood up because it simply feels comfortable is a no no because im driving around the country with out of state plates and I''m black. I was simply raised to know thats ok for my white friends but I can''t do that.
Have you ever seen the movie the greenbook if you''ve never seen it I think you would enjoy it.
I could feel my heart beating harder while reading your words. Thanks for taking time to write this and share it with your followers. I want to thank you for giving your support to the community.
Much love and respect,?
- Pentley Holmes
http://pentleyholmes.com/
Ari! Thank you thank you and thank you. In a world where STILL even with all of this mess, so many white people simply refuse to see themselves in all the mess that''s going on. I cannot tell you how difficult it has been on top of everything else dealing with white fragility when it comes to the state of my people in this country, specifically now. My favorite quote from this article "I will never tell a black person how to feel, think, act or protest because I have not lived in their shoes." Because this has been even in circles of people I''ve called friends my experience frequently this past week. The expectation that in some way because their comment was insensitive or the space they place me in was disrespectful to me that somehow I should feel sorry for the anxiety they have because I''ve pointed something out that they did not like. I can''t express enough how needed something like this is. I just appreciate this so much. It has been an emotionally draining and taxing week for me, dealing with anxiety to a level I''ve not experienced in years, and that being piled on with other responsibilities and the sheer lack of regard or thought put into words, requests and actions from some who even have claimed to be allies. I THANK YOU again. Blessings.
- An exhausted black female artist...Stayci
@scaycil
White privilege? ?You mean like how I was pulled over every other week when I worked the night shift just cause I was driving "late"? ?I'm white that's not suppose to happen with your theory! ?Or that I have been pulled over numerous times for a turn signal not functioning correctly. ?Wait! ?That's the officers job. ?Or when a black officer wrote me a ticket for failure to use my turn signal?! ?But I'm white!!! ?I'm privileged! ?How about when Paul Carlock ( an ex-cop and white guy ) was tazed to death by officers in Illinois. ?News media ignored it. ?Glenn Rightsell (white man) got his face blown off by Indiana State troopers while he was working on his daughters stalled car! ?He was white!!! ?No one protested no riots no media! ?There are numerous cases even one rectory where the officers chased down a guy for running from them and beat the tar out of him and found out later it was a friend that they played basketball with weekly. ?Again, white! ? Stop feeding into it's a black problem! ?It's a policing problem. ?You're a disgusting pawn. ?Educate yourself. ?It's a police problem and it offends me that you and others, namely the media, ?try to make it about race! ?I do not think you are woke or enlight. ?I think you are compromised. ?Probably think your wise somehow. ?Sadly you are misinformed and being manipulated. ? Do NOT send me any more of your crap!! ?Thanks!
- Greg Burton
Well said Ari. Thanks for supporting communities of color and for standing up for what's right. It's not easy for America to come to terms with its history and legacy of racial terror but it's way past time we did and Americans can handle it. The protests prove that Americans are on the right side and want equality and justice served to bad cops. The system does protect cops and the local prosecutor cannot be expected to prosecute the same cops they work with every day and remain unbiased. An independent attorney must do it. That change would end a lot of cop abuse. If cops know there are consequences they will be restrained. The way it's structured now, they know they're going to get off. But we are seeing more cops pay for what they did because of protests and public pressure. Once the law changes, like it has in NY, and there are national standards for excessive force and an end to chokeholds we'll see a big decrease in violence against unarmed citizens. The media must also show that white people are killed by cops all the time not just people of color. It's about power and cops don't like it when you challenge their power white or black. It's also about money. Poor people white or black will always be more vulnerable and the state has got to make laws that protect them against the whims of an angry cop venting his frustrations behind the protection of a badge. ?Policing shouldn't be about individuals exercising their own beliefs on vulnerable citizens. They should be screened to see if they are psychologically fit to be a police officer and better and more consistent training needs to be administered. Keep fighting the good fight brother. Power to the People! Let's get past this once and for all. It's way past due!
- MAKAR
www.makarmusic.com
"This is not a time to remain silent. The silence speaks volumes."
Thank you Ari for speaking up.
- Sabine Ndalamba
http://www.sabinendalamba.com/
Long time reader and follower of the game you spitting over the years, man I''m mad grateful for you addressing this. ?I mentioned before in a webinar, but I dropped out of school and built my music career around everything in your book and have been able to split the resources to build up my community. ?Also currently enrolled in the hip hop in sync course so just wanted to continue to push to speak out and let you know the work you been doing has allowed black artists like me to push our voices further for the people. ?Also didn''t respond to your last email about your recent break up, but I am praying for your new music too and that you find healing in this time.
Faith, hope, love,
- Rome
This is excellent - and I am grateful for the thought and effort put into examining the real issues and clearly expressing them.
- Aisha Moore, Esq.?
Ari, thank you so much for your thoughtful insight and first hand story of what you experienced at the protest you attended.
I'm keeping this short because I'm sure you have a lot of emails and a busy schedule.
Much respect,?
- Irwin (one of your students)
Hi ARI; thank you very much for taking the time to write this detailed open letter to your supporters!!!
We are all suffering because of the recent events that have unfolded in Minneapolis. ?But I wanted to personally thank you for being open minded enough to realize this is a problem not only worth talking about but worth sharing to others so they can know what''s really going on in America.
Because of your heartfelt words bout the situation and your ongoing commitment to the Indie Music industry artists I will always continue to support you!!!
BLESSING TO YOU ALWAYS!!!! Much appreciated.?
- Michelle Stevenson
Hi Ari,
That''s very interesting to hear. I have been to several protests in San Francisco and Oakland in the last few days. And what I have observed is that when there''s no police around, it''s peaceful. They provoke.
- Jojo
Good for you Ari.
I too am a privileged white male, and I live in Australia.
We here, also carry the shame of racist behavior, both at a personal and an institutional level. Our country has a history of treating our indigenous peoples appalling, and protests are planned for this weekend across the country.?
Our protests are in support of those in the US but also relate to an ongoing issue we call Black Deaths In Custody.?
We have a disproportionate amount of indigenous people mysteriously dying while in our jails. In spite of the hundreds of instances, there has been not one single conviction laid against any prison officer related to this.
Believe me, the mantra of Black Lives Matter is now heard globally.
My heart is with all good Americans.
- Chris Ball
This is incredibly heartening and I wanted to say yes and that I 10000% agree and am SO glad you're using your platform! Where and how musicians/companies have stood up (or stayed silent) has helped me decide who to keep following and supporting and who I need to divest from. Keep it up!?
- Molly Durham
Right on, Ari.
But, I hope you don''t let this boil over into your mission to help musicians (Black or White or Purple) navigate the seismic changes that reshaped our lives and livelihoods.
It is hard for us all to know who to believe.
And, I am sure that each situation that unfolds, like the one you describe here, is different in the sense that you cannot generalize that cops are racist/violence-loving pigs like you imply here. ?What if my brother or father, or mother or sister (whom I know are awesome) were of one cops you disparage with your rant?
Cheers, Bro.
- Marv
http://www.marvmachura.com/
Slam dunk, Ari! Thanks for speaking on this.
I am a Los Angeles songwriter and acuvibrational sonotherapist. I created a fund today, Seline Vibes Black Maternal Health Fund, after realizing that I am a Black woman providing maternal health care for women who can afford it and that the healing isn't necessarily going to the Black women in our community who need it the most. After all, Black women are two and a half more likely to die from childbirth than white women. These deaths are almost all preventable and reveal the same thing as the Covid-19 epidemic... racism within the health care system. Anyway, I could use some help getting the word out. I would appreciate if you could add me to any future donation lists you create.?
Much love!?
- Colleen Lovejoy
sugarhealgang.com/BlackMaternalHealthCareFund
Thank you for standing with us!!!!?
- Jai Yoko
https://www.jaiyokoent.com/
Thank you, Ari. Great information, education and suggestions. I'm in!?
I'm going to a Black Lives Matter peaceful protest today in Orange County, CA. I've just written to our mayor to inquire about our local Police Department's Use of Force policies, etc. and I've added some of your suggested organizations to the list of those I already donate to. I really appreciate your leadership and voice on this. ?Thank you.
- Cheryl Procaccini AKA Birdsong
http://www.birdsongtv.com/
Hi Ari and staff,
Just wanted to say that I really appreciate your thoughtful comments on the whole racism situation, and the actions you have taken. ?It has been such an unfair and appalling situation for such a long time. ?Progress sure has been slow, but maybe this time these events now will help significantly.
- Peter Schaffer?
YOOOOOOOO!! THIS
- Isaac Gordon
http://www.newlegacyenterprises.com/
Ari - your words were impactful and resonated with me. ?Thank you. ?We will have to agree to disagree with the looting/violence/burning perspective, but OMG do we need change/police reform and to continue the conversation. ?Police oversight - REAL police oversight - is SO necessary. ?I can''t imagine what it''s like to be a black man in America, but I have reached out to a few black friends of mine to gain some perspective. ?It''s amazing what you learn when you see through the eyes of another human being - especially a member of the black community - if you listen. ?It''s eye opening, and I am committed to continuing the conversation.
We just launched our debut album, and I plan to donate 100% of our album/song sales June 19th in honor of this very worthy cause. ? #ColorsForChange #ArtistsForJustice ?#WhiteWithEyesOpen
Thanks again for sharing. ?I always appreciate your perspective.
- John Bragg
Mad Atoms
Thanks for your support Ari...
- Anthony Farrior
https://panfurwarellc.sourceaudio.com/
Dear Ari,
Thank you so much for that. Your words were very hard hitting and inspiring.
I live over in Ireland and its hard to imagine what it is like where you are.
But I see all the footage and feel the pain, for after all we are of one planetary body.
Racism is a call for love on both sides.
It forces humanity to look at its lack of humanity.
And the time has come for us all to face ourselves and admit our self deception.
For we are all one.
We are all love.
Its hard to stomach but even Trump is forcing us to face the truth about what being human really is.
The white man is scared to lose what he thinks is his, but deep down knows isn''t, and the black man is scared he won''t get what he knows is his by right because he''s been told for so long, its not.
But the only truth is that we are all in this play together, feeling the pain of every injustice and the fear of every loss.
As artists we have a voice to express what many can''t in the way we can.
I feel its up to us to use that voice for the good of all.
To these ends I have, with the help of my son, ?put a song and video out called ''One Man''.
It is the least I can do.
Hopefully it expresses some of the feelings of people around the world who cry with you in this troubled time of change and hopefully birth of a new world.
I don''t want anything from it other than change.
i am happy to donate profits to the cause.
Maybe you can share it and help me and us do our bit for George Floyd and all victims of racism.
Thanks again for your great article,
All the best
Fellow musician and caring member of the human family.
- Clive Williams, The light.
I'm in Ari. Thanks for your words and passion. It has to change.
- Ted Yoder
I support reforming all systemic injustice in all governmental institutions for ALL American citizens, black, white, and otherwise.
I do NOT support identity based organizations (BLM) because they end up further dividing our society by our differences and place value according to which group benefits them politcally. ?The result is they leave our society hating one another as they compete for who is the most ''victimized''.
I prefer to focus on things we have in common as humans and never base my decisions, judgement, or acceptance on superficial physical characteristics.
BLM has a history of violence and divides our citizens. They have rolled us back to a deep racial divide because they want it that way. It help forward their agenda of ''reforming'' America to a dependent bunch of victims dependent on government handouts. No thanks. Good luck. Keep an open eye and dig deep into the history, tge leaders and the finacial support of this group.
- Deborah Blake
Thank you, Ari, for saying this and so clearly and directly. ?As a black American I am completely exhausted from trying to explain this (as nicely and politely as possible) to a lot of the white people in my circles and the only thing giving me hope is that there are some non-black people out there like you who truly care and are going out of their way to use their influence to make statements like this. ?Thank you. ?It really means so much. ????
- Minhee Jones
minheejones.com
Thank you for sending this note. ?It was very well written and is greatly appreciated.
- Olivia J.
Ari, thank you.?
- Andrea Ren? Williams
http://www.andrearenewilliams.com/
Excellent article, Ari. Thank you.
- Immanuel McKenty
Thank you! Just taking the time to listen & hear our voices means so much.?
- Ebony Burks
www.Ebonyburks.com
www.kulturezine.com
I will keep this short -- loved the recent podcast; this topic is common here in my household especially since my partner, Dr. Felicia India Chavez, started her own social/community change non-profit 3 years ago.
She is an advocate of "systems thinking" which basically unpacks the "systemic" that people are frequently saying right now, as in "systemic racism." ?Like in Princess Bride, that word systemic does not always mean what people think it means.
It''s also known as Complexity -- but this recent blog article of Felicia''s will be well worth your time, I promise! I see you as a solution-oriented, positive change people-advocate within Music. ?Systems Thinking already knows the tools that can transform our systems and society for deep equality and harmony -- we don''t have to start from scratch or wing it!
One Book to Save the World-Thinking In Systems by Donella Meadows
About 5,500 words or a 20-minute read; more like article length.
https://www.systemsthinkingmarin.org/2020/06/09/one-book-to-save-the-world-thinking-in-systems-by-donella-meadows/?
- Cornelius Boots
http://corneliusboots.com/
Save it ass hole
- Jeffry Donahue
PS - If you missed it, we made a spreadsheet of over 100 music companies and their involvement with the BLM movement. You can see my article on that here.
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My guest today on the New Music Business podcast is Lucidious - a hip-hop artist originally from Virginia now living in Los Angeles. I've covered him in the book and on the blog quite a bit - not to mention he''s now an ATA instructor. He has an interesting story from the business perspective. He has over 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify without any official playlist inclusion, label, or management. This translates to more than $20,000 per month from streaming revenue.
I brought him onto the show so we could go deeper into his story. We talk about digital marketing and all aspects of his business. We talk about his family. We discuss mental health because a lot of his fans connect with him on a deep level due to their own struggles with mental health. This was a very enriching and inspiring conversation for me to have, and I think you'll get a lot out of this as well.
As always, you can listen to this wherever you get your podcasts here.?
All episodes are available on YouTube as well. All of them (except a couple - like this one) were filmed. You can check them out here.?
~Ari
PS - If you missed last week's episode with Patreon CEO and Pomplamoose / Scary Pockets co-foudner Jack Conte, you should really dig into that. He's one of the most inspiring people in the industry. Here''s our video
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If you've ever played on a recording as a hired gun, you are entitled to more than just the check you got for the session. You are entitled to (up to) 5% of all the performance royalties that recording ever makes. If you haven't been getting these checks, this is part of the problem I'm going to get to. But even if you have been receiving this money, a good chunk of it has been withheld from you and pocketed. By whom? How did they get away with this thievery? Read on.?
Read the full report (and comment) on aristake.com
In 1995, Congress first passed a law giving "non-featured performers" - or what's more commonly referred to as session musicians, backup musicians, sidemen, hired guns, players, what have you - 5% of performance royalties from the recordings they played on.?
If you're a "Featured Artist" you've probably heard about this law. ("Featured Artist" is just the "Artist" as streaming services call it - Beyonc?, Taylor Swift, the 1975, Ari Herstand, Brassroots District are all "Featured Artists" under this law).?
Well, you may not know that this law became part of Section 114 of the US Copyright Act, but you know that you get SoundExchange checks occasionally. SoundExchange was set up by the US government to collect and distribute these performance royalties for musicians and labels.
Every time a song gets played on digital or satellite radio (like Sirius/XM, Pandora, iHeartRadio), a performance royalty is earned.
These performance royalties are earned for both the composition (whoever wrote the song and their publisher - ASCAP, BMI, SESAC etc collect and pay these out) AND for the sound recording (whoever recorded this song and their label). SoundExchange collects and pays out this money for the sound recording. This royalty amount is set by Congress - from that 1995 law.?
These digital radio services are legally required to pay this money out. They pay SoundExchange. SoundExchange then pays 95% of this money to the labels and Featured Artists. And 5% to a non-profit called The AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund (or "the Fund" for short) for the session musicians and vocalists.
From 1998 - 2012, the the Fund had been run by American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) - (the TV and radio union) and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) - (the musician's union). In 2012, after the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) merged with AFTRA, SAG-AFTRA took over from just AFTRA.?
The Fund is currently run by (six trustees appointed by) SAG-AFTRA and AFM.
The Fund has paid out over $430 million in total and $60 million just last year.?
For clarity, whether you are an AFM or SAG-AFTRA member makes no difference. If you played on a record as a backup musician or vocalist, you are legally entitled to this money.?
For clarity, The Fund only calculates and (attempts to pay out) royalties for the top 14,000 - 16,000 recordings every year.
The Fund CEO, Stefanie Taub, states that there are currently 27,024 musicians who have not claimed their money yet.?
In a sworn statement Taub''s attorney''s filed in federal court last month,Taub admits that they have over $50 million in unpaid money because they can't find who to pay.?
But we haven't even gotten to the f'd up part yet!?
In 2013, the AFM and SAG-AFTRA saw how much money the Fund was generating from the boom in digital streaming and thought to themselves "we gotta get a little taste of this!"
So they dipped their hands into the cookie jar and started stealing a portion of this money.?
Systematically. And pretended like what they were doing was kosher. It's not, btw. They pretended that stealing this money was reasonable. It's not. They pretended that they deserved this money. They don't. So now there is a class-action lawsuit against the AFM and SAG-AFTRA.?
Read my full article (and what you need to do) here
~Ari
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After closing enrollment this past Friday (as promised) we got a hoard of messages over the weekend of people who missed the deadline and plead to be able to enroll. So we're extended enrollment for 5 more days. This is your last chance (for real) to enroll in Ari's Take Academy until we reopen enrollment middle of 2021.?
You have until this Friday, November 6th at 11:59PM PST.?
Also, a few questions popped in we want to help clarify:?
When do these courses start and finish??
Ari''s Take Academy courses are self paced. The lessons are pre-recorded, but constantly updated. As things change, we update the lessons. There is a private Facebook Group for each course where you can ask questions and get answers from our instructors, TAs, other experts in the field and fellow students.?
How long will I have access to the course?
You will have access to the lessons for *at least* a year, but many courses we continue to update and grow and some students have been with us for 2+ years (as long as the Academy has been open) continuing to learn from the updated lessons. Our instructors have committed to 1 year - but many continue on after the year and continue to work with our students.?
How is this course different from ________ course?
There are a lot of online music business education offerings out there. The thing that sets Ari''s Take Academy apart from everyone else is, we give a shit. And our goal is to set our students up for real success. We have booking agency showcases and have gotten 75% of our students signed from our Cracking Colleges course. We have direct sync agency representation placement. We regularly bring in experts in the space for student Q&A''s and masterclasses - like the managers for JP Saxe, X Ambassadors, Jukebox the Ghost, Audrey Nuna, Lucas Nelson. We are based in Los Angeles - the entertainment hub of the world - and are not just connected to the industry, we actively work in the industry. Our instructors are killing it RIGHT NOW (not 20 years ago). We make sure we only bring in instructors who are relevant (now) and actually care about helping you succeed. We make sure our instructors commit for at least a year to make sure they are invested in our students growth. This isn''t about one person, it''s about our collective growth and ability to change the music industry as we know it.
We are constantly expanding our representation and placement offerings and for 2021 will be working extremely hard to make sure our students are getting the looks they deserve.?
Also, Forbes listed Ari''s Take Academy as the future of music education. So there''s that.?
Join the New Music Business and level the F up with us!
Streaming and Instagram Growth?
Over 1,000 students are in this course and have seen success with it. It's taught by hip hop artist Lucidious who has over 150 million streams, 500,000 monthly Spotify listeners and makes around $20,000 a month just from streaming revenue - without being on any official Spotify playlists. He teaches digital marketing tactics which got him from $100/mo to $20,000/mo in streaming revenue in 3 years.
Here are what some of our students are saying:?
"I always felt like if I could just get in front of people that they would connect with my artistry. Ari and Lucidious' course confirmed this for me, and I know that it will do that for so many other artists in the near future. Taking what I learned from Ari's Take, I have been running ads for Instagram and Spotify, and in only two weeks have increased my Spotify followers from 426 to 973 (over double what I had accumulated in one year), and my Instagram followers from 6,652 to 8,068 (consistently 100 followers per day). And the engagement rate has actually increased! This is about putting what you are already doing in front of people who wouldn't have found it otherwise, and when you find the audience that resonates, you will see results. Period."
- Beck Pete
"It''s been around 2 1/2 month since I''ve implemented Ari and Lucidious''s marketing course and I''ve seen a huge different with the amount of followers and streams I''ve gained. The course itself is easy to follow along with and quick to implement. Before starting the course I was gaining around 400 - 500 new Spotify followers a month and now I?consistently receive 1200-1500 new followers each month. I''ve also consistently seen about 200K monthly listeners on Spotify and increased my Apple Music monthly streams from 72K to 86K. Even if you only have a small budget I highly recommend this course.I has taught me important techniques I can use not only on my current music but for upcoming releases, merch and music videos."
- J-Wright
"This course is monumental! I''ve always been way too intimidated to take a deep dive into setting up ads through Facebook on my own. I think I can speak for so many independent musicians on that. This course really lays it out and walks you through each step, highlighting the most important tools within the Facebook Ads Manager system. And the growth has been incredible! In 10 days I saw a 1,200 follower spike on Instagram. My engagement skyrocketed on posts and within stories. The new followers I gained have been commenting and messaging and tagging me, so I know they''re going to be easy to convert into lifelong fans over time. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to take social media marketing into their own hands. If you have a marketing budget, this course needs to be included in it!"
- vox
"After years of struggling to successfully promote my music and grow my fanbase, Ari and Lucidious''s course breathed new life into my career. When I signed up, I had 43 Spotify followers and didn''t have a single song with over 1000 streams. Just 6 months later, I had amassed over 2,000 followers and tens of thousands of streams from listeners all over the world. New fans started messaging me daily and posting Instagram stories saying they discovered me on Spotify and that they loved my music. Don''t waste any more time and money on ineffective promotional strategies; this course is the best investment you can make for growing your Spotify presence (and more)."
- Corey Lewin
Enroll in Streaming and Instagram Growth here
AND
Livestreaming for Musicians
This is our newest course and launched just 2 weeks ago. It''s taught by the #1 musician on Periscope, Clare Means. She makes her living livestreaming on Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope. She gets you from 0 to profitable in just a few weeks. Livestreaming is a great way to build a loyal, lifelong base of superfans. You don't need to worry about micropayments here. Many fans pay well over $100/mo to their favorite livestreaming musicians. And many successful livestreaming musicians are making 4-5 figures/month.?
"One of the best investments I've made in my career as an artist." - Janelle de la Rosa
"I went to Full Sail, and Ari's Take Academy got me further ahead in one day than two years there." - Menice? New Era
Enroll in Livestreaming for Musicians here
Let's go!
~Ari
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First off, quick reminder that the free live training for 3 Myths and 3 Truths of Livestreaming for Musicians with the #1 musician on Periscope, Clare Means, is this Friday at 1PM PST. It''s live, so if you tune in you''ll get to ask us questions. If you can''t make it live, make sure you register BEFORE we begin and you''ll have the ability to watch the replay for 7 days.?
Register for free here
+Read this (and comment) on aristake.com
I'll say it. And I'm going to get shit for it.?
The comment from the CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, "you can't record music every 3-4 years anymore" got blown way out of proportion. I actually did a full podcast rant about it.?
If you want to play the Spotify game, then you have to play the Spotify game. Period. And the CEO of Spotify just gave you a tip on how to play it. Whether you want to follow it or not is 100% up to you. You do not have to run your music career in the way Daniel Ek tells you. There are many ways to make a successful music career happen without bowing down to Spotify.?
Most people missed that he also said in that interview, 43,000 artists are making their livings from Spotify.?
That's incredible! That's a helluvalot more than were pre-Spotify (from merely recorded music). Well maybe not. I used to sell a boat load of CDs at shows. But making this revenue from home, without touring, and without radio, is actually pretty astounding. Unfortunately most of these 43,000 artists have been 'selected' by the gatekeepers of Spotify. The playlist editors. But that's an entirely different discussion. Moving on!
I've never been a Spotify naysayer.?
Actually, back when Spotify first launched I lauded it as the natural evolution of the music industry and the solution for how money was going to come back to recorded music. I got a ton of pushback on my assertions. I wrote regularly about it and was beaten up left and right by the Old Music Business. Welp. History shows that, in fact, yes streaming (led by Spotify) single-handedly brought the recorded music industry back from its death spiral. Hate it all you want, but we've seen over 5 years of consecutive double digit growth (after 15 years of falling revenue).?
Now this is all well and good for the record labels.?
They deal with the macro recorded music industry. They look at graphs like the one above to base their decisions. They sign hundreds of acts a year (on average, 2 acts a day) ANTICIPATING that the vast majority of them will fail. It's built into their business model. So 98 failures out of 100 acts they sign this year is all well and good for them because those 2 acts financially make up for the other 98. To the major labels, it's just numbers on a spreadsheet. And the numbers are working out.?
Well, those 98 "failures" are human beings.?
They're artists who don't want to give up on music because they didn't get a billion streams this year (what the majors almost solely deem as 'success' these days). Many of these artists are actually brilliant. Except the stars didn't align for them to pop off at a level that a major label needs to see for their books to work. So they're dropped. It's a crushing defeat. And unfortunately many artists never recover and quit music altogether. I could fill a book with these stories. Oh wait, I already did!
+Get the "Indispensable" (Forbes) 2nd edition of How To Make It in the New Music Business
For the vast majority of artists out there who have decided to maintain their ownership, control, direction and freedom, staying independent, it's a different kind of struggle. Neither path is easy, per se. At least as an independent artist you're allowed to try and fail over and over again, continually getting better and learning from those mistakes.?
5 years ago, it was nearly impossible to hit stardom without a major label.?
Now the number of independent artists competing on the charts is countless.
These artists are smart, savvy, entrepreneurial, and typically have an extremely hard working team around them of disruptors and innovators.?
But superstardom should not be the goal. I've conducted hundreds of interviews with the movers and shakers in the industry. On the New Music Business podcast I always end the interview with the question "What does it mean to you to 'make it' in the New Music Business." Nearly every guest says something to the extent of "being happy, making a living doing what I love is making it." Not one has said "superstardom."?
It's pretty clear that most artists these days understand they don't need to get signed to 'make it.'?
As the definition of making it has been completely redefined and better understood, these savvy artists (and their teams) are finding innovative ways to make a sustainable career happen in the New Music Business.?
I was chatting with my partners at The Music Fund the other day about data. If you're unfamiliar with The Music Fund, they are an extremely innovative new company that gives artists advances based on past streaming performance. These aren't loans. And you don't trade ownership for these advances (like you do with a label). They simply cut you a check and earn a percentage on your future streaming revenue on whatever songs you designate for them. It's very straightforward and very innovative.?
+How To Get a Record Deal Without a Record Advance?
They were lamenting to me how it's very challenging for them to study their artists' analytics because of how opaque Spotify is with their data and reporting.?
The Music Fund is a Silicon Valley company built by tech geniuses. I only understand about every 3 words they say. But I got the gist.?
Spotify has the data, they are just choosing not to share it with their artists.?
Why??
Now, I'm sure you study your Spotify for Artists backend religiously like I do. I'm in there almost everyday. And the data we're given is nice.?
But does it really help my career? Or is it just helping me feel good (or shitty) about myself??
Why not give me zip codes or email addresses of my Followers (Bandcamp does this!).
Someone follows me on Spotify and I just have to hope they check out their Release Radar the week my new song comes out. That's the only benefit I get from that hard earned follow? Sure, I get emails for pre-save campaigns, but Spotify doesn't technically support those. I have to do that through third party platforms. If I had my fans emails, I could let them know about my new song in their inbox. I could sell them some merch (which would get me paid a hell of a lot more than a couple fractions of a penny). I could promote my shows to them in their location (ya know, when live music is back). I could ask them to support my crowdfunding campaign.?
+Are Spotify Pre-Save Campaigns Worth It? Feature.fm vs. Show.co vs. DistroKid vs. Smarturl
And man would I really like better demographic data. So, currently I got 150 listeners from Denver in the past 7 days. How could I contact them if I was playing a show in Denver?
And I'd really like to be able to compare the past 28 days with the previous 28 days. Currently we only have options for "Last 7 days," "Last 28 days" or "since 2015." So unless I screenshot every month, I can never see my progress?! I want the granular data. And give?us the ability to pixel our profile page and songs so we can actually run effective marketing campaigns.?
Just give us access to ALL our data.?
And let the third party platforms out there (like Chartmetric or The Music Fund) and our distributors help us sort it out if Spotify for Artists can't keep up as quickly. But like, seriously Spotify, with all your money, this should really be a priority to help the artists that make your platform what it is.?
Yeah yeah, I understand privacy concerns, blah blah. But that's never stopped Facebook, Instagram or anyone else. Hell, everybody knows we're in a post-privacy reality. Seen The Social Dilemma yet? Terrifying.?
Yes, I'd love it if Spotify paid more per stream. I'd love it if songwriters were paid the same as artists (publishers the same as labels). 50/50 even split.? I'd love it if Spotify's payment methodology was different. I'd love it if 10 of my fans only listened to me this month that I would get all $10 of each of those fans' dollars (instead of it going into the black box pit of all money and all streams paid out proportionally to Post Malone, Beyonce, Billie Eilish and everyone else).?
But, I'd also love it if Spotify ain't going to pay me more, then at least give me the data and contact info (or the ability to contact my fans) so I can at least try to build a real career on my own.?
~Ari
PS - Enrollment for?Ari''s Take Academy course Streaming and Instagram Growth, which now has over 1,000 students (!!!!) is closing October 30th at 11:59pm. It''s taught by Lucidious who currently makes over $20,000/mo from?streaming revenue and has over 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and 175,000 followers on Instagram.?If you''ve been on the fence about enrolling, now is the time. We make regular updates to this and keep it current and relevant. Enroll and learn more here.?
?
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Quick heads up - I''m hosting a live webinar training this Friday at 12:00 noon pacific time (3PM Eastern, 20:00 GMT): The Top 3 Spotify Growth Tactics for 2020.?
It''s free. And it''s live. You can ask questions on the spot. I''ve been getting a ton of questions about Spotify (obv) and have learned A LOT from running this Streaming and Instagram Growth course this past year. We now have almost 1,000 case studies from our students and have learned a boat load on what''s effective at growing an audience on Spotify (and what''s not). So I''m sharing our knowledge.?
If you can''t make it live, as long as you register for this webinar BEFORE noon on Friday, you''ll get the replay to watch for 7 days.?
Register here: http://bit.ly/Spotify2020Training
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First off, big news y'all, Ari's Take Academy has just launched Livestreaming for Musicians!?
This course?is taught by the #1 Musician on Periscope, Clare Means. Clare makes her living livestreaming on Twitch, Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Instagram and yes, of course, Periscope. This is a very in-depth course that gives you a step-by-step on how to grow your fanbase and make a significant revenue livestreaming - on whichever platform you choose (or all of them at once). Like other ATA courses, there is a very active private Facebook Group to ask questions, network, collaborate and grow together. If you are yearning for a music community because your local scene has shut down, join us. The community is extremely supportive and will help keep you on track.?
Many artists who don't have big fanbases, are making 4-5 figures A MONTH livestreaming. This isn't the exception. This is becoming the norm. We don't know when the touring industry is going to come back. But one thing is for sure, livestreaming is effective and is here to stay.?
Enroll and learn more here
Enrollment closes next Friday October 30th for this course AND Streaming and Instagram Growth?- where we teach you how to effectively grow your Spotify, Apple Music and Instagram profiles. Streaming and Instagram Growth is taught by Lucidious who has over 500,000 monthly Spotify listeners, 150 million streams, and makes over $20,000/mo just from his streaming revenue.?
Join the other 2,000 students in Ari's Take Academy?and level up your career.?
By enrolling in ATA you''ll have access to industry leaders with our monthly live video Q&As. All of our courses are 'living' - in that as things shift and change in the industry, so do our lessons. You have access to the course for as long as you'd like. The course starts the day you enroll and never ends. Some lessons are prerecorded and others are ongoing throughout the year keeping you up to date on everything. We regularly update the prerecorded lessons as things evolve.
ATA courses are taught by proven, working professionals in the industry who are killing it today (not had some mild success 25 years ago). Our courses are more effective than any university or online education program out there - and much less expensive. Feel free to ask any current student or browse the countless testimonials and success stories from our current students.?
I'm just going to share one testimonial that I love:
"I went to Full Sail and Ari's Take Academy got me further ahead in one day than two years there." - Menice New Era
And Forbes listed Ari's Take Academy as the future of music education.
We are changing the landscape of music business education. And the music industry as we know it.?
Join us.?
+Read the Digital Distribution comparison article and see the chart on aristake.com?
We at Ari's Take just did a massive overhaul to the digital distribution comparison article. Everything is current and up to date. Check it out!
The biggest thing you'll probably notice is that the jpg chart - oh that magical chart - is now in the form of a Google Spreadsheet. This was requested by A TON of people - so we finally made it happen. Enjoy!
Also, during this update, I was tipped off to some very odd payment reporting from CD Baby. Longtime readers know that I've been a fan of CD Baby's. I used to use them for my own music. They're the oldest digital indie distributor and there are a lot of great people who work there. However, a year ago, they were acquired by Downtown Music. Since then, things have shifted quite dramatically over there. Not least of which is their payment reporting. Which, how do we say this politely, isn't accurate.?
I've been in touch with the higher ups at CD Baby for months trying to get answers - and unfortunately have received the runaround. So has everyone else who has brought this to their attention.?
Speaking of which, we are going to do a distributor payment comparison! First of its kind.?
Did you know that not every Spotify or Apple Music stream is treated equally? I'm sure you probably knew that not every streaming service pays the same. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm saying that every label and distributor has negotiated different rates with the DSPs (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc). So some distributors actually pay you MORE for a Spotify stream than others. I'm also not talking about the difference in streams from users. Yes, we know that a stream from a premium Spotify subscriber in the US pays a hell of a lot more than a stream from an ad-supported Spotify user in the US. Not to mention from a user in, say, India - which pays very little per-stream.?
Each listener's streams are treated differently. If one listener is on a family account, their streams will be less valuable than an individual on a paid-account. And so forth,?
SO!?
We at Ari's Take are going to do a FULL COMPARISON of the top distributors out there and see how much they pay per stream.?
We need your help though!
The distributors aren't giving us this information just because we ask nicely. It's private and the DSPs actually bind them by NDAs.?
If you would like to help us in our research and send us your royalty reports please fill out this form! NO NAMES WILL BE ATTACHED TO ROYALTY REPORTS. You will remain anonymous, BUT I will thank you and link to your music in the article.?
We will be sourcing hundreds of reports, blurring out Artist and song names, so no one will be able to tell which report came from whom.?
Send us your reports RIGHT HERE.?
Ok, I know why you opened this email. It was because you wanted to know which distributor is the best between:
Amuse vs. AWAL vs. CD Baby vs. DistroKid vs. Ditto Music vs. FreshTunes vs. Horus Music vs. LANDR vs. OneRPM vs. RouteNote vs. Songtradr vs. Soundrop vs. Stem vs. Symphonic Distribution vs. TuneCore vs. UnitedMasters
Dig in!
~Ari
?
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First off, announcing the winners for the podcast sharing contest!?
First place (podcast feature & shoutout): Britney Holman?
Second place (enrollment in ATA - one course - up to $1,000 value):?Pamela Machala
Third place (Shure SM58):? Jennifer Blankenship?
Fourth place ($50 Guitar Center giftcard): Timoleon?
Fifth place (Signed copy of the book): John Stu
When we setup this contest, I didn't think I'd have to risk my life to send you this mic and signed copy of my book by hand delivering these items to the COVID infested USPS - but alas, I am a man of my word! I have a great homemade mask and gloves. We will be in touch to get your info.
Also, this week on the show is Vo Williams. Vo is a hip hop artist with over 1,000 film, TV, trailer, commercial and video game sync placements. He digs into the how and why in this episode.?
You can listen here.?
I was so impressed with Vo''s knowledge, command over the sync space and generosity with his wisdom, that I decided to bring him on to be an instructor for Ari's Take Academy.?
We just launched: Hip Hop in Sync. We're currently running a 50% off sale for the next 50 people who enroll. Use the code STAYATHOME50. Learn more about it (and enroll) here.
Again, we're releasing new podcast episodes every Wednesday. Upcoming is Patreon CEO, Scary Pockets and Pomplamoose co-founder Jack Conte, and superstar producer Zaytoven. Make sure to subscribe!
~Ari
PS on the UnCancelled Music Festival stages today and tomorrow?we have Betty Who, Jukebox the Ghost, the Night Game, Rizzi, VINCINT and other great artists. Tune in here.?
Follow Ari''s Take on Instagram for daily doses of inspiration: @aristake_
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Real quick, got a bunch of questions about?Ari's Take Academy's newest course: Hip Hop in Sync so want to clear them up.?
If you missed my initial email about it, you can read it here.
If you have any more questions just hit reply.?
Q: Did you say enrollment is closing? Why??
We are closing the enrollment period next Friday, May 8th. This just means that no one will be able to register for this course after May 8th until we open enrollment back up again - later this year. We do this so we can focus on the students that we have and get down and dirty with them and focus more on student development and making sure that every student succeeds - versus trying to get more signed up for the course. The course is just getting started and will last for *at least* a year. So far, we have nearly 100 students enrolled and it's kicked off extremely strong. We just had our first live video Q&A with Vo and it was fantastic. Vo is extremely generous with his information and wants to help. He is here for you.?
Q: How is this course different from other online courses out there? Is it worth what you're charging??
So, there is only one other legitimate sync licensing course on the market that we know of and it costs double what we are charging. The other course also doesn't specialize in hip hop, pop or electronic. Any university will also charge much more for their courses and none of them are taught by anyone as successful in sync as Vo is. This is a real honor and privilege that we got Vo Williams to teach this course. He''s had over 1,000 sync licensing placements (8 last week!). He wants to give back to the community.?
Q: Does sync licensing actually pay anything??
Typical upfront sync fees for indie artists:
- Commerical Campaigns: $20,000 - $150,000
- Films: $10,000 - $80,000
- Trailers: $10,000 - $80,000
- TV shows: $500 - $20,000
- Video games: $2,000 - $10,000
- Theme Songs: $5,000 - $10,000?
Not to mention the backend PRO royalties you earn everytime one of your placements air.?
Q: This course is called Hip Hop in Sync - I don't do hip hop, can I still join??
While this course is structured around hip hop music in sync, the strategies we teach are universal at getting music of all genres synced in film, TV, ads, trailers and video games. Although the focus is hip hop music, anyone is free to join no matter what kind of music you specialize in and you will learn how to get your music synced. You can also find other collaborators in the course to work with on the techniques we teach.?
Q: Is sync licensing still happening during the Coronavirus shutdown?
Actually, it is the busiest time in sync ever. More music is getting used now more than ever. Vo just got 8 sync placements last week! People are home watching endless amounts of shows and movies and on social media all day. Brands need music for their ads. Movies need music for their trailers. And there are a ton of TV shows and movies that have been shot and still need to get edited and released.
A: When does this course start and finish?
The course starts as soon as you enroll and finishes when (if) you want. As long as you work in music, these strategies will be effective. We will continue to update the lessons and trainings to make sure that it stays relevant, up-to-date and valuable. And you can continue to ask questions, network and collaborate in the private members only Facebook Group. This course is completely self paced.
Q: Can I get a discount?
We aren't currently running any discounts on this course. We know that this course is worth 10x the price and 1 sync placement pays for this course. But we want to make sure everyone can afford this, so we have setup a payment plan option so you can break up course payments into 12 installments over the coming year.?
More of your questions will most likely be answered on the course page.?
Learn more and enroll here
~Ari
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Quick reminder that tomorrow, Friday October 16th at 1:00PM PST (Los Angeles time), I will be with the #1 musician on Periscope, Clare Means, for a free live webinar training: 3 Myths and 3 Truths of Livestreaming for Musicians?
In it we will cover:
If you tune in live you'll get to ask us questions. And as long as you register BEFORE we go live, you'll get access to the replay for 7 days. So even if you can't make it live, make sure you register to get the replay.?
Register for free here
~Ari
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Today''s episode on the New Music Business podcast is with superstar Grammy-winning producer and "Godfather of Trap," Zaytoven. He is one of the most influential producers in hip-hop right now. He''s a Grammy winner and has worked with artists like Future, Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Usher, T.I., Pusha T, and 21 Savage, to name a few.
?
There are a lot of interviews with Zaytoven out there. He''s an interesting guy with a cool workflow. I didn''t want him to tell the same stories and answers he''s told before. So we dug into what you''re most interested in. We talk about his processes, manager, music community, and much more.?
?
If you''re a hip-hop producer this is a must-listen episode. Zaytoven dropped endless gems throughout this episode, giving advice to emerging up-and-coming producers on how they can develop their sound. He shares the stories of how he did it and how you can do it as well.
?
Listen on your favorite podcast platform here or watch the interview here.?
~Ari
PS - there are only 10 days left to enroll in ATA: Hip Hop in sync course. If you want to learn how to get your music in film, TV, ads and video games, join us. Enroll and learn more here
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After closing enrollment this past Friday (as promised) we got a hoard of messages over the weekend of people who missed the deadline and plead to be able to enroll. So we're extended enrollment for 5 more days. This is your last chance (for real) to enroll in Ari's Take Academy until we reopen enrollment middle of 2021.?
You have until this Friday, November 6th at 11:59PM PST.?
Also, a few questions popped in we want to help clarify:?
When do these courses start and finish??
Ari''s Take Academy courses are self paced. The lessons are pre-recorded, but constantly updated. As things change, we update the lessons. There is a private Facebook Group for each course where you can ask questions and get answers from our instructors, TAs, other experts in the field and fellow students.?
How long will I have access to the course?
You will have access to the lessons for *at least* a year, but many courses we continue to update and grow and some students have been with us for 2+ years (as long as the Academy has been open) continuing to learn from the updated lessons. Our instructors have committed to 1 year - but many continue on after the year and continue to work with our students.?
How is this course different from ________ course?
There are a lot of online music business education offerings out there. The thing that sets Ari''s Take Academy apart from everyone else is, we give a shit. And our goal is to set our students up for real success. We have booking agency showcases and have gotten 75% of our students signed from our Cracking Colleges course. We have direct sync agency representation placement. We regularly bring in experts in the space for student Q&A''s and masterclasses - like the managers for JP Saxe, X Ambassadors, Jukebox the Ghost, Audrey Nuna, Lucas Nelson. We are based in Los Angeles - the entertainment hub of the world - and are not just connected to the industry, we actively work in the industry. Our instructors are killing it RIGHT NOW (not 20 years ago). We make sure we only bring in instructors who are relevant (now) and actually care about helping you succeed. We make sure our instructors commit for at least a year to make sure they are invested in our students growth. This isn''t about one person, it''s about our collective growth and ability to change the music industry as we know it.
We are constantly expanding our representation and placement offerings and for 2021 will be working extremely hard to make sure our students are getting the looks they deserve.?
Also, Forbes listed Ari''s Take Academy as the future of music education. So there''s that.?
Join the New Music Business and level the F up with us!
Streaming and Instagram Growth?
Over 1,000 students are in this course and have seen success with it. It's taught by hip hop artist Lucidious who has over 150 million streams, 500,000 monthly Spotify listeners and makes around $20,000 a month just from streaming revenue - without being on any official Spotify playlists. He teaches digital marketing tactics which got him from $100/mo to $20,000/mo in streaming revenue in 3 years.
Here are what some of our students are saying:?
"I always felt like if I could just get in front of people that they would connect with my artistry. Ari and Lucidious' course confirmed this for me, and I know that it will do that for so many other artists in the near future. Taking what I learned from Ari's Take, I have been running ads for Instagram and Spotify, and in only two weeks have increased my Spotify followers from 426 to 973 (over double what I had accumulated in one year), and my Instagram followers from 6,652 to 8,068 (consistently 100 followers per day). And the engagement rate has actually increased! This is about putting what you are already doing in front of people who wouldn't have found it otherwise, and when you find the audience that resonates, you will see results. Period."
- Beck Pete
"It''s been around 2 1/2 month since I''ve implemented Ari and Lucidious''s marketing course and I''ve seen a huge different with the amount of followers and streams I''ve gained. The course itself is easy to follow along with and quick to implement. Before starting the course I was gaining around 400 - 500 new Spotify followers a month and now I?consistently receive 1200-1500 new followers each month. I''ve also consistently seen about 200K monthly listeners on Spotify and increased my Apple Music monthly streams from 72K to 86K. Even if you only have a small budget I highly recommend this course.I has taught me important techniques I can use not only on my current music but for upcoming releases, merch and music videos."
- J-Wright
"This course is monumental! I''ve always been way too intimidated to take a deep dive into setting up ads through Facebook on my own. I think I can speak for so many independent musicians on that. This course really lays it out and walks you through each step, highlighting the most important tools within the Facebook Ads Manager system. And the growth has been incredible! In 10 days I saw a 1,200 follower spike on Instagram. My engagement skyrocketed on posts and within stories. The new followers I gained have been commenting and messaging and tagging me, so I know they''re going to be easy to convert into lifelong fans over time. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to take social media marketing into their own hands. If you have a marketing budget, this course needs to be included in it!"
- vox
"After years of struggling to successfully promote my music and grow my fanbase, Ari and Lucidious''s course breathed new life into my career. When I signed up, I had 43 Spotify followers and didn''t have a single song with over 1000 streams. Just 6 months later, I had amassed over 2,000 followers and tens of thousands of streams from listeners all over the world. New fans started messaging me daily and posting Instagram stories saying they discovered me on Spotify and that they loved my music. Don''t waste any more time and money on ineffective promotional strategies; this course is the best investment you can make for growing your Spotify presence (and more)."
- Corey Lewin
Enroll in Streaming and Instagram Growth here
AND
Livestreaming for Musicians
This is our newest course and launched just 2 weeks ago. It''s taught by the #1 musician on Periscope, Clare Means. She makes her living livestreaming on Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope. She gets you from 0 to profitable in just a few weeks. Livestreaming is a great way to build a loyal, lifelong base of superfans. You don't need to worry about micropayments here. Many fans pay well over $100/mo to their favorite livestreaming musicians. And many successful livestreaming musicians are making 4-5 figures/month.?
"One of the best investments I've made in my career as an artist." - Janelle de la Rosa
"I went to Full Sail, and Ari's Take Academy got me further ahead in one day than two years there." - Menice? New Era
Enroll in Livestreaming for Musicians here
Let's go!
~Ari
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The ATA Hip Hop in Sync course has been live for just about 3 weeks and we have nearly 100 students enrolled. You should see the private Facebook Group interactions. The questions and conversations are so inspiring. Our instructor, Vo Williams, who is THE most successful hip hop artist in sync licensing - with over 1,000 sync placements - is in the FB Group every day answering questions and SHOWING UP for our students. He doesn't need to teach this course (he makes a very fine living syncing his music - he got 8 syncs just last week!), but he's doing this because he wants to give back. And you can tell by the generosity he has with his knowledge and wisdom - not just in the lessons, but in the FB Group and the Zoom Q&A we had together last week. I am so honored we have Vo teaching this course. I know the sync world well, and there is no one else like him out there.??
But you don''t need to just take my word for it. When I had Jen Malone on the podcast (music supervisor for Euphoria, Atlanta, Empire, Step Up, Creed II) she spoke very highly of Vo. Saying his music is "very very syncable." That's the thing, everyone in the sync licensing world knows Vo and he is?highly respected.??
One cool component that we have for this course is the ability to sign with Vo as your sync agent. Twice a year we will be opening applications for current students to apply for the Certified Ari's Take Artist (CATA)?program. If accepted, you will be officially repped by Vo as your sync agent. He will pitch you for film, TV, trailer, video game and ad placements.??
Once again, ENROLLMENT CLOSES THIS FRIDAY AT MIDNIGHT!??
Why are we closing enrollment for a 'go at your own pace', online course? It's so we can focus on our current students and can shut up about pitching the course. We're yelling this from the rooftops now so you don't miss it. But once enrollment closes, we are going to hunker down with our current students and work to help them become successful before we re-open enrollment.??
I''ve been getting a ton of questions about if you should join if you''re not a hip hop artist. Here''s the thing. 90% of the strategies in the course can apply to any artist of any genre anywhere in the world. All of the examples we use are hip hop examples and Vo''s expertise falls within hip hop. BUT because there has clearly been A TON of interest from NON hip hop artists, we will be bringing in experts in the sync licensing world - from all genres and backgrounds - to give guest talks. We will also be adding lessons to this course later this year from other sync experts that discuss how other kinds of music work in sync. So if you hop in now and you''re not a hip hop artist, don''t fret. We will be taking care of you too.
Once again, even though the live concert industry has shut down, the sync licensing world is more active than ever. Everyone who works in sync says they''re the busiest they''ve ever been. Do not let this opportunity pass you by. Yes, this is an investment. But one sync placement pays for this course (typical sync placements for indie artists for trailers range from $10,000 - $80,000+ - for the upfront sync fee). This opportunity doesn''t come around every day. And there is not another training anywhere else like this. Not at a university, not an online course. Nowhere.?
So jump in before this Friday.??
Learn more, and enroll, here.?
~Ari
PS - Big shoutout to Music Connection magazine for listing Ari''s Take Academy as one of 3 online instruction resources next to Berlee College of Music and Musicians Institue?in their latest print edition.
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The ATA Hip Hop in Sync course has been live for just about 3 weeks and we have nearly 100 students enrolled. You should see the private Facebook Group interactions. The questions and conversations are so inspiring. Our instructor, Vo Williams, who is THE most successful hip hop artist in sync licensing - with over 1,000 sync placements - is in the FB Group every day answering questions and SHOWING UP for our students. He doesn't need to teach this course (he makes a very fine living syncing his music - he got 8 syncs just last week!), but he's doing this because he wants to give back. And you can tell by the generosity he has with his knowledge and wisdom - not just in the lessons, but in the FB Group and the Zoom Q&A we had together last week. I am so honored we have Vo teaching this course. I know the sync world well, and there is no one else like him out there.??
But you don''t need to just take my word for it. When I had Jen Malone on the podcast (music supervisor for Euphoria, Atlanta, Empire, Step Up, Creed II) she spoke very highly of Vo. Saying his music is "very very syncable." That's the thing, everyone in the sync licensing world knows Vo and he is?highly respected.??
One cool component that we have for this course is the ability to sign with Vo as your sync agent. Twice a year we will be opening applications for current students to apply for the Certified Ari's Take Artist (CATA)?program. If accepted, you will be officially repped by Vo as your sync agent. He will pitch you for film, TV, trailer, video game and ad placements.??
Once again, ENROLLMENT CLOSES THIS FRIDAY AT MIDNIGHT!??
Why are we closing enrollment for a 'go at your own pace', online course? It's so we can focus on our current students and can shut up about pitching the course. We're yelling this from the rooftops now so you don't miss it. But once enrollment closes, we are going to hunker down with our current students and work to help them become successful before we re-open enrollment.??
I''ve been getting a ton of questions about if you should join if you''re not a hip hop artist. Here''s the thing. 90% of the strategies in the course can apply to any artist of any genre anywhere in the world. All of the examples we use are hip hop examples and Vo''s expertise falls within hip hop. BUT because there has clearly been A TON of interest from NON hip hop artists, we will be bringing in experts in the sync licensing world - from all genres and backgrounds - to give guest talks. We will also be adding lessons to this course later this year from other sync experts that discuss how other kinds of music work in sync. So if you hop in now and you''re not a hip hop artist, don''t fret. We will be taking care of you too.
Once again, even though the live concert industry has shut down, the sync licensing world is more active than ever. Everyone who works in sync says they''re the busiest they''ve ever been. Do not let this opportunity pass you by. Yes, this is an investment. But one sync placement pays for this course (typical sync placements for indie artists for trailers range from $10,000 - $80,000+ - for the upfront sync fee). This opportunity doesn''t come around every day. And there is not another training anywhere else like this. Not at a university, not an online course. Nowhere.?
So jump in before this Friday.??
Learn more, and enroll, here.?
~Ari
PS - Big shoutout to Music Connection magazine for listing Ari''s Take Academy as one of 3 online instruction resources next to Berlee College of Music and Musicians Institue?in their latest print edition.
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First off, if you didn''t know, Ari''s Take Academy offers scholarships throughout the year. The current scholarship is made possible by our friends at Bandzoogle who have the best website builder platform (and non-commission merch store)?on the market. You can apply for a scholarship here. And yes, even though enrollment for all of our courses are closed until well into 2021, if you get awarded a scholarship, you will also be granted special access to the course of your choosing.?
+Read this full report (and see the comparison chart) on aristake.com
This is a guest post by Ari''s Take Manager of Operations, Lennon Cihak. It was a full Ari''s Take?team effort in gathering all of this research for this very in-depth comparison review of the top, print-on-demand merch companies for musicians:
Selling merch is one of the best ways for artists to earn extra income, connect with their fans, and build community.?
It's a great way for your fans to further support and remember you for years to come. Start building your tribe. Not to mention it is?the?way you will be profitable on the road - doubling or tripling your income.?
+How to Double Your Merch Income .No Really
Merch is important, but it can also be a headache. A big one. It's a financial and logistical nightmare to calculate how much you're going to have to spend, the quantity of each item, and then storing the extra product. Not to mention the amount of time that will go into the creative design of each item.?
Just because touring has come to a halt, doesn't mean you can't still engage your fanbase and sell them some merch. And with print-on-demand services you won't need to stuff? boxes of t-shirts, stickers, magnets, mugs, and frisbees in your spare room.?
I still have vacuum sealed bags with t-shirts from an event I DJ'ed years ago. I've moved across the country twice and have dragged those bags with me both times. They were stored in my spare closet in Florida and now they're stuffed under my bed. I could use that space for other junk I most definitely don't need!?
Anyways.?
Here's how print on-demand works?
You select the item(s) you want, like a bandana, customize them, and put them in an online shop at a rate you set. When someone orders your merch, the manufacturer will print, pack, and ship it to the customer without you ever having to touch it.?
The best part is that your merch isn't printed or shipped until someone orders, so you don't have to store boxes and boxes of merch. Save your extra space and the environment!
The companies we've selected allow you to whitelabel your store. This comparison is focused on companies that allow their customers to whitelabel their service and make it your own. That means that you can seamlessly integrate your website instead of sending fans out to a different service to make their purchase. The gold standard for this integration is?Shopify. You can use?this link here?for a free 14 day trial which is enough time to get your store set up and start converting some traffic.?
Shopify is its own service and allows you to build a store directly on their platform, but it can also be used as a plugin or integration with a number of the companies listed in this comparison. For example, you'll be able to pull your designed products from Printful or Printify into your Shopify-integrated site. I'll get into this later in the article.?
How am I profiting with print on-demand? Isn't it expensive?
No. It actually doesn't require any upfront expenses like the old method of ordering merch. We're in the new music business - out with the old!?
Let's use a t-shirt from?Printful, one of the print on-demand companies we'll cover in this comparison, as an example. On Printful's website the black Bella + Canvas 3001 shirt is $12.95. You customize that t-shirt, import it into your merch store, and mark it up to $25 (or whatever price you choose). When someone purchases it, you pocket the extra $12.05.?
It's important to note that these are?not?upfront costs, meaning you do not have to pay anything out of pocket to get started. It's really as simple as select, customize, and then profit.?
+How Much You Should Be Charging for Merch
Who is print on-demand for??
Until you're selling enough merch to merit bringing in a full-fledged merch company that will design, print and ship (for a hefty commission), print on-demand is the way to go if you don't need on-hand inventory. Whether you don't have a lot of money and aren't sure of what's going to sell or you have already created a merch empire but want to automate the warehousing and shipping process, print on-demand is a great solution. If it doesn't sell, there's no harm to your wallet. But it doesn't make sense to order 100 tees that will end up in your extra storage space.
Each print on-demand company has a different method of getting merch to your fans. Some only offer integrations with Shopify and/or Etsy. Some can get your merch into online retailers like Walmart or Amazon. And some allow you to build your store right on their site.
As you read through this comparison, it's important to remember that each company is vastly different in the products and services that they offer. There is no one size fits all. Find the one that works best for you and your needs.
You also don't have to handle customer support. The print on-demand companies will handle that.
If one of your customers receives the wrong item, t-shirt size, or somehow their card gets charged twice, the print on-demand company will handle these inquiries. Some companies offer support through live chat, phone, and email. The specifics of each company's customer support options are listed in the chart below.?
Do not use other copyrighted and trademarked logos on your merchandise.?
You can and probably will get banned. And you run the risk of being sued. That's not a fun venture for a creative to go through. It could ruin your entire career and reputation.
I spoke with an entertainment attorney about trademarks. She once had a client use a trademarked logo (without even knowing it). Her client had this logo printed on pens, business cards, their website, banners, fliers, everything. Then they got sued by the trademark owner. Once it was all settled, they had to trash?everything. It drained their bank accounts, and they were put out of business.?
When print on-demand first started taking off, copyright infringement did run rampant. But since then the industry has kept up with self-policing. Programs are also being developed to assist in catching copyright infringements on products, but you still need to be cautious.
Bottom line: Don't use a trademarked logo on your merchandise. And check with an intellectual property attorney before having your merch printed and sold.?
We also looked at CustomInk, Redbubble, Spreadshirt, and Merchbar.?
We decided not to include them. As I mentioned above, this comparison is focused on companies that allow their customers to whitelabel their service and make it your own. That means that you can use these to integrate into your website and aren't just going into a creator's marketplace.
Merchbar?is a service that integrates with hundreds of companies and allows artists to put merch on their Spotify profiles and YouTube channels. They are?not?a company like the ones below; they are virtually a middleman between YouTube, Spotify, and merch companies.
If you'd like to use Merchbar on your YouTube or Spotify profile, then you can apply via their website to become a partner. After completing the application at the time of this article's posting (11/25/2020), you'll be directed to a thank you page that states the following:?
"We are currently processing a high level of inquiries from artists, brands, and entertainment properties waiting to be added to our platform, so please be patient while we work through these requests."
CustomInk?is a big player in the merchandise business, but they do not offer print on-demand.
Onto the comparison between Gooten, Printful, Printify, Teelaunch, and Teespring.
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Last day to enroll in Ari''s Take Academy!
Tonight at 11:59PM PST, enrollment for all courses will close:
Streaming and Instagram Growth?
Over 1,000 students are in this course and have seen success with it. It's taught by hip hop artist Lucidious who has over 150 million streams, 500,000 monthly Spotify listeners and makes around $20,000 a month just from streaming revenue - without being on any official Spotify playlists. He teaches digital marketing tactics which got him from $100/mo to $20,000/mo in streaming revenue in 3 years. Here are what some of our students are saying:?
"I always felt like if I could just get in front of people that they would connect with my artistry. Ari and Lucidious' course confirmed this for me, and I know that it will do that for so many other artists in the near future. Taking what I learned from Ari's Take, I have been running ads for Instagram and Spotify, and in only two weeks have increased my Spotify followers from 426 to 973 (over double what I had accumulated in one year), and my Instagram followers from 6,652 to 8,068 (consistently 100 followers per day). And the engagement rate has actually increased! This is about putting what you are already doing in front of people who wouldn't have found it otherwise, and when you find the audience that resonates, you will see results. Period."
- Beck Pete
"It''s been around 2 1/2 month since I''ve implemented Ari and Lucidious''s marketing course and I''ve seen a huge different with the amount of followers and streams I''ve gained. The course itself is easy to follow along with and quick to implement. Before starting the course I was gaining around 400 - 500 new Spotify followers a month and now I?consistently receive 1200-1500 new followers each month. I''ve also consistently seen about 200K monthly listeners on Spotify and increased my Apple Music monthly streams from 72K to 86K. Even if you only have a small budget I highly recommend this course.I has taught me important techniques I can use not only on my current music but for upcoming releases, merch and music videos."
- J-Wright
"This course is monumental! I''ve always been way too intimidated to take a deep dive into setting up ads through Facebook on my own. I think I can speak for so many independent musicians on that. This course really lays it out and walks you through each step, highlighting the most important tools within the Facebook Ads Manager system. And the growth has been incredible! In 10 days I saw a 1,200 follower spike on Instagram. My engagement skyrocketed on posts and within stories. The new followers I gained have been commenting and messaging and tagging me, so I know they''re going to be easy to convert into lifelong fans over time. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to take social media marketing into their own hands. If you have a marketing budget, this course needs to be included in it!"
- vox
"After years of struggling to successfully promote my music and grow my fanbase, Ari and Lucidious''s course breathed new life into my career. When I signed up, I had 43 Spotify followers and didn''t have a single song with over 1000 streams. Just 6 months later, I had amassed over 2,000 followers and tens of thousands of streams from listeners all over the world. New fans started messaging me daily and posting Instagram stories saying they discovered me on Spotify and that they loved my music. Don''t waste any more time and money on ineffective promotional strategies; this course is the best investment you can make for growing your Spotify presence (and more)."
- Corey Lewin
Enroll in Streaming and Instagram Growth here
AND
Livestreaming for Musicians
This is our newest course and launched just 2 weeks ago. It''s taught by the #1 musician on Periscope, Clare Means. She makes her living livestreaming on Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope. She gets you from 0 to profitable in just a few weeks. Livestreaming is a great way to build a loyal, lifelong base of superfans. You don't need to worry about micropayments here. Many fans pay well over $100/mo to their favorite livestreaming musicians. And many successful livestreaming musicians are making 4-5 figures/month.?
"One of the best investments I've made in my career as an artist." - Janelle de la Rosa
"I went to Full Sail, and Ari's Take Academy got me further ahead in one day than two years there." - Menice? New Era
Enroll in Livestreaming for Musicians here
Let's go!
~Ari
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Read this (comment and see the spreadsheet) on aristake.com
Last Saturday I attended the Black Lives Matter peaceful protest in Los Angeles.?
It was very inspiring. For the first hour in Pan Pacific Park right by CBS studios and The Grove (and Canter's Deli - my favorite), we listened to speeches by black community members. Namely, we heard from family members of people who had been killed by the LAPD and have yet to see justice. We all said their names together over and over again. There were so many names I didn't know.?
It was estimated there were 40,000 people who attended this rally and march. It was incredible. We marched around The Grove and all took a knee and chanted George Floyd's name.?
It was completely peaceful until the police showed up, barricaded everyone in and started showing force to disperse the crowd. We had rubber bullets shot at us and we sprinted in the other direction. This is how our police handles peaceful protests? Well, I guess when it's around black causes, yes. I'm sure you saw on TV the police cars burned and windows smashed on Fairfax. I was there. And witnessed police tires being slashed, windows smashed and cars set on fire - by a white male. It was really disappointing that white people hijacked this peaceful protest to cause chaos. This march was for black lives.?
I will never tell a black person how to feel, think, act or protest because I have not lived in their shoes.
I don't know what they're feeling right now. But if you're a white person who participated in the violence and looting, shame on you. And to the police who shot peaceful protesters with rubber bullets, beat them with batons, tased them, plowed their cars into them, SHAME ON YOU TOO.?
We don't know the names of most lives taken at the hands of police. And because these killings weren't filmed, the media and white America doesn't care. The family members care, but we are able to tune it out, no matter how horrific, because it wasn't caught on film. I have the luxury to ignore it. This is part of my white privilege.?
"White privilege" is a phrase that many white people are offended by.
If your blood is boiling right now at the mention of it, I challenge you to read on and not turn this dialog off. Resist the urge to come at me with "you just lost a fan." This is the hard work black America needs white people to do right now.?
Some people think white privilege means that they didn't work hard or that they are rich. It's not that at all.?
White privilege simply means that the color of their skin exclusively provides them with benefits and advantages that black people and POC do not get. Like the benefit to drive and not get pulled over. Like how Philando Castile was pulled over 49 times (!!) over the span of 13 years all for minor infractions like turning into a parking lot without a signal - before his final traffic stop where he was murdered by the officer.
White privilege is the ability to wear a hoodie at night and walk down the street without being questioned or murdered like Trayvon Martin. White privilege is walking into a store and not followed. It's buying something expensive and not assuming credit card fraud. It's being able to easily get pain meds from the doctor. It's not being afraid when the police drive by or stop me. It's being able to smoke weed illegally or commit other small crimes and not worry about it.
It's being incarcerated 5 times less than black men. It's receiving a sentence for doing cocaine that's 100 times lighter than a sentence for smoking crack - because coke is more prominent in white communities and crack in black communities when it's basically the same drug. It's qualifying for a mortgage 10 times more than black people in the same financial situation.
It's being able to riot, burn cars and smash windows after your hockey team wins and being laughed off as 'dumb kids' not 'thugs.'?
It's not getting the police called on you for an alleged fake $20 bill. It's not getting killed by the police for doing nothing wrong.???
White privilege does not mean that your life isn't hard or that you don't struggle. It simply means that the color of your skin gives you advantages in American society. Plain and simple.?
The history of systemic racism in America is long and well documented.
If you don't believe white privilege exists or that we're living in a post-race society because Obama was president, then you are living in a white bubble. And you need a little education. We could all use some more education.?
That's why on Tuesday, during the music industry's #TheShowMustBePaused black out day, I encouraged my employees at Ari's Take to take the day off to listen to speeches by black leaders, read up on institutional racism, donate to causes they believe in, and put in serious work to tune IN this moment instead of tuning it out. I did the same.?
If you are someone who ''supports the movement,'' but is troubled by the looting, I encourage you to watch Trevor Noah's speech about it.?
Most music companies around America participated in #TheShowMustBePaused movement and gave their employees the day off to do THE WORK. But some did not.?
We at Ari's Take made a spreadsheet of music companies who gave their employees the day off, made a statement and have donated to causes that support the black community.??
Over the course of the day the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused had 700K shares, over 70k followers on socials and the initiative hosted over 1.5K black members and allies of the music community via several organized video conferences. They engaged in an organized dialogue and generated ideas on how to effectively make change within the music industry.??
I asked the organizers of #TheShowMustBePaused, two black female executives, Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, what the day was all about.?
"George Floyd was killed on a Monday and the following Tuesday we all went back to work. This should not have been the case and this is why we called for the industry to pause on Tuesday June 2nd," said Jamila Thomas.?
She continued, "The point was never to mute ourselves. This was a day to completely disconnect from work and make a difference in our community because we should not normalize what is happening."
Her co-creator Brianna Agyemang discussed how the movement will move forward after what was popularly referred to as Blackout Tuesday: "[The day] was a strong start to the change we want to make in the industry. We are taking all thoughts and ideas that were gathered and we will be implementing them into Phase 2 of this movement. Next steps are about clarifying needs and mobilizing the people to be the change we wish to see. The goal is to tap into the community at large to create change that is impactful and long lasting."
We are in an incredible moment in history right now.?
President Obama said at his town hall yesterday, reflecting on the protests and unrest after the death of George Floyd was "unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime."?
This is not just about the death of George Floyd. Anyone with a conscience who saw that video, was disgusted by it and believes these officers should be convicted of murder. But history shows us that the system is set up to protect cops. It's why so many police officers are acquitted of horrific crimes - even when there is video evidence. From Rodney King to Tamir Rice to Eric Garner to Philando Castile. These families never got justice. The black community never got justice.?
The system is not broken. It is working exactly how it was designed.?
Let's not forget that our country was built on slave labor and that our first president owned 123 slaves. The system is setup so that cops get away with murder and abuse. The system is set up so that rich, white America thrives and poor, black America doesn't.?
If you don't believe this, I encourage you to read The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It is one of the most eye opening things I have ever read about the history of systemic racism in America.?
This is not a moment to be silent. It is a movement and a revolution.?
Where do you stand? Because you have to take a stand. This is not a time to remain silent. The silence speaks volumes.?
This is why we are holding music companies accountable.?
If you are a company that did not give your employees the day off on Tuesday to put in this work, I encourage you to do so. Paid time off. You can afford it. If you care, you'll participate.?
Change doesn't need to come from the top down. The top is completely f'd right now. The fact that our President can gas peaceful protesters 25 minutes before curfew and forcibly clear the street so he can take a photo op and members of his party don't bat an eye, is very telling. Silence on this act discredits defending the Constitution ever again for anything. You can't pick and choose which rights you want to defend in the Constitution.?
Change comes from the ground up. It starts locally.?
If you want police reform, contact your city council member and ask them what they are planning to do to hold police accountable. Ask them to restructure the city budget so more money is invested in community building projects and less into the police force. It's proven that by adopting something like The People's Budget can aid communities a hell of a lot more than police can.?
REAL CHANGE CAN HAPPEN IF YOU STEP UP
If you want to support the black community right now, I encourage you to get out and peacefully protest (get tested for COVID-19 - in LA it's free and very easy), educate yourself, listen to black leaders in the movement, participate in uncomfortable conversations, donate to causes that support black causes right now like Color of Change, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Equal Justice Initiative, Campaign Zero and Black Lives Matter.
Some music companies are taking this a step further.
DistroKid is making it extremely easy for artists to donate a portion of the proceeds of their streams and sales to Color of Change or NAACP Legal Defense Fund. If you use DistroKid for distribution you can do that here.?
Bandcamp is donating their 15% fee from all purchases on June 19th to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. They have also announced they are allocating an additional $30,000 per year to partner with organizations that fight for racial justice and create opportunities for people of color.?
Spotify enables artists to add a donate button for any organization to their profile (this was announced at the start of the pandemic), but have not made a public statement about whether the company is donating directly.
Here at Ari's Take, we will be donating $2,500 to organizations including Color of Change, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Equal Justice Initiative and Campaign Zero.?
And on a personal note, my latest single was distributed with DistroKid so I am participating in the #ArtistsForJustice proceed split and will be donating 20% of the proceeds to Color of Change and will be encouraging my fans to purchase my single on Bandcamp on June 19th. I have also personally donated to a few of these organizations.?
Real change can start with you. It can be as simple as calling out a racist joke you hear from your uncle at Thanksgiving or having an uncomfortable phone conversation with a friend who doesn't align with you politically.?
It starts now. Are you in or are you out??
~Ari
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This Friday, I'll be hosting a free, live training with the "king of sync" Vo Williams to discuss the landscape of sync licensing for TV, film, commercials, trailers, and video games and dispell some big myths about the sync licensing world. Vo is a hip-hop artist with over 1,000 sync placements over the past 10 years. He regularly gets 6-figure sync placements (he got a few just in the past couple months!).?
Even though the touring industry has shut down - with?reopening nowhere in sight - the sync industry is thriving. Vo says it's the busiest he's ever been. He's willing to share with us what the hell is going on. I wouldn't miss this session. It's live. You'll have an opportunity to ask him questions at the end.?
Register here.?
Many New Music Business podcast listeners will remember when I had Vo on the show a few months back. I was so impressed with his knowledge, wisdom and generosity, that I brought him in to teach the new Ari's Take Academy course: Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games.?
He's been such a great instructor that many of our students have landed sync placements AND sync agents within just a few weeks of enrolling.?
So, join us this Friday at noon PST for a free, one-hour live training: 7 Myths of Getting Your Music into Film, TV and Video Games?
If you register BEFORE noon on Friday, you will have access to the replay for 7 days (even if you can''t watch it live). If you tune in live, you'll be able to ask us questions.?
~Ari
PS. Speaking of Vo, enrollment for his course Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games has just reopened - but will only be open for the next 3 weeks. Enroll here.?
Follow Ari''s Take on Instagram for daily doses of inspiration: @aristake_
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As a reminder (and clarification from some confusion), the free live?training "7 Myths of Getting Your Music Into Film, TV and Video Games" is tomorrow (Friday) at 2pm PST. It will last about 1 hour. There will be time at the end to ask questions. If you register before it starts, you''ll get a replay to watch for 7 days.?
My guest for this is hip hop artist Vo Williams who has gotten over 1,000 sync placements of?his own music in the past 10 years. He also has a sync agency representing other artists. We''ll discuss why and how?over the past few months during Covid, he''s been busier than ever, how you can?break into sync, and who he is looking to sign for his new agency (and how to apply).?
Register here.?
See you soon!
~Ari
PS - If you''d like to apply for a scholarship to any Ari''s Take Academy course, The Music Fund is awarding one (worth $1,000). Apply here.?
Follow Ari''s Take on Instagram for daily doses of inspiration: @aristake_
Keep up on Twitter: @aristakeSubscribe to the New Music Business podcast
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Enrollment for the Ari's Take Academy course, Advance Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games is now open through next Friday, September 4th.?
Our instructor, Vo Williams, has had his music synced in over 1,000 placements on TV, in film, movie trailers, video games and major ad campaigns. Since the course launched this past April, many of our students have landed sync agents and sync placements. Some saw multiple placements within the first couple months!?
One of these students, Menice New Era says about this course "I went to Full Sail, and this course got me further ahead in one day than two years there. Vo pinpointed everything I needed to do that I wasn''t doing. I included contracts and had all of the split sheets together with the music and BOOM! It''s crazy how the smallest details can make the biggest difference. My first pitch landed in a library for Sync with Universal Production Music UK just by following the course. Well worth it for real."
Another student, Janelle de la Rosa says "This course is one of the best investments I've made in my career as an artist. Vo''s hands-on guidance in addition to the vital information in the course landed me a deal with a major sync agency. Before, I had been hopelessly shooting in the dark. This course really puts you in the shoes of a sync agent (or music library/supervisor) and guides you on how to make music that fits into the sync world from sound quality to thematic elements. From email pitches, to follow-ups, to creating a brand around yourself as a sync artist, this course will equip you with all the tools you need to land a deal or a placement."
As many of you know, one of the most lucrative parts of music industry for independent musicians is the sync industry. Many artists make 6 and 7 figures a year without touring,?without selling merch, and without much of any social media or streaming presence. This is because they have carved out their niche in the sync realm. And many of the artists on the charts became known first from big sync placements in TV shows and commercials.?
You can learn more and enroll here.?
Again, enrollment closes next Friday September 4th
~Ari
P.S. If you''d like to apply for a scholarship to any Ari''s Take Academy course, The Music Fund is awarding one (worth $1,000). Apply here.?
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This Friday at 11:59pm PST, enrollment for the Ari's Take Academy course Advanced Sync Strategies for Film, TV?and Video Games will close! Enrollment won't open again for another 6 months.
As you probably know, sync licensing is one of the most lucrative sides of the music industry. And even though the pandemic has shut down the live touring industry, the sync world is thriving.?
This course launched in April, and already our students have gotten signed to sync agents and have landed sync placements. Our instructor, Vo Williams, is one of the most successful artists in the sync game with over 1,000 placements of just his music.?
He has just started a sync agency and anyone who enrolls before Friday will be able to apply to be an artist on his sync roster!?
Here are what a few of our students are saying about ATA's Advanced Sync Strategies:?
Nite Owl:?
?I have searched and searched for a training like the sync course by Vo Williams. There is absolutely nothing out there like this training. You can''t find this information on Google or YouTube--not presented in such a clear, concise way--by an artist who has the expertise that Vo Williams brings to the table. On top of that, when you join the course you are accepted into a private Facebook group where students can share ideas and ask questions of Vo Williams, the instructor. I was blown away to see that Vo is very active in the group. He answers nearly all questions directly himself--with a detailed, thoughtful, generous answer. If you are a beginner to sync, or you are looking to take your music to the next sync level, this course is the best money you will ever spend.?
Janelle de la Rosa:
This course is one of the best investments I've made in my career as an artist. Vo''s hands-on guidance in addition to the vital information in the course landed me a deal with a major sync agency. Before, I had been hopelessly shooting in the dark. This course really puts you in the shoes of a sync agent (or music library/supervisor) and guides you on how to make music that fits into the sync world from sound quality to thematic elements. From email pitches, to follow-ups, to creating a brand around yourself as a sync artist, this course will equip you with all the tools you need to land a deal or a placement.
Lillian Frances:
Vo is one of the best teachers I have ever had. Having access to his mind and support has been huge for me in finding a sync agent, which I was able to do. The world of sync has always been confusing to me, but knowing that I have a team of other musicians and Vo to help guide me in the process gives me the confidence and knowledge I need to have a successful sync career.
Sophia Korz
This course has given me so much valuable info that I would not have found elsewhere. The hands on, practical approach is so unique and crucial. The cost is absolutely worth it, and I felt like I got so much more out of it than the dollar value I paid, even though I was nervous at the beginning. Additionally, the community is really helpful for discussing personal situations and questions, and Vo goes above and beyond to help every single person on a one to one basis.
Bucky Beale
I always heard about sync licensing, but never knew the process to get any of my music to music supervisors or really what exactly they were looking for. How I got over it was signing up for this course with Vo! I was in the dark until Vo showed me the light! This course truly is worth its weight in gold!
Menice New Era
I went to Full Sail, and this course got me further ahead in one day than two years there. Vo pinpointed everything I needed to do that I wasn''t doing. I included contracts and had all of the split sheets together with the music and BOOM! It''s crazy how the smallest details can make the biggest difference. My first pitch landed in a library for Sync with Universal Production Music UK just by following the course. Well worth it for real.
Enroll here.
~Ari
PS - If you would like to apply for a scholarship to any ATA course, The Music Fund is offering one here.?
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If you participated in my little exercise of pre-saving my?new song on Spotify, thank you! It will help inform the review: Are Spotify Pre-Save Campaigns Worth It? DistroKid vs. Feature.fm vs. Show.co vs. Smarturl.?If you did pre-save, did you get notified? Please leave your thoughts in the comments. I''ll be updating this review shortly now that I have all of the pre-save data.
Also, check out the latest New Music Business podcast episode with Grammy-nominated songwriter Kevin Garret. He discusses writing for Beyonce and what it''s like running his career as an independent artist with a big publishing deal. You can listen here on your favorite podcast app or watch the view here.
Read this (and stream/comment) on aristake.com
Many of you know that for the majority of my twenties I was in a very serious relationship. We met in college, toured the country, moved to LA, started a life here, and a little over a year ago, decided to part ways. This relationship lasted 1/3 of my life. Over a decade. The breakup wasn't dramatic in the traditional sense. But it was monumental and painful. An end of an era. For the first month of our conscious uncoupling, we still lived together. That presented warped versions of reality and an imbalance unlike anything I had experienced up until that point.?
I moved into a new apartment on the other side of town and began to build my new life on my own. Reclaiming myself.?
Many of you also know that over the past 5 years I haven't released any music under my own name. I launched a funk band, released a couple books, launched a podcast and an Academy - which all kept me busy. But I wasn't writing songs that were personal to me. I either didn't feel the need or was afraid for what it would uncover. But after this breakup, I realized that the only way to process what I was going through was through songwriting.?
I've been seeing a therapist for a few years and he's great. Very helpful at enabling me to see clearly and uncover the why and the how. But not the what. Therapy, for me, has been all head. It wasn't penetrating my heart. The only way I can adequately process what's going on inside my heart is through songwriting.?
For the first couple months of living on my own, I was very unstable. I was living amongst boxes. I couldn't unpack my former life into my new one until a friend came over and forced me to. I hadn't quite learned how to stand on my two feet and hold myself up - on my own. I buried myself in work, in community, in live music and occasional sexual explorations which were fun, but confusing.?
It wasn't until I carved out Tuesdays for songwriting, did I start to actually process what I was going through. I needed one day a week where I didn't focus on anything else, but songwriting. My entire routine shifted. When I woke up, I didn't grab my phone. Instead I grabbed my sneakers and went straight to the gym. At the gym I didn't listen to podcasts like I normally do, but rather music. I kept my phone on Do Not Disturb and stayed off social media and email. When I got home, I made myself breakfast and coffee while either continuing to listen to music that was inspiring me at the moment or began the writing process if a melody or lyric was bursting out.
Then I retreated to my studio to write. Sometimes a song poured out in an hour and other times it took an entire day. If the music wasn't coming, I would learn a favorite song by someone else. I would play their song over and over again until it eventually ceased to become their song and started to become my own song. This exercise was awfully helpful when I had trouble getting the process started. And for the record, no, the end product sounds nothing like the song that inspired it, Marvin Gaye estate.
I took myself on solo writing retreats - like to Mammoth Mountain where I skied during the day and wrote music at night. Or just spent the day songwriting.?
Sometimes I went to my friend Brett Nolan's place to write with him. He and I created the Brassroots District record together and I loved collaborating with him.?
I wrote about 40 songs last year without intention or direction. Sometimes people write music intending it to be for?something or for?someone. I didn't. It was for?me. I needed it. I'm fortunate I have songwriting as a tool to help me process my emotions. I didn't turn to alcohol, drugs, sex or adrenalin. I turned to songwriting.?
I worked through?it. It wasn't easy.?
I remember one day, after a full day of writing, my friend Andrew came over for dinner. As soon as I opened the door he said "Hey!. Woah are you alright?" It was all over my face what I was going through. I had spent the entire day in it.?
Writing about heavy topics is not easy. It's heavy. I force myself to feel everything. It's therapeutic. And it's how I came out on the other side intact and a more complete individual able to love again.
This first song I'm releasing today I wrote with Brett Nolan and is called "Retrospect." It's the first of many I'll be releasing over the coming year about this experience of reclaiming myself post breakup.?
I recorded it at 64 Sound Studios in Highland Park, CA last December, live, one-take with a band. If you watch the video (released next week), you'll see us in the room together. These musicians are good friends and phenomenal musicians, and I was so honored that they joined me for this.?
I hope you enjoy it.?
You can stream it or download it here: https://smarturl.it/ah-retrospect-single?
~Ari
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Today''s guest on the New Music Business podcast is the CEO of The Music Fund, John Funge. If you don''t know what The Music Fund is, well, read below. I posted a full article about this company on aristake.com. John explains how his company is able to give artists big up-front advances on their streaming revenue without retaining any ownership and why he thinks this is the model of the future. Listen to our conversation here.?And you can apply for funding from The Music Fund here
+Read this article (and comment) on aristake.com?
One of the biggest reasons that artists sign with major record labels is for the upfront cash.?
The advance is very attractive for artists getting a 6- or 7-figure check waved in front of their face - even if it means they have to give up all of their ownership forever. And many, many more restrictions.?
Remember, over 99% of artists that sign to major record labels fail. Meaning, of the 100 artists major record labels signed this year, 99 of them won't recoup the costs of their advance and will get dropped. Of course they don't get their masters back. And all of the blood, sweat, pain and tears that went into that record, is now (and forever) property of their former label.?
And far too often, labels sign artists and then shelve them.?
Meaning, the artist delivers the required content (single, EP or album) and the label just decides not to put it out. Then the artist is left in some sort of purgatory unable to do anything without the label's permission.?
And far too often, artists sign with a label because certain people there convince them to sign because they LOVE them. Only for those people to get fired, replaced or move jobs. But, of course, you cannot move with them. You don't sign with people. You sign with companies. It's in black and white.?
So even if you sign with a person at a label who you love, they may not be there next week.?
And your cheerleader is gone. And no one left at the label cares about you. So you get lost in the mix.?
Remember, to most labels, artists are just numbers. The executives need to balance the books. They're looking at spreadsheets hoping for hits. The major record labels are no longer in the business of artist development. They are in the business of creating superstars. They aren't looking for talent. They are looking for hit makers. Superstars. What is marketable.?
"Our job is to make famous." - Avery Lipman, President, Universal Republic Records
Who are labels signing? Artists who have already built something substantial. Who are already starting to pop. The majors are good at giving proven artists a bump into the next level. Sometimes it works. Most of the time it doesn't. Or maybe it does for a short period of time, but then the buzz wears off, the advance runs out, and now the artist, two years down the line, is locked into a deal with a label who doesn't give a shit about them. And they are unable to move forward.
The major label deal is the worst kind of loan in the history of loans.?
In no other industry, does someone lend you money, then collect all of their money back first, then only pay you 15% of the money that comes in after that, and retains all of the ownership.?
Can you imagine if home ownership loans were structured this way??
"Here's $500,000. Once you pay us back the money, you don't own the home. We still own the home. Forever. And all of the appreciation on the home, we will make 85% of that too. Sign here."
But sure, there is no question that major labels can (and do) create superstars.?
But not every superstar is on a major label.?
Just look at Marshmello, Lauv, Chance the Rapper. Not to mention the thousands of artists earning 5, 6 or 7 figure incomes.?
"'Far greater' than 30,000 artists are making a living off of Spotify." - Daniel Ek, Spotify CEO
But it costs money to develop a music career. And most emerging artists, even if they've found a bit of success, don't have much up front capital.?
This is where The Music Fund comes in.?
I had heard from a couple artists that they were getting up-front advances from The Music Fund without having to give up ownership. So naturally I had to investigate. I sat down with these artists to hear about their experiences. These artists were very pleased with how the process went.?
"It felt too good to be true. There wasn't fine print that was sketchy." - frumhere
How it works is you upload the past couple years of streaming data and they make you an offer for an upfront payment. They will get a percentage of your streaming revenue from your back catalog of approved songs.?
They don't take any revenue from future releases.?
Their deals last 2 years. It's not a loan. If at the end of 2 years, they don't make their money back, you part ways and that's the end of that.?
It's a sliding scale. So you could get, say, $15,000 up front by giving up 5% of your royalties. Or maybe you need more up front, so you ask for $50,000 and agree to give up 80% of your streaming revenue for the next 2 years (only of the songs you agree on).?
"Since I joined them I gained over 100,000 listeners on Spotify" - Enkay47
I sat down with the CEO, John Funge to get a better understanding of how it all works and to attempt to sniff out where they're trying to fuck artists. You can listen to our conversation here.
Turns out, there's really no way they can fuck artists. The deal is very straightforward. They cut an artist a check, the artist adds The Music Fund as a collaborator with their distributor (if they don't use a distributor that offers payment splitting, the artist must switch to DistroKid) and the distributor just pays the agreed upon percentage directly to TMF for the term of the agreement.?
I pressed John on how this business model can possibly work. He revealed that with the TMF team's background in data science, it's a numbers game. Unlike the major labels that are hoping for a big hit to cover the other 99% of "failures," TMF just needs most artists to earn them a little bit. And with their methods, they are quite confident they can predict how much songs will earn over the next two years, based on the previous two years.?
If this really works, this could completely revolutionize the music business as we know it.?
Just think, why would Billie Eilish renew her deal with Interscope and give up all her ownership, when she could get the same amount (or more) in an advance from The Music Fund, retain 100% of her ownership and then hire out label services companies to work radio, PR and marketing?
Or what if Drake went independent? The artist Russ recently pontificated with industry veteran Steve Stoute that if Drake released his new album independently, he'd make $10 million a week for 60 weeks.?
"If Drake goes independent the music business is done." - Steve Stoute, founder United Masters
In the future, we're going to start to see fewer artists sign to record deals because of systems like The Music Fund.?
Some distributors have already started offering advances based on past royalties. Back in 2017, Tunecore, via Lyric Financial, set up a system similar to this to offer advances for a one-time fee. But they keep 100% of your royalties until your advance is paid back. And you can't take your music down until the advance is paid back.?
Ingrooves, The Orchard, Believe and AWAL occasionally offer advances on future releases to new artists based on the artist''s past performance. These companies typically retain 15-20% of all royalties for the life of the term. But this method is like label guesswork and isn't based on much data.?
PayPal also offers similar style loans based on previous sales data (without checking or affecting your credit). These are loans, however, which must be repaid no matter what.
Royalty Exchange sets up an auction for copyright holders to sell off a portion of their royalties. This works well for established legacy artists, or famous songs. Like one of the songwriters for Jay-Z and Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind" sold their public performance rights for 10 years for $190,500 to the highest bidder.?
It seems The Music Fund is the best option for any artist that has a good streaming history to get money fast.?
And don't be surprised if distributors start striking deals with The Music Fund to be able to scale this operation even quicker.?
You can check out The Music Fund and apply for an advance here.??
~Ari
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PS - Check out the New Music Business podcast with guests liks Andy Grammer, Zaytoven, Lucidious, Kevin Garrett and music supervisors, managers and publishers here.
Follow Ari''s Take on Instagram for daily doses of inspiration: @aristake_
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Today''s guest on the New Music Business podcast is artist manager and founder of the management company Culture Collective, Jonathan Azu. His clients include Emily King, Cory Henry, Luke James, and Michelle Williams. He was the former executive Vice President and General Manager?of?Red Light Management. We discuss how he has shifted his strategy because of the COVID shutdowns, when he thinks touring will come back and what it will look like and how, as a black music executive, he believes we can repair racial inequities in the music industry. It was a very interesting and enlightening conversation. Check it out here.?
+Read this article (see the photos and comment) on aristake.com?
On Thursday, July 26th, in a brave act of solidarity and dissent against their employer, black musicians penned an open letter to the founder and leader of Postmodern Jukebox, Scott Bradlee.?Many posted this letter and subsequent demands to social media and the @blackatpmj Instagram Account was launched. Among those who posted the letter include Mykal Kilgore, Maiya Sykes, Jonathan Richards, Chip Thomas, Anissa Lee, Lee Howard, Drue Davis, Ashley Stroud, PJ Floyd, and David Simmons, Jr. Other PMJ performers who posted the letter in solidarity include Kenton Chen, Robyn Adele Anderson, and Mario Jose.?
It read:?
Dear Scott Bradlee and Postmodern Jukebox,
The couple of months have been challenging for many of us, as our country reckons with the many forms of racism and structural inequities within our society. In this moment, we feel the responsibility lies with each and every one of us to contribute to this growing movement calling for change. Both on an individual level and collectively, we must hold ourselves and our institutions accountable. Businesses from Starbucks to the NFL are taking on the challenge of addressing issues surrounding race within their organization and beyond. We are asking PMJ to do the same.?
PMJ's rise to a multimillion-dollar international corporation is in large part due to music created, arranged, performed and popularized by Black artists. Jazz and tap dance are forms of Black art. Furthermore, PMJ features many Black artists and has profited greatly from their talents. With this in mind, we feel Scott and Management have a responsibility to use the PMJ platform to support us in the ways we say we need to be supported.?
Over the years, there has been constant racial disparity within Postmodern Jukebox.?There has been a noticeable lack of diverse representation on videos, posters, marketing campaigns, socials, advertisements, etc. from PMJ. A Black performer was asked to remove a "Black Lives Matter" pin during a tour. A Black performer was demoted or given significantly less work after the entire cast refused to perform in Gainesville, FL, near a white supremacy rally. A Black performer was not taken seriously when they reported an incident of sexual assault and harassment. These are but a few of many instances of racial disparity, aggression and discrimination within PMJ.?
While we recognize PMJ does cast many people of color, these members have often been given excess work (with no additional pay), less promotion, less video inclusion and overall less of the general exposure to PMJ fans than white cast members have received through the years. There is a significant lack of people of color - and women - in leadership positions at PMJ, including agents, management, tour staff, music directors/band leaders and so forth. This has to change. We are willing to work with Scott to facilitate a more equal and fair representation of people of color and women in these positions of power within the organization.?
Now is the time for Postmodern Jukebox to be a champion of the Black Lives Matter movement.?This is not a political statement. It is a human-rights statement. We need PMJ to use all of its public facing platforms to support us. Ultimately, we think that this will make the organization stronger.?
Recently we initiated a Zoom call with Scott to address these issues and to share some of our experiences while working with Postmodern Jukebox. Scott responded to our outreach and agreed to virtually meet with us. He listened to each of our experiences without interruption. When it was his turn to speak, he went down the list of our shared experiences, and proceeded to validate or invalidate them based on his own thoughts. He chastised and belittled one of us for sharing their experience publicly.
**
+Who in Music is Supporting the Black Community Right Now
They also sent a list of action items they asked Scott Bradlee to take:
Scott responded to their letter privately and the coalition publicly stated:
"We consider Scott's response to be a rejection of our very clear outline and an attempt to silence and control us. we do not accept this."
--Black members of Postmodern Jukebox #blackatpmj?
It's important to note that this letter was sent nearly a month after PMJ posted a statement which read, in part:
"Postmodern Jukebox has featured dozens of phenomenally talented Black performers. It's important to acknowledge that the roots of American popular music comes from Black Americans, and their Lives, Voices, and Dignity matters. When they hurt, we hurt, and we stand with our Black cast members in an effort to envision a world free from hate, discrimination, and injustice."??
Postmodern Jukebox started as a YouTube project by pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011.?
You have probably seen their videos even if you're not familiar with their name. They do early 20th century jazz arrangements of pop songs, oftentimes in costume and sometimes with props and tap dancers. They have amassed over 1 billion YouTube views with nearly 5 million subscribers, and regularly tour the world, oftentimes with multiple ensembles out at the same time touring various parts of the world.?
+Huge! Musicians (and Freelancers) Can Now Get PPP Loans (With Forgiveness)?
Scott Bradlee brilliantly created an entity that is not reliant on any one star. It is all about the experience. Most tours, Scott doesn't even join. Many of my friends in LA are part of Postmodern Jukebox. It's like The Voice or American Idol. If you live in LA, and have a great voice and perform in the scene regularly, you'll most likely get swiped by The Voice, American Idol (or whatever latest singing contest TV show is out) and Postmodern Jukebox. In fact, some of PMJ's biggest breakouts are former contestants like Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams.?
This all started with a post on June 22nd by singer Mykal Kilgore:?
"Since Starbucks is letting their employees wear BLM gear do you think maybe Postmodern Jukebox will do the same?! I hope they've come around since when they tried to fire me for wearing my BLM pin."
He continued:
"In October 2016 I was on tour with @pmjofficial when I got an email that told me that I was no longer allowed to wear my BLM on stage. I then received a text message from a fellow cast member saying that they were trying to hire him to replace me."
This essentially opened the floodgates.?
Karen Marie went live on Instagram explaining that she co-arranged "Creep" with Scott (currently the videos have nearly 85 million views) but was not credited or compensated for it.?Her Instagram Live (watch here) was immediately "shadow banned" by Instagram limiting its reach (most likely because people flagged it as inappropriate).?
After I watched her video, I went to check on who was credited for arranging "Creep." On YouTube it listed "Arrangement by Scott Bradlee."?
In Scott's book Outside the Jukebox he writes:?
"I met Karen Marie.she suggested we add 'Creep' to the set list. We reimagined the song in 6/8 time, lending it the feel of Etta James' 'At Last.' Karen - ever the comedian - ended the demo by quoting a line from TLC's very different hit song also named 'Creep.' Haley Reinhart fell in love with the arrangement and asked if she could perform it live with us. The reaction was immediate; it was the most talked-about performance of the night."
For such a powerful arrangement you'd think Karen would be credited and compensated for it.?
According to her public statements, she has not been credited the past 6 years until this past week (after her Instagram Live post).?
And has still not been properly compensated.
As of today, the "Creep" videos have been updated to list "Arrangement by Scott Bradlee with Karen Marie."?
Scott (or his management) did not respond to multiple requests for comment.?
"There were times in the last 7 years that I was financially up shit's creek with no word from him. He came and asked me to sing for him for an appearance he had. Want to know how much money I made for that appearance? $0. I have yet to see any credit or any profit for what I've done." -Karen Marie, singer
I spoke with a few cast members to get the rundown on how the PMJ financial model works. Basically, the musicians (non-lead singers) get paid a flat amount to record a song and video. Typically starting around $150/song. However, I spoke with a horn player who said he started at only $100/song.?
Sometimes the song would take a couple hours to film and record, other times it would take six hours. Same $150 rate.?
"You have a multi millionaire who is banking off of black music and is making statements on behalf of black artists, but you didn't do right by the black person that showed up the first time."
- Karen?Marie, singer
Lead singers get a different deal. They typically get a percentage of royalties. A singer shared one contract from a duet he did with PMJ which offered him, the singer, just 7.5% of royalties from just iTunes (this contract was pre-Apple Music) and Spotify (not ad revenue from YouTube, not CD sales, not other DSPs, not sync).?
Oh AND there is exclusivity in the contract. Meaning, this singer is not allowed to record this same song for 5 years.?
+This Music Company Doesn''t Care About Black Lives
I reached out to both Postmodern Jukebox's management, press team and Scott directly for a comment, but did not receive one.?
I will update this if they get back to me.?
"The thing that's been frustrating - it's the organization as a whole. Yes a lot of it is Scott, most of it is Scott. There's a lot of complacency - people who are afraid to speak up because they see this as their only line of work. Because it has garnered them a lot of recognition sometimes later in their lives. Therefore keeps them quiet. " - Anonymous PMJ touring cast member
I spoke with bassist Jonathan Richards at length. Jonathan has recorded over 50 videos, amassing over 170 million views over the course of 3 years. He was paid just $150/video (later he said he got a raise of $30/video when he pleaded for more money).?
"The majority of the musicians are pretty frustrated. But no one wanted to speak out. We all kind of kept going with it. The longer I played with them the more I realized this is really fucked up." - Jonathan Richards, bassist?
He recalled an instance where after they had finished recording one song, Scott's assistant came out and asked Jonathan to stay to do another song for an additional $50. When Jonathan explained his deal was $180/song, Scott (via his assistant) refused to pay it, explaining that the first recording went quicker than they had expected. Jonathan noted that he didn't get paid more when a recording went longer than expected.?
"I'm standing in his mansion and he's renovating his pool,"
-Jonathan?Richards, bassist
I asked Jonathan what he thought would be a fair payment for the work. He said $400-500/song plus a little on the backend.?
"I just needed gigs, I was getting through grad school. I went with it longer than I should have." - Jonathan Richards, bassist?
I spoke with singer Mykal Kilgore and asked him the same thing and he said that although this model is common, he doesn't believe it's fair.?
Being asked to remove his Black Lives Matter pin on a tour, he posed a rhetorical question to Scott:
"How can you be an artist in a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-gender situation and it not be political? How do you tear down white supremacy? How do you build up the black community?"
--Mykal?Kilgore, singer
Another singer, Maiya Sykes, posted the letter to her Instagram with a follow up video. In it she says:
"I'm not posting what I posted to burn the house down, to insult Scott, to insult management or to insinuate that this isn't a fixable problem. But I do know that this is an issue. I also have every faith that bringing this issue to light is not going to destroy Postmodern Jukebox or be a badge of dishonor to Scott. I have every intention and every belief that Scott wants to make this better and that everyone in Postmodern Jukebox wants to make this better. So we are going to make this better. If that means that they are angry at me right now I totally get that but I come in love and I know that this is a fixable problem. Let's clean up PMJ" - Maiya Sykes, singer
Another PMJ touring performer gave a bit of insight into how the 'casting' of the ensemble works:
"If you pay attention to every single tour, they have a bunch of skinny white girls, they allow for 1 not skinny girl, 1 white guy, 1 person of color. It doesn't work for more people of color. At most there are 2 people of color in the band. Strategically placed that way. Because of the audience. They don't appreciate that. I know for me, I was asked multiple times to tone down the sexuality of my performances. In the same show that you had a woman performing Burlesque pulling a man on stage and sitting on his lap. What is appropriate or not appropriate?" - Anonymous PMJ touring cast member
"The only people who are allowed to be full human beings are the lead white women in front."
- Kenton?Chen, singer
What's clear in all of this is that Postmodern Jukebox performers have not felt supported or taken care of. They have felt taken advantage of, demeaned, belittled and undermined.?
The payment structure of Postmodern Jukebox is flat out unethical.?Scott Bradlee got rich on the backs of his musicians - keeping them paid just barely enough so they'd return, but not nearly enough for what an enterprise like this could afford to adequately support its musicians.
Do I think he's a bad guy? No. I think he built an impressive entity and is a true visionary (and very talented pianist). But his deals are unfair and he needs to be held accountable.?
In my opinion, the lead singer should receive a hell of a lot more than 7.5% of royalties for the song they sing lead on and it should come from EVERY master revenue stream. If ANY money is made from that master (sync licenses, YouTube ad revenue, CD sales, etc), the singer should get paid for it.?
This info needs to be 100% transparent.?These books should be publicly available to everyone who performed on the song. They should be able to log in to a database and view these numbers (like how DistroKid, Stem or Soundrop work payment splitting).?
And the musicians should enjoy a much larger up-front fee plus a bit of the backend.?What I would deem fair would be 20% reserved for the lead singer of the song, 20% split amongst all of the players on the song (in addition to a sizable session fee), and 60% for Postmodern Jukebox/Scott Bradlee.?
+9 Things Singer/Songwriters Need To Know About Hiring Freelance Musicians?
It's time to reimagine how session musicians are compensated.It has never been fair. Session musicians rarely ever earn a backend royalty from the master. It's time they do. Especially in an organization like this which so heavily depends on the personalities and talents of the musicians for their brand.?
And it's time to listen to, support and amplify black musicians' voices. Not just on the track, but in the contract.? ?
~Ari
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PS - Check out the New Music Business podcastt with guests liks Andy Grammer, Zaytoven, Lucidious, Kevin Garrett and music supervisors, managers and publishers here.
Follow Ari''s Take on Instagram for daily doses of inspiration: @aristake_
Keep up on Twitter: @aristakeSubscribe to the New Music Business podcast
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Enrollment for the Ari's Take Academy course, Advance Sync Strategies for Film, TV and Video Games is now open through next Friday, September 4th.?
Our instructor, Vo Williams, has had his music synced in over 1,000 placements on TV, in film, movie trailers, video games and major ad campaigns. Since the course launched this past March, many of our students have landed sync agents and sync placements. Some saw multiple placements within the first couple months!?
One of these students, Menice New Era says about this course "I went to Full Sail, and this course got me further ahead in one day than two years there. Vo pinpointed everything I needed to do that I wasn''t doing. I included contracts and had all of the split sheets together with the music and BOOM! It''s crazy how the smallest details can make the biggest difference. My first pitch landed in a library for Sync with Universal Production Music UK just by following the course. Well worth it for real."
Another student, Janelle de la Rosa says "This course is one of the best investments I've made in my career as a sync artist. Vo''s hands-on guidance in addition to the vital information in the course landed me a deal with a major sync agency. Before, I had been hopelessly shooting in the dark. This course really puts you in the shoes of a sync agent (or music library/supervisor) and guides you on how to make music that fits into the sync world from sound quality to thematic elements. From email pitches, to follow-ups, to creating a brand around yourself as a sync artist, this course will equip you with all the tools you need to land a deal or a placement."
As many of you know, one of the most lucrative parts of music industry for independent musicians is the sync industry. Many artists make 6 and 7 figures a year without touring,?without selling merch, and without much of any social media or streaming presence. This is because they have carved out their niche in the sync realm. And many of the artists on the charts became known first from big sync placements in TV shows and commercials.?
You can learn more and enroll here.?
Again, enrollment closes next Friday September 4th
~Ari
P.S. This Friday, Ari's Take Academy students are invited to attend the live podcast recording of Drake and Halsey's producer Rog?t Chahayed and his manager Greg Katz. Anyone who tunes in will have a chance to ask them questions on the spot which will be included in the podcast.?
P.P.S. If you''d like to apply for a scholarship to any Ari''s Take Academy course, The Music Fund is awarding one (worth $1,000). Apply here.?
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This week on the New Music Business podcast I don''t have a guest, but I discuss the controversy surrounding the CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek's comment: "You can't record music once every three to four years and think that's going to be enough." Boy did that cause an uproar in the music industry. I read some of the tweets and comments about it from some big names and give my take on it all.
I also go into how Spotify's payment model actually works and if it's fair or not. There''s been a lot of confusion on how you Spotify actually calculates payments and all that jazz.
Check out the episode here
Also, last week on the show I interviewed Allie X. She''s an independent artist with 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, over 100 million streams, nearly 200,000 Instagram followers and had a huge, worldwide headlining tour setup for the Spring, which, well, you know what happened there.
Check out the episode here
And lastly, if you missed my episode with?artist manager Jonathan Azu, I highly encourage you check that one out as well.?This was the first in-person interview I''d done since the coronavirus shutdown and we''ve all been locked in quarantine. But Jonathan has a beautiful backyard where we could safely social distance, so we setup there. It was nice to be in the physical presence of somebody for once. I''ve missed that so dearly.
Jonathan Azu is an artist manager for artists like Cory Henry, Luke James, Emily King, and Michelle Williams among others. He used to be the executive vice president and general manager of Red Light Management. He is also a two-time Billboard magazine 40 Under 40 power player. Over a year ago, he launched his own management company called Culture Collective.
We talk about how he shifted his business model now that live touring is shut down. We also talk about how the music industry can be more racially diverse and equitable, specifically how music companies can address the racial inequalities that exist at an executive level but really all levels.
A Forbes 2017 article outlined that hip-hop and R&B genres are responsible for 25% of all music consumption and over 29% of all on-demand streams across the United States. However, executives of color are still relatively scarce atop major music companies. The top 10 out of 10 on the Billboard Power 100 list are all white, and there''s only two people of color in the top 50. Azu breaks this down on why he thinks this is and how to fix it because it''s a problem.
Check out the episode here?
In case you?missed them, make sure to check out previous episodes:
Kanye, American Idol, Grammys, Herbie Hancock, Miguel, Cirque du Soleil's Ableton Programmer on Making It Work
How Artists Can Get Record Advances Without Signing To a Label
TikTok and Instagram Influencers with Ultra Records Marketing Director
You can check them all out here.?
~Ari
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Follow Ari''s Take on Instagram for daily doses of inspiration: @aristake_
Keep up on Twitter: @aristakeSubscribe to the New Music Business podcast
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First off, big news y'all, Ari's Take Academy has just launched Livestreaming for Musicians!?
This course?is taught by the #1 Musician on Periscope, Clare Means. Clare makes her living livestreaming on Twitch, Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Instagram and yes, of course, Periscope. This is a very in-depth course that gives you a step-by-step on how to grow your fanbase and make a significant revenue livestreaming - on whichever platform you choose (or all of them at once). Like other ATA courses, there is a very active private Facebook Group to ask questions, network, collaborate and grow together. If you are yearning for a music community because your local scene has shut down, join us. The community is extremely supportive and will help keep you on track.?
Many artists who don't have big fanbases, are making 4-5 figures A MONTH livestreaming. This isn't the exception. This is becoming the norm. We don't know when the touring industry is going to come back. But one thing is for sure, livestreaming is effective and is here to stay.?
Enroll and learn more here
Enrollment closes next Friday October 30th for this course AND Streaming and Instagram Growth?- where we teach you how to effectively grow your Spotify, Apple Music and Instagram profiles. Streaming and Instagram Growth is taught by Lucidious who has over 500,000 monthly Spotify listeners, 150 million streams, and makes over $20,000/mo just from his streaming revenue.?
Join the other 2,000 students in Ari's Take Academy?and level up your career.?
By enrolling in ATA you''ll have access to industry leaders with our monthly live video Q&As. All of our courses are 'living' - in that as things shift and change in the industry, so do our lessons. You have access to the course for as long as you'd like. The course starts the day you enroll and never ends. Some lessons are prerecorded and others are ongoing throughout the year keeping you up to date on everything. We regularly update the prerecorded lessons as things evolve.
ATA courses are taught by proven, working professionals in the industry who are killing it today (not had some mild success 25 years ago). Our courses are more effective than any university or online education program out there - and much less expensive. Feel free to ask any current student or browse the countless testimonials and success stories from our current students.?
I'm just going to share one testimonial that I love:
"I went to Full Sail and Ari's Take Academy got me further ahead in one day than two years there." - Menice New Era
And Forbes listed Ari's Take Academy as the future of music education.
We are changing the landscape of music business education. And the music industry as we know it.?
Join us.?
+Read the Digital Distribution comparison article and see the chart on aristake.com?
We at Ari's Take just did a massive overhaul to the digital distribution comparison article. Everything is current and up to date. Check it out!
The biggest thing you'll probably notice is that the jpg chart - oh that magical chart - is now in the form of a Google Spreadsheet. This was requested by A TON of people - so we finally made it happen. Enjoy!
Also, during this update, I was tipped off to some very odd payment reporting from CD Baby. Longtime readers know that I've been a fan of CD Baby's. I used to use them for my own music. They're the oldest digital indie distributor and there are a lot of great people who work there. However, a year ago, they were acquired by Downtown Music. Since then, things have shifted quite dramatically over there. Not least of which is their payment reporting. Which, how do we say this politely, isn't accurate.?
I've been in touch with the higher ups at CD Baby for months trying to get answers - and unfortunately have received the runaround. So has everyone else who has brought this to their attention.?
Speaking of which, we are going to do a distributor payment comparison! First of its kind.?
Did you know that not every Spotify or Apple Music stream is treated equally? I'm sure you probably knew that not every streaming service pays the same. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm saying that every label and distributor has negotiated different rates with the DSPs (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc). So some distributors actually pay you MORE for a Spotify stream than others. I'm also not talking about the difference in streams from users. Yes, we know that a stream from a premium Spotify subscriber in the US pays a hell of a lot more than a stream from an ad-supported Spotify user in the US. Not to mention from a user in, say, India - which pays very little per-stream.?
Each listener's streams are treated differently. If one listener is on a family account, their streams will be less valuable than an individual on a paid-account. And so forth,?
SO!?
We at Ari's Take are going to do a FULL COMPARISON of the top distributors out there and see how much they pay per stream.?
We need your help though!
The distributors aren't giving us this information just because we ask nicely. It's private and the DSPs actually bind them by NDAs.?
If you would like to help us in our research and send us your royalty reports please fill out this form! NO NAMES WILL BE ATTACHED TO ROYALTY REPORTS. You will remain anonymous, BUT I will thank you and link to your music in the article.?
We will be sourcing hundreds of reports, blurring out Artist and song names, so no one will be able to tell which report came from whom.?
Send us your reports RIGHT HERE.?
Ok, I know why you opened this email. It was because you wanted to know which distributor is the best between:
Amuse vs. AWAL vs. CD Baby vs. DistroKid vs. Ditto Music vs. FreshTunes vs. Horus Music vs. LANDR vs. OneRPM vs. RouteNote vs. Songtradr vs. Soundrop vs. Stem vs. Symphonic Distribution vs. TuneCore vs. UnitedMasters
Dig in!
~Ari
?
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I want to give my partner Bandzoogle a quick shout out. They put together a great guide on how (and why) to create a great music website. You can check that out here.?
Also! I will be back speaking at the ASCAP Experience (formerly called the Expo) this year April 1-3rd in downtown Los Angeles. There are a ton of great speakers lined up including Jason Mraz, Kevin Kadish (songwriter for Miley Cyrus, Meghan Trainor, Garth Brooks), Steph Jones (writer for Selena Gomez), Malik Yousef (producer/writer for Kanye West, Beyonce, Drake), Priscilla Renea (writer for Pitbull),?Dan Wilson (wrote "Someone Like You" Adele, "Closing Time" Semisonic, "Not Ready To Make Nice" Dixie Chicks),?You can get 10% off the non-member pricing if you use the code ARI at checkout. The price increases in 2 weeks, fyi. Register and learn more here.?
Finally, I''M LAUNCHING A PODCAST!!!!!!! Yes, after many, many, many suggestions to do this, I''m making the jump. I''ve conducted hundreds of interviews over the years with the movers and shakers of the industry - research for the book, blog and articles. But these have mostly just been one on one interviews, recorded on voice memo merely for me to write about. But I thought why not make these public. The trailer episode is up and episode number 1 with Andy Grammer and episode number 2 with Euphoria music supervisor Jen Malone will be released March 18th. Please subscribe now so you''ll get notified about all upcoming episodes! Apple podcasts, or Spotify, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts
Read this post (and comment) on aristake.com
I just got back from a couple weeks of traveling.
This past week I was in NYC doing some TV interviews about the California "gig economy" law AB5 which, if unchanged could single handedly crash the California music economy. I''ve been actively working to get the music industry an exemption under the law and am making progress! But in the meantime, I''m speaking out publicly about it so politicians pay attention to our needs and demands.
+California''s Music Economy is About To Crash
And last weekend I was in Minnesota where I gave a full-day (7 hour!) New Music Business workshop to the musician members of the Midwest Country Music Association. I also presented the award for Songwriter of the Year at the awards show. I felt like John Legend at the Grammys. I opened the envelope and everything. Very cool night and I was blown away by all of the Midwest talent in country music. Who says you gotta be in Nashville to pursue a career in country music?!
It was really nice to be back in Minnesota. I started my music career in Minneapolis and spent 7 years developing there. I even got a chance to catch a show at the 7th Street Entry at the legendary venue First Avenue (of Purple Rain fame). My good friend Victoria Canal is on tour and happened to be playing there Saturday. I love it when the tour stars align.
Victoria Canal is merely 21 years old, but she is wise beyond her years.
I'm constantly inspired by her, and she is one of the most promising new pop artists on the scene today. She was born in Munich, but moved to a new city virtually every year of her life because her parents loved to travel. And she actually did most of her high school education online. Victoria did over 150 dates as Michael Franti's opener last year, opened for Emily King at the Apollo and she's the face of the Nike Jordan Flyease shoe. She's an incredible songwriter, keyboard player and singer. She has a radiant energy and spirit that gets everyone who meets her to fall in love with her instantly. She's able to get to the depths of her soul with her music and then also pull out inner truths from you that you may have been unable to unearth until Victoria floats into your orbit.
She's a true independent, DIYer (she was back by the merch table after her set taking pictures with new fans, getting people on her email list, handing out signed 3x5 photos and swiping people's credit cards). She also had a tip jar (with her Venmo code taped to the top! - which I noticed more than a few put some money into). Well done Victoria, well done. She told me she sold out of one of her t-shirts three dates into the tour. This is how it's done.
+How To Double Your (Merch) Income . No Really
While on the hotel elliptical yesterday morning I put on one of my favorite podcasts, The Third Story with Leo Sidran and his latest guest happened to be Victoria Canal! A full on Victoria weekend.
Much of Victoria's success can be credited to her activity and engagement on Instagram and Facebook.
Both Michael Franti and Emily King's manager discovered her from Instagram videos and invited her to collaborate, open for and/or tour with them. And her cover of a Stevie Wonder song got 10 million views on Facebook which got her to meet Stevie! The story of their meet is actually pretty hilarious and I'll let her tell it to you on the show.
One of the first things many people notice about Victoria is she doesn't have the bottom half of her right arm. She was born this way and it's far from the defining thing about her. She compares it to someone who may have an odd shaped nose. People may notice it, but it doesn't have to define them. Even though it's visible she tells Leo "I don't want to be the one-armed singer. Stevie Wonder isn't the blind singer. He's Stevie Fucking Wonder."
+How To Get More Mailing List Subscribers
But that being said, she is an advocate for differently abled people and regularly speaks to people with disabilities.
She tells Leo that it's important to her that she communicates to these people "Whatever you look like whatever you're feeling you are accepted you are enough. You are more than enough. You're capable of doing excellent things in your life. You should try your best. Don't give up on yourself. Show up for your day. Every day."
Leo and Victoria dig deep into many topics like her unique backstory and how she learned to play the piano without a right hand. They nerd out a bit on how she alters chord voicings to accommodate her physical limitations - which actually contributes to her unique sound and writing style.
+Subscribe to the New Music Business with Ari Herstand NEW podcast!
They also dive into the philosophies behind social media and how she has found so much success from it so early on. Leo, 43, and Victoria, 21, come from completely different generations and it's very interesting to hear them both talk about their approaches to music and social media. Leo laments how many of his contemporaries absolutely dread anything to do with social media. But Victoria also admits that she struggles with it at times too: "There's something in me that's rejecting social media and I don't want to put everything on display. It's a fine balance between do I want to be observed or do I want to observe. Is it possible to do both as an artist who is constantly on display."
Leo points out that at the same time Victoria was learning to write songs, she was also learning how to make better videos and figure out which posts people respond to on Instagram:
"Your creativity, your artistry, your vision can expand now if you grow up understanding (what works on social media). I think it's amazing that you said 'well the first thing I realized was good lighting.' The same time you figured out how to write a song you figured out how to light yourself."
+When Greeting Fans Never Say Nice to Meet You
Victoria brings up a challenging dilemma that I'm sure every one of us have struggled with: "It makes you question, if I hadn't spent time with social media and on my devices, how many more hours would I have spent honing my craft as a writer and instrumentalist."
We're in an era where we are seeing artists grow up in front of our eyes in real time.
There's a concept I discuss in the second edition of my book: the difference between Constant Creators and "I, Artists" (my terms). Constant Creators are the Instagrammers, the YouTubers, the ones who are more concerned with quantity over quality. They release stuff all the time. They aren't precious about what they put out. They just get it out to the best of their current abilities. We're talking artists like Scary Pockets, Clairo, Jacob Collier and Halsey (in the beginning). They build an audience who connect with their DIY nature and grow with them. I, Artists, on the other hand, come out of the gates fully formed. Like a Lady Gaga or Lana Del Rey or vox or Billie Eilish. Their aesthetic, story, sound and songs are fully formed from the moment they launch. Now, of course, they weren't born this way. They spent years behind the scenes, honing their craft and working all of this out so when they officially 'launched' they were able to showcase the Artist project they envisioned.
There is no right or wrong way to go about a music career in this day and age. And every artist exists somewhere on this spectrum. Of course, it's a lot more expensive to launch out of the gates as an I, Artist, because it requires high quality photos, videos, production and a strong handle on social media communication. And a strong sense of self. With a very clear vision of the kind of Artist you want to be and what you want to represent to the world.
But it is important to be intentional about everything you do and to understand the function of every platform regardless if you are an I, Artist or Constant Creator.
Instagram is the new website. No matter where you are on the Constant Creator / I, Artist spectrum, it's never a good idea to only showcase your food, inside jokes with best friends or photos of landscapes. That doesn't represent you, as an Artist (unless you're a food blogger or photographer). If you want people to follow you (and eventually become a fan), you have to provide value to their lives.
+How This Artist Grew To 500,000 Monthly Spotify Listeners Without Playlists
New, potential fans who land on your Instagram profile should be able to get a solid understanding of who you are as an Artist within 10 seconds.
It's great to have videos (clips and/or IGTV) of you performing. Have some story highlights with swipe up links. Whether you have 500 followers or 500,000, be intentional about your Instagram. You don't have to post every day. But when you do, it should accurately represent who you are, as an artist, at this moment, and what you want to communicate to the world.
There's a debate about hashtags. I support them. I don't give a f*ck that some people think it makes you look desperate or whatever. You don't need a ton of them. But throw a few in there. They are effective. Don't believe me? Try a few posts out with hashtags (that have less than 5M posts) and check the analytics in a few days and notice how many people discovered that post FROM the hashtags. It's not negligible.
Follower numbers don't matter. Vanity metrics don't matter. It's all about engagement.
I'm so over people who tell me about how many followers they have. A couple taps through their posts I can tell very quickly if those followers are fake or disengaged.
+Dear Indie Distributors Stop Punishing Your Artists. It's Not Their Fault
We are living in a post follower reality. You don't want followers. You want fans. Followers can become fans. But only if you engage with them. And they're only going to engage if you do as well. You have to look at social media, not as a megaphone, but as a telephone. Have a conversation with your audience. Don't talk at them. Talk with them.
But above all, you have to use Instagram in a way that inspires you. If you try to chase what everyone else does and copy everyone else, you most likely will lose interest very quickly, burn out and give up. Or people will see that it's unoriginal and inauthentic and choose not to follow or engage with you.
There are ways to authentically represent who you are in an engaging way. But if you aren't inspired by Instagram, you won't want to use it. And you can't force it.
So have fun with it. You can, of course, look to other accounts for inspiration to see how they're doing it and if their way makes sense, but use it in a way that works for you. There are no hard and fast rules because the platform and the etiquette evolve so quickly. And that's why it's important to stay up with it.
+How Do Producer (and Songwriter) Splits Work
If you absolutely hate Instagram and want nothing to do with it. Ok. But you need to enlist someone who digs it and is willing to help you with it. You can't ignore it. You don't have to live on it. And I'll be the first to admit that when I spend too much time on it, I get sad. Like, it brings my energy down and I become uninspired. If you need to set a routine for yourself, set a routine and only do the Instagram thing at select times. If you need to enlist a friend or a niece or an intern to help you develop your IG strategy and direct you on what to do (or completely handle it) so you don't have to worry about it. Do it.
I was just talking with a friend who said that her publicist put so much pressure on her to post every day that she actually developed extreme anxiety around posting and it became so debilitating that she just gave up posting on IG altogether because she got so burnt out from the pressure. And lost all enjoyment from it. She's an incredibly talented artist and all of the momentum she had built stalled because she stopped engaging on IG.
It has to be a balance. You have to be inspired. I know extremely successful people on IG (150,000 followers+) who post once a month or so to their profile and a couple times a week to their Stories. There are no rules. But it can definitely help to be consistent. But regardless of how often you post, when you do, make sure it's in line with what you want to represent right now as an Artist.
Yeah, it sucks that we can't just focus on the music, man. I get it.
You didn't get into music to get good at social media. But it's part of the business now, man. Throughout history there have always been things that musicians had to do that they didn't like - like give interviews to idiots, do VIP meet and greets, play their hit on yet another TV show, play corporate parties, glad-hand radio personalities. The business evolves and so do the strategies for success. And once you have a team, you can work with this team to split up all of the responsibilities so you all utilize your strengths and no one focuses on things they aren't good at or hate. But until then, you (or someone you enlist) need to take some care with your business if you want to have a music career - and not just a bedroom hobby.
Listen to the full interview with Victoria Canal on The Third Story with Leo Sidran.
Subscribe to my new podcast: The New Music Business with Ari Herstand
~Ari
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In case you?missed them, make sure to check out previous New Music Business podcast episodes with superstar prdoucer Zaytoven discussing how he creates his hits, Vo Williams on how he has built a very healthy career getting his music synced in film, TV, video games, commercials and movie trailers, and?Oprah''s Drummer Madame Gandhi on activism, feminism and creating high quality content on an indie musician''s budget. You can check them all out?here.?
+Read this (and comment) on aristake.com
Yesterday, the SBA clarified that if you're self-employed, a freelancer or independent contractor you can get a PPP loan with forgiveness.
It was previously thought that the PPP program was only for companies with W2''d employees on payroll. But now the SBA clarified that self-employed individuals can apply for this program as well.
This is great news for musicians and other freelancers after the headache of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. The issue with the PUA program - which did help independent contractors and "gig workers" - was that if they had a singular W2 (most do from something), the program forced them to file for unemployment through the state. Unemployment calculates how much you would receive solely based on your W2 income! So, even if you made $50,000 from 1099s, but $500 from a singular W2 gig (like playing on a film score or acting in a TV show), the unemployment insurance program would calculate your payment on $500. Utterly absurd. So many people have struggled with this.?
+Musicians Aren't Getting CARES Act Benefits Because of Mixed Income
The good new is, now you can apply for the Paycheck Protection Program from the new Flexibility Act which was signed into law June 5th.
As Forbes notes the Flexibility Act made a few key changes to the PPP:
You can now calculate your loan amount by either:
Your loan calculation will be 2.5x your average monthly income.
Whether you file a schedule C or F or own an S-Corp, this seems to apply to both. Calculations are all capped at $100,000 annual pay.?
100% of this loan will be forgiven if at least 60% is spent on income or payroll. For clarity, you don''t have to have a corporate entity and you don''t have to put yourself on payroll. As long as you file a Schedule C (or F) at tax time, you''re fine here.
You have to submit these records within 8 weeks of receiving the loan (but information on how or where to submit these records is not currently available)
There are some non-payroll expenses that can be forgiven with this loan like rent, mortgage and utility payments. So if you've been paying a lockout rehearsal studio or designate part of your house or apartment as an office or studio, you can calculate that as well for your loan amount.?
There is still $146 billion left in the second round of the PPP so definitely get on this NOW!
You still have to apply for this via your local bank. I've heard that the smaller the bank, the easier it is to obtain PPP through them. You're going to want a person, not an auto-responder at a bank to help you through this.?
Now, go get your money!?
~Ari
PS - I just released a new song "Retrospect." You can watch our live from the studio video (that was recorded just before quarantine) here or listen on a streaming platform or download on BandCamp (which supports me the most - and BandCamp is donating their cut of sales on June 19th (Juneteenth) to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund) here
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This week on the New Music Business podcast I don''t have a guest, but I discuss the controversy surrounding the CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek's comment: "You can't record music once every three to four years and think that's going to be enough." Boy did that cause an uproar in the music industry. I read some of the tweets and comments about it from some big names and give my take on it all.
I also go into how Spotify's payment model actually works and if it's fair or not. There''s been a lot of confusion on how you Spotify actually calculates payments and all that jazz.
Check out the episode here
Also, last week on the show I interviewed Allie X. She''s an independent artist with 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, over 100 million streams, nearly 200,000 Instagram followers and had a huge, worldwide headlining tour setup for the Spring, which, well, you know what happened there.
Check out the episode here
And lastly, if you missed my episode with?artist manager Jonathan Azu, I highly encourage you check that one out as well.?This was the first in-person interview I''d done since the coronavirus shutdown and we''ve all been locked in quarantine. But Jonathan has a beautiful backyard where we could safely social distance, so we setup there. It was nice to be in the physical presence of somebody for once. I''ve missed that so dearly.
Jonathan Azu is an artist manager for artists like Cory Henry, Luke James, Emily King, and Michelle Williams among others. He used to be the executive vice president and general manager of Red Light Management. He is also a two-time Billboard magazine 40 Under 40 power player. Over a year ago, he launched his own management company called Culture Collective.
We talk about how he shifted his business model now that live touring is shut down. We also talk about how the music industry can be more racially diverse and equitable, specifically how music companies can address the racial inequalities that exist at an executive level but really all levels.
A Forbes 2017 article outlined that hip-hop and R&B genres are responsible for 25% of all music consumption and over 29% of all on-demand streams across the United States. However, executives of color are still relatively scarce atop major music companies. The top 10 out of 10 on the Billboard Power 100 list are all white, and there''s only two people of color in the top 50. Azu breaks this down on why he thinks this is and how to fix it because it''s a problem.
Check out the episode here?
In case you?missed them, make sure to check out previous episodes:
Kanye, American Idol, Grammys, Herbie Hancock, Miguel, Cirque du Soleil's Ableton Programmer on Making It Work
How Artists Can Get Record Advances Without Signing To a Label
TikTok and Instagram Influencers with Ultra Records Marketing Director
You can check them all out here.?
~Ari
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My guest today on the New Music Business podcast is Lucidious - a hip-hop artist originally from Virginia now living in Los Angeles. I've covered him in the book and on the blog quite a bit - not to mention he''s now an ATA instructor. He has an interesting story from the business perspective. He has over 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify without any official playlist inclusion, label, or management. This translates to more than $20,000 per month from streaming revenue.
I brought him onto the show so we could go deeper into his story. We talk about digital marketing and all aspects of his business. We talk about his family. We discuss mental health because a lot of his fans connect with him on a deep level due to their own struggles with mental health. This was a very enriching and inspiring conversation for me to have, and I think you'll get a lot out of this as well.
As always, you can listen to this wherever you get your podcasts here.?
All episodes are available on YouTube as well. All of them (except a couple - like this one) were filmed. You can check them out here.?
~Ari
PS - If you missed last week's episode with Patreon CEO and Pomplamoose / Scary Pockets co-foudner Jack Conte, you should really dig into that. He's one of the most inspiring people in the industry. Here''s our video
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This week''s guest on the New Music Business podcast is with Bina Fronda.?She''s the marketing director for Ultra Records. Ultra Records has released artists like Steve Aoki, Alexandra Stan, Alan Walker, Lost Frequencies, and more. This was recorded live from Bina''s apartment in Brooklyn, NY this past February.
We dig deep into influencer marketing, release strategy and overall music marketing. The thing that I was most interested to learn about was how she gets in touch with TikTok "influencers." If you''ve ever wondered how influencers choose which song(s) to use in their posts, well, oftentimes it''s labels paying them to do those dances, skits, or anything like that.?
Listen on your favorite podcast platform here or watch the interview here.?
In case you?missed them, make sure to check out previous episodes:
Manager for JP Saxe, X Ambassadors, Jukebox The Ghost is Persistent
Making Music During COVID-19: Ari''s Take Academy Roundtable Discussion
White Musicians for Black Lives
You can check them all out here.?
~Ari
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Not sure if it was because of the long weekend, the heat (it''s 110 in LA!) or the lack of live music has finally gotten to everyone (...), but it seems quite a few people got the date mixed up and missed the deadline for enrollment. Because of this, we have extended enrollment through this Friday, September 11th at 11:59PM PST.?
Remember, enrollment will not open up again for 6 months (and no more extensions after this Friday!)
Enroll here
Unlike the live music industry, the sync industry is thriving right now. Our instructor Vo Williams, who is hands down one of the most successful artists in the sync game right now (with over 1,000 placements himself) has already helped our students land sync placements and representation from sync agents.?
Also, Vo has his own sync agency that he just started and will be signing standout students from the course.?
If you're unfamiliar with the sync licensing industry, it can be quite lucrative.?
Typical up-front sync fees look like this:?
Commercial Campaigns: $20,000 - $150,000+
Films: $10,000 - $80,000
Trailers: $10,000 - $80,000
TV: $500 - $20,000
Video Games: $2,000 - $10,000
Theme Songs: $5,000 - $10,000
And this is just the "up front" fee. We teach you how to make sure you're setup to collect your back-end revenue as well which can get you paid for years from these placements.?
One sync placement covers the cost of this course.
Ari''s Take Academy courses are unlike every other advanced education offering out there. We make sure to setup our students for real, sustained success. We make sure that our students can implement what they learn immediately. Our programs are not for you to earn a degree. Our programs are meant for you to build your career.
Forbes recently cited Ari''s Take Academy as the future of music education. Because we are completely turning the music education landscape on its head. We charge a fraction what most other programs charge and are 1000x more effective. Ask any of our students.
One of our sync students Menice New Era said:
I went to Full Sail, and this course got me further ahead in one day than two years there. Vo pinpointed everything I needed to do that I wasn''t doing. I included contracts and had all of the split sheets together with the music and BOOM! It''s crazy how the smallest details can make the biggest difference. My first pitch landed with Universal Music UK just by following the course. Well worth it for real.
And another student Janelle de la Rosa said:?
This course is one of the best investments I've made in my career as an artist. Vo''s hands-on guidance in addition to the vital information in the course landed me a deal with a major sync agency. Before, I had been hopelessly shooting in the dark. This course really puts you in the shoes of a sync agent (or music library/supervisor) and guides you on how to make music that fits into the sync world from sound quality to thematic elements. From email pitches, to follow-ups, to creating a brand around yourself as a sync artist, this course will equip you with all the tools you need to land a deal or a placement.
Let''s fuckin GO!
Enroll and learn more here.?
~Ari
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This week''s guest on the New Music Business podcast is Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Kevin Garrett. He is an extremely talented R&B, neo-soul, and soul songwriter. It was such a treat to speak with him. Famously, he''s Grammy-nominated for writing Beyonce''s track "Pray You Catch Me" from her Lemonade?album.?
In this episode we discuss his music publishing deal with Roc Nation and his distribution strategies, his music creation process, and remaining independent.
Note: We recorded this call over Zoom, and the technical gods were not in our favor during this interview. If you''re hearing glitches and sentences being cut off, that''s what''s going on. We edited it as best we could so you can understand him, and it''s still an incredible conversation.?
Listen on your favorite podcast platform here or watch the interview here.?
In case you?missed them, make sure to check out previous episodes with Andrew Leib,?Madame Gandhi, and?Dani Deahl. You can check them all out here.?
~Ari
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Now that we're all settling into the new normal of doing shit from home, it's time to kick the career back into gear. Yes, the shock was pretty gnarly. Every music venue shut down - IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. That's insane. One of the reasons why I'm organizing the UnCancelled Music Festival?with a team?of incredibly motivated music professionals dead set on making sure we all come out of this crisis stronger. It''s a global, livestreamed festival with over 25 music venues and 1,000 artists from around the world. It launches Thursday! Check it ot here.
This Friday, I'm hosing a live webinar training at 2PM Pacific Time: 3 Myths and 3 Truths of the Business Behind Hip Hop in Film, TV Shows and Video Games. I'll be running this with?Vo Williams. Vo is an incredibly talented hip hop artist who has gotten thousands (literally) of sync placements in film, tv and video games.?
This webinar will last one hour. It will be live so you can ask questions. If you're unable to attend live, as long as you register before it begins, you'll have the opportunity to watch the replay for 7 days.?
Register here: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/3/v9gxlcq
See you Friday!
~Ari
PS - I'm running a contest to help get the word out about the New Music Business podcast. Prizes include getting your music/name featured on the show, $50 Guitar Center gift card, Shure SM58 mic, comped ATA enrollment. Enter here.?
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Hope you are staying safe, sane, inside and inspired during this crazy moment we are living through. Do remember that it is just a moment. Yes, it's going to last a bit longer than any of us want. But we can look at this as an opportunity. Have you checked out the 9 Things You Can Do Now That Your Gigs Are Cancelled Because of Coronavirus?
Yes, the US stimulus package, which includes at least $600/week for freelancers and gig workers (musicians) out of work right now, is much needed to set everyone at ease. And most credit card and loan companies are delaying when monthly bills are due. There's also a moratorium on evictions in most cities around the country. Small businesses will be able to apply for grants and loans which will be forgiven if they keep their entire staff on payroll. Help is on the way! This is no time to panic. Things will settle into a new normal in a week or so. And then back to normal normal in a few months.?
But in the mean time, make the most of this!
I am part of the team organizing a virtual global music festival called UnCancelled Music Festival. We have officially partnered with the Grammy's MusiCares foundation. They have an Emergency Financial Relief fund setup that any musician in America can apply for relief. If you are an American resident in need of emergency financial assistance because of lost gigs, apply here.
The festival is engaging music venues from around the world to curate virtual stages. 25% of all funds that come in for each of their stages goes directly to the music venue, 45% is split amongst all of the artists who perform on that stage that day, 25% goes to MusiCares and 5% covers operational costs for UnCancelled.?
If you would like to play, contact your local music venue and let them know about the festival and ask them to apply to be a stage curator! They can apply here. They will then be able to book you?
Of course, if you run an independent music venue, we''d love to have you. But apply quickly as we''re only able to launch with a select few. But we still have openings! Apply here
Fender, Bandzoogle, Ari's Take, Recording Academy''s MusiCares, are official partners (with more coming in).
There will be some fairly large?headliners.?
Regardless if you play or not, please tune in! It's free to enter the festival (you will need to load up at least $5 in your account) and you can tip whichever artist/stage you'd like. It will be a very fun experience for artists and fans. There's a chatbox on the screen and the artists will be engaging with the fans who have tuned in and they'll see the tips coming in in real time .
Stay up to date on the UnCancelled Instagram: @uncancelledmusic and Twitter: @uncancelledmusic?
And visit the website: http://uncancelledmusicfestival.com?
Let''s keep the music alive and uncancelled!
~Ari
PS - I'm running a contest to help get the word out about the New Music Business podcast (subscribe and listen here!). Prizes include getting your music/name featured on the show, $50 Guitar Center gift card, Shure SM58 mic, comped ATA enrollment. Enter here.?
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Did you catch my latest interview with Red Light Manager Andrew Leib on when and how to get a manager on the New Music Business podcadst? He dropped a bunch of gems. Listen on your podcast app?here?or watch it on YouTube here.
Read the full review Feature.fm vs. Show.co vs. DistroKid vs. Smarturl?( and view the images) on aristake.com
Before I get into this review, let's do a little exercise.
Pre-save my new song on Spotify (this is not just me trying to get some Spotify saves, there's a point to this for you. And yeah give me some of those sweet, sweet saves)
Pre-save the song (pick one): here, here, here or here.
(They will all get you to pre-save the song but from different services - and will help inform the update of this review).?
Ok, onward!
I have a song coming out on Wednesday. It is the first release under my own name, really, since 2015. Why so long? In that time, I released my book (2 editions), Ari''s Take Academy, the New Music Business podcast and launched the retro funk project Brassroots District.
So I've been busy, and have been making lots of music, but just haven't released any under my own name. Buuuuut a breakup from an 11 year relationship got me writing personal songs again. Songs that don't fit with the vibe of Brassroots District. Songs that I needed to write.
So now I'm releasing the first song of the bunch.
And, naturally, I wanted to test Spotify pre-saves that everyone's been talking about.
Actually these things have been all the rage for the past few years.
What is a Spotify pre-save link?
Well, you can create a way for fans to save your song to their library or playlist in advance of the release. Why do this? If Spotify notices that your song gets a ton of saves or playlists on day 1, it will trigger their algorithms and potentially pop your song into various algorithmic playlists like Discover Weekly, Radio, Your Daily Mix, Release Radar, Radio, etc. And the more saves a song gets, the more likely a Spotify playlist editor will add it to a playlist.
If you have any hope of getting on Spotify editorial playlists, you need to distribute your song at least 4 weeks before release date.
Well, it actually needs to hit Spotify 4 weeks in advance, so you'll actually need to distribute it 5-6 weeks before release so it has time to go through the distribution process and hit your Spotify for Artists account in time for you to submit it to Spotify playlist editors.
Now for the pre-save part of this whole process.
Depending on the distributor you use, they may offer something built in for you. DistroKid has Hyperfollow (actually built into the platform) and CD Baby has Show.co - but you have to create this through the Show.co website.
Worth noting, that Spotify pre-save from IG is virtually impossible.
Well, it's possible, but it's not worth it. Spotify and IG have never communicated well with each other. If you click a pre-save link from IG, it requires the user to sign into Spotify (even if you already have the Spotify app open). And if you use Facebook sign-in for Spotify, it requires you to login to Facebook (even if you already have the Facebook app open and are logged in). It's clunky and I can't ever get it to work - I can't remember my FB password or if I do I need the code generator to get in.
If you've ever run a pre-save campaign on IG this is why your conversions were so low.
So! Spotify pre-save campaigns really work best for Facebook, Twitter and you email list.
I tested a few Spotify pre-save platforms, but I want to hear what you use and what your experience with them was like so I can update this report!
Please add your reviews in the comments!
Read the full review of DistroKid vs. Feature.fm vs. Show.co vs. Smarturl here
~Ari
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This week''s guest on the New Music Business podcast is my good friend Andrew Leib. He''s an artist manager at Red Light Management. He''s worked on the teams of Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Counting Crows, Three Doors Down, Emily King, Lecrae, Luke James, Cory Henry, Victoria Canal, and Nu Deco Ensemble. He''s worked with a lot of artists.
Andrew and I get into his story and what he looks for in artists that he wants to work with and how artists can reach out to managers. We dig into artist branding and his process on how to put a package together.
This was a fun episode for me to be able to catch up with one of my best friends.
Listen on your favorite podcast platform here or watch the interview here.?
In case you?missed them, make sure to check out previous episodes with Madame Gandhi, Dani Deahl, and Zaytoven. You can check them all out here.?
~Ari
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This week''s guest on the New Music Business podcast is Madame Gandhi. She''s an incredibly inspiring person, an activist, and feminist. She started her career drumming for M.I.A., Thievery Corporation, and recently embarked on Oprah Winfrey''s Vision 2020 tour before the COVID-19 shutdown.?
Madame Gandhi and I talk about release strategy, how she creates her music and high production value music videos as an independent artist.
Listen on your favorite podcast platform here or watch the interview here.?
~Ari
PS - Today is the last day to enroll in ATA: Hip Hop in Sync course. Enrollment closes at 11:59pm PST. If you want to learn how to get your music in film, TV, ads and video games, join us. Enroll and learn more here.
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This week''s guest on the New Music Business podcast is with Laura Escud?.?She is a fantastic violinist, producer, and Ableton''s first ever official certified trainer. She was hired by Ableton to teach people how to use Ableton Live. She then went on to tour with artists like Kanye West and Herbie Hancock.?
Now she teaches people how to do what she did for those shows: program huge arena shows.
We also chat about how she''s making it work with the entire touring industry shut down and what you can do as well.
Listen on your favorite podcast platform here or watch the interview here.?
In case you?missed them, make sure to check out previous episodes:
Jamestown Revival''s Bassist on Shady Managers, Thousands of Shows, Playing Conan, Tracking to Tape - Nick Bearden
TikTok and Instagram Influencers with Ultra Records Marketing Director
Manager for JP Saxe, X Ambassadors, Jukebox The Ghost is Persistent
You can check them all out here.?
~Ari
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First off, WE HEARD YOU. Yes, enrollment for the newest ATA course: Hip Hop in Sync offically closed last friday, HOWEVER, we got flooded with messages from people who missed the deadline. SO, we''ve extended it until this Friday, May 15th at midnight. So if you want in, jump now - otherwise it will be closed for about 6 months. The program is so effective that someone who hopped in right when we opened this up about a month ago, has already landed 4 sync placements. Get in there! Enroll (and learn more) here.?
Read this (and comment) on aristake.com
Last month musicians and other independent contractors got a HUGE win by getting included in the CARES Act benefits program.
Independent contractors were promised at least $600/week from this stimulus package. However what ended up happening, in many cases, was far from that. Besides the fact that people had to apply for this funding through their state's programs, and many states didn't open up applications until over a month after the lockdown started (California's application didn't get up on the EDD website until April 28th and it was riddled with errors), it missed one key issue that most musicians struggle with - mixed income.
+Musicians Will Receive Assistance Under Stimulus Package
What's mixed income?
If some jobs you worked issued you a W2 and others issued you a 1099, this is mixed income. Currently the unemployment benefits program under the CARES Act is binary - either you receive unemployment insurance for the W2 work or PUA (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance) which covers the 1099 independent contracting work. However, if you have both, the program requires you to apply for traditional unemployment insurance which only looks at your W2 income which may represent a tiny fraction of your actual earnings.
Los Angeles based freelance cellist (and IMPU member ) Danica Pinner told Billboard that after jumping through all the hoops and applying for the PUA insurance the day it was available in California (April 28th), in the end she was only awarded $85 a week.
"We kind of feel cheated because we were told to wait while everyone else was filing for unemployment... until they made it better for freelancers," she says. "And then [I only got $85]. And [I'm] like, well, what was the point?"
Congressmen Adam Schiff, who represents parts of Los Angeles, has heard our pleas and is spearheading the efforts to help fix this.
He issued a letter to the House Speaker and Minority Leader.
In it he states:
"Due to the sporadic and unpredictable nature of work in film, television, theater, and music, many professionals in the entertainment industries earn a living through a combination of traditional (W-2) and independent (e.g. 1099) employment. As a result, even if they have lost a substantial source of income due to coronavirus-related disruption of their independent work, these workers are ineligible for PUA. Some of these workers may qualify for regular unemployment compensation if they have also lost their W-2 work, but this can significantly under-measure their true earnings. And those whose W-2 income has continued but only represents a small portion of their earnings-for example, a worker who receives residual income from a previous project-are left with greatly reduced income yet are ineligible for any unemployment assistance.
As you consider additional legislation to respond to COVID-19, we urge you to consider language to ensure that independent workers with mixed sources of income are able to access the same relief to make up for lost work that the CARES Act provides to those with more traditional employment arrangements."
But we need your help!
First! Sign this petition so the Speaker realizes this is actually a big issue and introduces a Bill to get musicians the relief we desperately need.
And please write your representative here. This is a very simple form where you can just type in your name and address and it will send the below letter directly to your reps:
My name is ______ and I live in your district in ______.
I am writing to ask that Congress act to protect the millions of musicians, songwriters, technical professionals, and fans who make the American music industry a critical economic driver and major cultural export for our country. These people have a major impact in every state, but they aren''t all rock stars: the vast majority rely on non-traditional work arrangements to make a middle class living. The shutdown of our public lives during this unprecedented time has left many of them without an income for the foreseeable future. We need American music to survive, and they need our help.
The CARES Act made important changes to our social safety net to ensure that gig workers could access relief during this crisis. But many in the entertainment industry have been denied CARES Act benefits because of unclear and burdensome regulations. Congress can fix these issues easily, and should ensure the the entire "gig" economy is eligible for CARES Act relief.
Losing music means more than losing a nearly $150 billion contribution to our GDP. Music and the people who make it will give us the soundtrack to make it through these hard times, and help us make better memories when we make it through together. Please work with your colleagues to make the CARES Act work for the creators in our community.
~Ari
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Last Saturday I attended the Black Lives Matter peaceful protest in Los Angeles.?
It was very inspiring. For the first hour in Pan Pacific Park right by CBS studios and The Grove (and Canter's Deli - my favorite), we listened to speeches by black community members. Namely, we heard from family members of people who had been killed by the LAPD and have yet to see justice. We all said their names together over and over again. There were so many names I didn't know.?
It was estimated there were 40,000 people who attended this rally and march. It was incredible. We marched around The Grove and all took a knee and chanted George Floyd's name.?
It was completely peaceful until the police showed up, barricaded everyone in and started showing force to disperse the crowd. We had rubber bullets shot at us and we sprinted in the other direction. This is how our police handles peaceful protests? Well, I guess when it's around black causes, yes. I'm sure you saw on TV the police cars burned and windows smashed on Fairfax. I was there. And witnessed police tires being slashed, windows smashed and cars set on fire - by a white male. It was really disappointing that white people hijacked this peaceful protest to cause chaos. This march was for black lives.?
I will never tell a black person how to feel, think, act or protest because I have not lived in their shoes.
I don't know what they're feeling right now. But if you're a white person who participated in the violence and looting, shame on you. And to the police who shot peaceful protesters with rubber bullets, beat them with batons, tased them, plowed their cars into them, SHAME ON YOU TOO.?
We don't know the names of most lives taken at the hands of police. And because these killings weren't filmed, the media and white America doesn't care. The family members care, but we are able to tune it out, no matter how horrific, because it wasn't caught on film. I have the luxury to ignore it. This is part of my white privilege.?
"White privilege" is a phrase that many white people are offended by.
If your blood is boiling right now at the mention of it, I challenge you to read on and not turn this dialog off. Resist the urge to come at me with "you just lost a fan." This is the hard work black America needs white people to do right now.?
Some people think white privilege means that they didn't work hard or that they are rich. It's not that at all.?
White privilege simply means that the color of their skin exclusively provides them with benefits and advantages that black people and POC do not get. Like the benefit to drive and not get pulled over. Like how Philando Castile was pulled over 49 times (!!) over the span of 13 years all for minor infractions like turning into a parking lot without a signal - before his final traffic stop where he was murdered by the officer.
White privilege is the ability to wear a hoodie at night and walk down the street without being questioned or murdered like Trayvon Martin. White privilege is walking into a store and not followed. It's buying something expensive and not assuming credit card fraud. It's being able to easily get pain meds from the doctor. It's not being afraid when the police drive by or stop me. It's being able to smoke weed illegally or commit other small crimes and not worry about it.
It's being incarcerated 5 times less than black men. It's receiving a sentence for doing cocaine that's 100 times lighter than a sentence for smoking crack - because coke is more prominent in white communities and crack in black communities when it's basically the same drug. It's qualifying for a mortgage 10 times more than black people in the same financial situation.
It's being able to riot, burn cars and smash windows after your hockey team wins and being laughed off as 'dumb kids' not 'thugs.'?
It's not getting the police called on you for an alleged fake $20 bill. It's not getting killed by the police for doing nothing wrong.???
White privilege does not mean that your life isn't hard or that you don't struggle. It simply means that the color of your skin gives you advantages in American society. Plain and simple.?
The history of systemic racism in America is long and well documented.
If you don't believe white privilege exists or that we're living in a post-race society because Obama was president, then you are living in a white bubble. And you need a little education. We could all use some more education.?
That's why on Tuesday, during the music industry's #TheShowMustBePaused black out day, I encouraged my employees at Ari's Take to take the day off to listen to speeches by black leaders, read up on institutional racism, donate to causes they believe in, and put in serious work to tune IN this moment instead of tuning it out. I did the same.?
If you are someone who ''supports the movement,'' but is troubled by the looting, I encourage you to watch Trevor Noah's speech about it.?
Most music companies around America participated in #TheShowMustBePaused movement and gave their employees the day off to do THE WORK. But some did not.?
We at Ari's Take made a spreadsheet of music companies who gave their employees the day off, made a statement and have donated to causes that support the black community.??
Over the course of the day the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused had 700K shares, over 70k followers on socials and the initiative hosted over 1.5K black members and allies of the music community via several organized video conferences. They engaged in an organized dialogue and generated ideas on how to effectively make change within the music industry.??
I asked the organizers of #TheShowMustBePaused, two black female executives, Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, what the day was all about.?
"George Floyd was killed on a Monday and the following Tuesday we all went back to work. This should not have been the case and this is why we called for the industry to pause on Tuesday June 2nd," said Jamila Thomas.?
She continued, "The point was never to mute ourselves. This was a day to completely disconnect from work and make a difference in our community because we should not normalize what is happening."
Her co-creator Brianna Agyemang discussed how the movement will move forward after what was popularly referred to as Blackout Tuesday: "[The day] was a strong start to the change we want to make in the industry. We are taking all thoughts and ideas that were gathered and we will be implementing them into Phase 2 of this movement. Next steps are about clarifying needs and mobilizing the people to be the change we wish to see. The goal is to tap into the community at large to create change that is impactful and long lasting."
We are in an incredible moment in history right now.?
President Obama said at his town hall yesterday, reflecting on the protests and unrest after the death of George Floyd was "unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime."?
This is not just about the death of George Floyd. Anyone with a conscience who saw that video, was disgusted by it and believes these officers should be convicted of murder. But history shows us that the system is set up to protect cops. It's why so many police officers are acquitted of horrific crimes - even when there is video evidence. From Rodney King to Tamir Rice to Eric Garner to Philando Castile. These families never got justice. The black community never got justice.?
The system is not broken. It is working exactly how it was designed.?
Let's not forget that our country was built on slave labor and that our first president owned 123 slaves. The system is setup so that cops get away with murder and abuse. The system is set up so that rich, white America thrives and poor, black America doesn't.?
If you don't believe this, I encourage you to read The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It is one of the most eye opening things I have ever read about the history of systemic racism in America.?
This is not a moment to be silent. It is a movement and a revolution.?
Where do you stand? Because you have to take a stand. This is not a time to remain silent. The silence speaks volumes.?
This is why we are holding music companies accountable.?
If you are a company that did not give your employees the day off on Tuesday to put in this work, I encourage you to do so. Paid time off. You can afford it. If you care, you'll participate.?
Change doesn't need to come from the top down. The top is completely f'd right now. The fact that our President can gas peaceful protesters 25 minutes before curfew and forcibly clear the street so he can take a photo op and members of his party don't bat an eye, is very telling. Silence on this act discredits defending the Constitution ever again for anything. You can't pick and choose which rights you want to defend in the Constitution.?
Change comes from the ground up. It starts locally.?
If you want police reform, contact your city council member and ask them what they are planning to do to hold police accountable. Ask them to restructure the city budget so more money is invested in community building projects and less into the police force. It's proven that by adopting something like The People's Budget can aid communities a hell of a lot more than police can.?
REAL CHANGE CAN HAPPEN IF YOU STEP UP
If you want to support the black community right now, I encourage you to get out and peacefully protest (get tested for COVID-19 - in LA it's free and very easy), educate yourself, listen to black leaders in the movement, participate in uncomfortable conversations, donate to causes that support black causes right now like Color of Change, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Equal Justice Initiative, Campaign Zero and Black Lives Matter.
Some music companies are taking this a step further.
DistroKid is making it extremely easy for artists to donate a portion of the proceeds of their streams and sales to Color of Change or NAACP Legal Defense Fund. If you use DistroKid for distribution you can do that here.?
Bandcamp is donating their 15% fee from all purchases on June 19th to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. They have also announced they are allocating an additional $30,000 per year to partner with organizations that fight for racial justice and create opportunities for people of color.?
Spotify enables artists to add a donate button for any organization to their profile (this was announced at the start of the pandemic), but have not made a public statement about whether the company is donating directly.
Here at Ari's Take, we will be donating $2,500 to organizations including Color of Change, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Equal Justice Initiative and Campaign Zero.?
And on a personal note, my latest single was distributed with DistroKid so I am participating in the #ArtistsForJustice proceed split and will be donating 20% of the proceeds to Color of Change and will be encouraging my fans to purchase my single on Bandcamp on June 19th. I have also personally donated to a few of these organizations.?
Real change can start with you. It can be as simple as calling out a racist joke you hear from your uncle at Thanksgiving or having an uncomfortable phone conversation with a friend who doesn't align with you politically.?
It starts now. Are you in or are you out??
~Ari
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If you participated in my little exercise of pre-saving my?new song on Spotify, thank you! It will help inform the review: Are Spotify Pre-Save Campaigns Worth It? DistroKid vs. Feature.fm vs. Show.co vs. Smarturl.?If you did pre-save, did you get notified? Please leave your thoughts in the comments. I''ll be updating this review shortly now that I have all of the pre-save data.
Also, check out the latest New Music Business podcast episode with Grammy-nominated songwriter Kevin Garret. He discusses writing for Beyonce and what it''s like running his career as an independent artist with a big publishing deal. You can listen here on your favorite podcast app or watch the view here.
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Many of you know that for the majority of my twenties I was in a very serious relationship. We met in college, toured the country, moved to LA, started a life here, and a little over a year ago, decided to part ways. This relationship lasted 1/3 of my life. Over a decade. The breakup wasn't dramatic in the traditional sense. But it was monumental and painful. An end of an era. For the first month of our conscious uncoupling, we still lived together. That presented warped versions of reality and an imbalance unlike anything I had experienced up until that point.?
I moved into a new apartment on the other side of town and began to build my new life on my own. Reclaiming myself.?
Many of you also know that over the past 5 years I haven't released any music under my own name. I launched a funk band, released a couple books, launched a podcast and an Academy - which all kept me busy. But I wasn't writing songs that were personal to me. I either didn't feel the need or was afraid for what it would uncover. But after this breakup, I realized that the only way to process what I was going through was through songwriting.?
I've been seeing a therapist for a few years and he's great. Very helpful at enabling me to see clearly and uncover the why and the how. But not the what. Therapy, for me, has been all head. It wasn't penetrating my heart. The only way I can adequately process what's going on inside my heart is through songwriting.?
For the first couple months of living on my own, I was very unstable. I was living amongst boxes. I couldn't unpack my former life into my new one until a friend came over and forced me to. I hadn't quite learned how to stand on my two feet and hold myself up - on my own. I buried myself in work, in community, in live music and occasional sexual explorations which were fun, but confusing.?
It wasn't until I carved out Tuesdays for songwriting, did I start to actually process what I was going through. I needed one day a week where I didn't focus on anything else, but songwriting. My entire routine shifted. When I woke up, I didn't grab my phone. Instead I grabbed my sneakers and went straight to the gym. At the gym I didn't listen to podcasts like I normally do, but rather music. I kept my phone on Do Not Disturb and stayed off social media and email. When I got home, I made myself breakfast and coffee while either continuing to listen to music that was inspiring me at the moment or began the writing process if a melody or lyric was bursting out.
Then I retreated to my studio to write. Sometimes a song poured out in an hour and other times it took an entire day. If the music wasn't coming, I would learn a favorite song by someone else. I would play their song over and over again until it eventually ceased to become their song and started to become my own song. This exercise was awfully helpful when I had trouble getting the process started. And for the record, no, the end product sounds nothing like the song that inspired it, Marvin Gaye estate.
I took myself on solo writing retreats - like to Mammoth Mountain where I skied during the day and wrote music at night. Or just spent the day songwriting.?
Sometimes I went to my friend Brett Nolan's place to write with him. He and I created the Brassroots District record together and I loved collaborating with him.?
I wrote about 40 songs last year without intention or direction. Sometimes people write music intending it to be for?something or for?someone. I didn't. It was for?me. I needed it. I'm fortunate I have songwriting as a tool to help me process my emotions. I didn't turn to alcohol, drugs, sex or adrenalin. I turned to songwriting.?
I worked through?it. It wasn't easy.?
I remember one day, after a full day of writing, my friend Andrew came over for dinner. As soon as I opened the door he said "Hey!. Woah are you alright?" It was all over my face what I was going through. I had spent the entire day in it.?
Writing about heavy topics is not easy. It's heavy. I force myself to feel everything. It's therapeutic. And it's how I came out on the other side intact and a more complete individual able to love again.
This first song I'm releasing today I wrote with Brett Nolan and is called "Retrospect." It's the first of many I'll be releasing over the coming year about this experience of reclaiming myself post breakup.?
I recorded it at 64 Sound Studios in Highland Park, CA last December, live, one-take with a band. If you watch the video (released next week), you'll see us in the room together. These musicians are good friends and phenomenal musicians, and I was so honored that they joined me for this.?
I hope you enjoy it.?
You can stream it or download it here: https://smarturl.it/ah-retrospect-single?
~Ari
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First off, the New Music Business podcast officially launches this Wednesday! Yes, after many, many, many suggestions to do this, I''m making the jump. I''ve conducted hundreds of interviews over the years with the movers and shakers of the industry - research for the book, blog and articles. But these have mostly just been one on one interviews, recorded on voice memo merely for me to write about. But I thought why not make these public. The trailer episode is up and episode number 1 with Andy Grammer and episode number 2 with Euphoria music supervisor Jen Malone will be released March 18th. Please subscribe now so you''ll get notified about all upcoming episodes! Apple podcasts, or Spotify, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts
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Deep breath. Shit's scary right now.
Yeah. I put on CNN for 15 minutes last night and nearly fell into a full on panic. Shut that shit off. Cable news is not helping anyone. Oh, and don't listen to that Joe Rogan podcast episode with the infectious disease specialist either. That will not set you at ease. We know the headlines. EVERYTHING IS CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. And wash your hands.
But this doesn't mean you need to shut down and give into despair. Look at this as an opportunity. So you were depending on the income from upcoming gigs? Welp, that ain't coming.
So, you have two options: 1) self pity 2) get creative and find alternative revenue streams
During the next few weeks, months, whatever it may be, here are some things you can do in the meantime until life gets back to normal:
1. Live Stream Concerts
This is probably something you've been thinking about for awhile. I highlighted in How to Make It in the New Music Business how Dawn Beyer made $100,000 in a year live streaming on Facebook, Clare Means similarly cleans up on Periscope and Brent Morgan and Emma McGann on YouNow. But right now, you can pick the platform you're most comfortable on and go live. Setup a PayPal.me link (make sure it's clickable) and pop that into the description (or your bio if you're using IG).
StageIt is also a platform which allows you to live stream concerts behind a paywall and charge tickets for these. People can also tip you during the concert. StageIt is currently upping their revenue split in honor of this trying time and giving artists 80% of their earned revenue (as opposed to the normal sliding scale of 63% - 70% for concerts earning less than $3,000).
But remember, when you perform a live streamed concert, you must interact with your audience in a way that makes them feel welcomed. A live streamed concert experience is very different from a physical concert experience. You can see a chat box, for one. So engage acknowledge their comments. Say hi to people popping in. Answer questions. Take requests. Make it super personal. Make it feel like they are getting a glimpse into your life, studio, process and world.
The reason they're tuning in to watch this versus just a YouTube video is because they want to feel connected to you.
So connect with them!
2. Start a Patronage Hub
It's time to shift the value proposition between Artist and fan.
Why do you feel ok charging for tickets to your concert or merch on your website, but you don't feel ok with enabling your fans, supporters, patrons to make different kinds of offerings to you in meaningful ways when you've made meaningful offerings to them?
Patreon, Bandzoogle and Bandcamp enable you bring in your biggest fans into your world in a much more intimate way. Make sure you have high-priced, monthly subscription levels where you don't need to promise too much in return (to maintain your sanity) to merely give your fans with the most means a way to support you in a streamlined way.
For $100/mo you could give them a shoutout in your email, pop their name on your upcoming releases, give them an Executive Producer credit (on Spotify). Have various price points from $1/mo all the way to $500/mo or so. Billionaires love music and want to support artists too! But again, be mindful of your time, creative energy and shipping costs. I highly advise against any physical rewards and don't spread your time too thin. Putting their name in your email or on your record isn't a big deal, spending an hour with them every week via a Facetime call could get taxing. I don't recommend that. But come up with creative rewards.
+Bandzoogle vs. Squarespace vs. Wix vs. Weebly vs. Wordpress: What''s the Best Website Builder?
+How To Make Money From Your Fans in an Ongoing Basis (Patreon Review)
+How To Turn Your Fans Into Paying Subscribers (Bandcamp Subscription Review)
You have to facilitate this transaction. They won't just do it. Put up a Patronage Hub on your website. Point people there. Promote it.
This is not charity. This is shifting the value proposition. Don't approach this like a merch store. Don't even call it a store. Call it a "Patronage Hub." Instead of trying to get 1 million people to stream your song, it's time to get 100 people, or even 10 people, to support you in real, meaningful way.
You're a creative person. Get creative!
3. Fan Offerings
Who says those cool Kickstarter-style rewards need to be reserved for crowd funding campaigns?
If you've ever run a crowd funding campaign, you know how challenging (and expensive) the physical rewards are, so don't put together physical offerings. But one thing that works really well, is offering to write customized songs for fans. If you have a home studio setup, this is obviously super simple to do. You can setup a very easy way to do this if you're using a web hosting service like Bandzoogle. Otherwise, it's as simple as sending your fans an email and having them respond and sending you a PayPal for the song. Charge a good amount for this. When I had this as a Kickstarter package, I charged $250 per song, had 5 available and they sold out in 1 day. I then added 5 more and they sold out the next day.
+Get 15% off a Bandzoogle Subscription By Using Code ARI or by Clicking Here
Do you have merch offered online? Run a Coronavirus sale.
This is the time to appeal to your richest fans. Put an emotional appeal in there while not sounding desperate or like it's charity. It's not. It's value. But the ultra rich need to step up in this time. Something like "Cancelled gigs and tours is hitting the music industry extra hard right now. And me specifically. I depend on gigs to pay my bills and support my family. I have a bunch of meaningful offerings I'm making available for a very limited time during this crazy Coronoville we're living in. If you love what I'm doing, please consider one of these offerings in the coming weeks" Then link to your where you have all the offerings available and information about your upcoming live streamed concerts.
The messaging is so important. Don't call it a "store" or "merch" call it an "offering" or "patronage."
Beethoven depended heavily on the patronage of just a few wealthy noblemen to make a living. At some point in the twentieth century the music business became solely about selling small-priced items (records) to lots of people.
We can move back into an era of patronage. The internet has provided us the tools. Are you ready to utilize them?
4. Teach Lessons Online
I'm sure you've seen by now artists offering to teach one-on-one lessons directly via Facetime or Skype. But take it a step further. If you have a significant audience of musicians who follow you, check out Teachable (what Ari's Take Academy is hosted on). You can pre-record lessons (5 minute video on articulation, how to solo over the blues, full instruction on how to play your most popular songs on guitar, piano and uke) and charge people to enter your school and take your lessons. Instead of doing a one on one lesson for an hour for $150, charge $37/month and your students can get access to every lesson - categorized. Continue adding lessons every day and categorize them properly. With everything getting cancelled - everyone is going to have a bit more free time on their hands to up their skills.
5. Continue Your Education
Which brings us to the next idea. This is a great time to continue your education. Have you always wanted to learn how to solo on guitar? Do you want to learn another instrument? Advance your Ableton or Logic skills? How about learning how to increase your Spotify and Instagram growth via advertising? There are plenty of courses by experts in the field who you could learn from to do any of this. Ari's Take Academy is offering 10% our courses for the next 2 weeks because of this craziness and to help push you off the fence (use code COVID19). Many online schools will probably be opening up their enrollment again (if they had closed) and/or offering discounts of some kind. But even if they're not, decide what you want to learn and go for it!
+How This Artist Grew To 500,000 Monthly Spotify Listeners Without Playlists
There are also great ways to continue your education for free. There are some excellent podcasts out there like the New Music Business podcast (episode one is launching Wednesday!). Other podcasts I learn a lot from are The Tim Ferriss Show, The Third Story with Leo Sidran, Song Exploder, And The Writer Is., and How I Built This.
This is also a great time to catch up on all the books that you've been meaning to read to enhance your business that you haven't gotten around to.
+How To Make It in the New Music Business (second edition)
6. Home Studio Work
SoundBetter (recently acquired by Spotify) enables you to offer your services to anyone around the world - without ever leaving your home studio. Recording, mixing, mastering, production, songwriting, singing, whatever. Someone needs a violin part on their track, they can send you the files, you track your parts, send the files back and boom, you made a session fee and they finished their track.
7. Get Yourself Registered (finally)
If you've been putting off getting your works registered. Now's the time. Make sure every song is registered to your PRO (ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN, PRS, etc) and make sure you have an admin publishing company to collect your worldwide mechanicals (like SongTrust - use code ARISTAKE for 20% off). Also make sure every song is registered with SoundExchange. And it's also a good idea to copyright your music.
+How To Get All Your Music Royalties: ASCAP, BMI, PRS, SoundExchange, PROs and the Rest
+How To Copyright 10 of Your Songs for $55
8. Write, Record, Plan!
Time to write your end of the world songs. JP Saxe beat us to it. But in all seriousness, time to get active with your recording and release schedule. Also, plan out your 6 month and one-year goals. It's always a good idea to update and reassess your goals every 6 months, but now you have the time, so hunker down and map them out. Make sure these are SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound.
9. Set a New Routine
I understand how not having your office space, studio, gym, coffee shop can upset your routine and want to make you fall into a pit of despair in front of Don Lemon. Don't let the Lemon win! Set up a space in your place where you will work. Try to do it in front of windows. Make sure you have ample amounts of coffee. Toilet paper may be sold out, but you can still find coffee beans! Do some pushups. Start a running routine. Pop in a Bowflex tape (oh how I miss sentences like these). You get the idea. Then sit yer ass down and get to work. You got this!
This is not the time for despair. This is the time for a creative shift in how we approach our business. We are all in this together!
If you have any other ideas on ways you are shifting your businesses in this time of quarantine, hit reply and let me know!
~Ari
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First off, it''s the last week to get 50% off my newest Ari''s Take Academy course, Hip Hop in Sync. I teamed up with the incredible hip hop artist, Vo Williams to teach this course. Vo has over 1,000 sync placements in film, TV, trailers, ads and video games. If you''re in hip hop and interested in sync, you need to get into this. This course is worth 10x what we''re charging (one sync pays for the course), but we running this discount because we''re very aware of the moment and want to make sure that anyone who could be successful with sync can get in. And I know what you''re wondering: "is sync licensing still happening during the shutdown?" It''s actually the BUSIEST anyone in sync licensing has ever been. Vo says that he''s getting more syncs, more quickly, now more than ever. And it makes sense. Everyone is at home watching TV and movies - so production companies and film studios need to keep pumping out the content - and they need music! Register for ATA Hip Hop in Sync here.?
Also, this week on the New Music Business podcast is Patreon CEO, Pomplamoose and Scary Pockets co-founder, Jack Conte. He discusses how you can engage with your fans creating digital art in the age of Coronavirus. He''s an extremely inspiring guy. You don''t want to miss this very timely episode. Listen here.?
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Well ladies and gentlemen, seven months after Governor Newsom signed into law the "gig worker" bill AB5, which sent the California music industry into a complete panic, we finally have some relief.
Today, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who authored AB5, submitted language to her "clean up bill" 1850 that essentially exempts the vast majority of music professionals from AB5. We did it!
What does this mean and what's next?
Well, first off, I've been a part of every step of this insane process since December and have been in the trenches working this thing out with all invested parties - and someday I'll tell the full story of what went down. But for now, what you need to know, is that this language has been agreed upon by a shit ton of organizations: Recording Industry Association of America? (RIAA), American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), Music Artists Coalition (MAC), Independent Music Professionals United (IMPU), Songwriters of North America (SONA), American Federation of Musicians (AFM), the Recording Academy?, International Allegiance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and Teamsters.
And let me tell you, this was no easy feat.
Many sleepless nights getting in Twitter battles with California politicians, countless phone calls with attorneys, redline after redline after edit after .how does "track changes" work again?. and trips to various important peoples offices. The newly formed organization, IMPU, that I lead and helped found, gave speeches at events and interviews on news programs, took countless meetings with legislators, and put on performances at protest events. And created a petition that received over 185,000 signatures. All of this helped get us to today.
First the headlines. AB5, which went into effect January 1st, 2020, created a much more narrow test of whether a worker should be classified as a 1099'd independent contractor or a W2'd employee.
Previously, there's what's called the "Borello" test, which lays out 11 key factors to determine how to classify a worker. The main takeaway is to see if the worker is under the 'control' of the employer. AB5, instead created a 3-point ABC test to determine if the worker should be classified as an employee. Under the ABC test, a worker is considered an employee unless the worker:
(A) Is free from the control and direction of the company in performing work, both practically and in the contractual agreement between the parties; and
(B) Performs work that is outside the usual course of the company's business; and
(C) Is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as the work performed for the company.
Point B is what caught up nearly everyone in the music industry. It's pretty damn hard to say that the band performing music at a music venue is not part of the music venue's usual course of business of music. And it's pretty damn hard to say that the drummer that I hire for a wedding is performing work outside the usual course of my business of music. Commence all drummers not being musicians jokes.
You can read what I initially wrote about this law, when I first found out about it: California's Music Economy Is About To Crash
Anyway!
The lawmakers of California believed that AB5 would give more protections to workers. They believed that this would get all companies to reclassify their independent contractors as employees. If someone is classified as an employee, they can enjoy benefits like overtime, workers compensation if they get injured, unemployment compensation if they get laid off, health care, and other things that are reserved for W2'd employees. Sounds great right?
Well, what ended up happening, was instead, companies began simply restructuring their businesses and laying off their workers. More specifically in the music industry, people stopped hiring California musicians and taking that work out of state, venues stopped having music altogether, community arts organizations that hosted small opera and musical productions began shutting down and cancelling upcoming performances, artists, bandleaders and singer/songwriters stopped hiring backup bands for their gigs, composers stopped contracting musicians to record demos for their new works, contracting agencies which hired arrangers, musicians, librarians, orchestrators, recording studios and recording engineers, had to shut down, artists stopped hiring recording engineers, producers and musicians to make their albums, and schools laid off accompanists for their choirs and musicals - which forced the schools to shut down the upcoming performances.
These are not hypothetical cases. These are documented cases that I received of what actually happened since January 1st.
I had calculated that literally hundreds of music professionals had lost work since January 1st because of AB5. And these are just the stories I heard about personally. A bunch of industries were able to secure exemptions before AB5 got signed into law (doctors, lawyers, hair stylists, manicurists, accountants, repo men), but the music industry did not.
So my coalition, IMPU, along with the other organizations listed above, lead by attorney Jordan Bromley, worked tirelessly behind the scenes with the unions and legislators on consensus language that protects everyone.
This consensus came together just before the Coronavirus shut down the entire world.
The thing is, this virus will pass and the music industry will have a live concert business once again. But the laws will last for a very long time.
Assemblywoman Gonzalez has said that she would like to get this new 'clean up bill' AB 1850 passed as an urgency measure - which means, if it gets a 2/3 majority vote in both the Assembly and Senate, it will go into effect the moment the Governor signs it - as opposed to January 1st the following year. And it will be retroactive - meaning everyone who is currently 'breaking the law' now can not be held responsible for it in the future.
Now that the Coronavirus has decimated the live music industry, we're not really thinking about proper classification of recording engineers. But someday we will. And when that day comes, we will once again, be able to thrive in California - the entertainment capital of the world - and the state we love and call home.
It's funny, as a songwriter and book author, I never thought that one of the most impactful things that I'd have a hand in writing would be a law for the state of California. Life is funny sometimes.
~Ari
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This week''s guest on the New Music Business podcast is with Nick Bearden.
I recorded this episode with Nick live from his home studio this past February when I was in Nashville for a book signing. He''s a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and engineer.
Nick has played thousands of shows with Jamestown Revival, but we go deep into the business of managers - where he shares a story about one of the shadiest managers I''ve ever heard of. We also dive into how to get (and keep) the gig as a hired gun.
Listen on your favorite podcast platform here or watch the interview here.?
In case you?missed them, make sure to check out previous episodes:
TikTok and Instagram Influencers with Ultra Records Marketing Director
Manager for JP Saxe, X Ambassadors, Jukebox The Ghost is Persistent
Making Music During COVID-19: Ari''s Take Academy Roundtable Discussion
You can check them all out here.?
~Ari
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Keep up on Twitter: @aristakeSubscribe to the New Music Business podcast
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First off, the second season of the New Music Business podcast is coming in just a couple weeks. If you''re not subscribed, get on that! You can catch up on previous episodes (and subscribe) here.
+Read the post and comment on aristake.com
Over the weekend, Spotify decided to do a major purge of songs they believe had ''fraudulent streams.''?
In effect, tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands? millions?) of songs disappeared from the platform overnight (happy new year!).
There''s been a lot of misinformation flying around about what happened and why. There''s a (debunked) conspiracy theory flying around that DistroKid had something to do with this - because so many songs that got removed were from DistroKid artists.
Over the weekend, Philip Kaplan, CEO and founder of DistroKid, wrote a blog post helping people understand.
"Every month, Spotify & other streaming services detect fraudulent marketing services and playlists, remove associated tracks, and email a list of affected tracks to distributors (so your distributor can notify you). If you got an email notice, it's possible you (or someone on your team, or a friend, or fan) used one of these fake marketing services. It's also likely you didn't know that the marketing service (or playlist) was generating fraudulent streams. Which is a super bummer situation (for you and for your distributor)."
Well, last night I joined Philip in a Clubhouse discussion all about this topic - what happened, why and what to do now.
---> If you''re on Clubhouse follow me, I''m leading regular discussions! @ariherstand
It started with one of the moderators, Joey Lavish, bravely relaying all the conspiracy theories he''d been hearing in various circles he''s a part of. The proverbial conch was then passed to Philip who attempted to go one by one and debunk all of the conspiracies. He laid out a few basic facts:
No, DistroKid had nothing to do with this
(This only hurts their brand. Why would they shoot themselves in the foot?)
DistroKid passes 100% of the money they receive onto the artist
DistroKid does not pay out any money before they receive it from the DSPs (Spotify, Apple, etc)
DistroKid is the largest distributor in the world (by far), so naturally most songs that got removed were from DistroKid artists.
After reviewing the survey DistroKid artists (who had music removed) filled out, Philip learned that there seem to be hundreds of scam services out there that artists hire to inflate their streaming numbers (or promote their music, plug them into playlists, etc)
"This may be a result of our efforts to protect against artificial streaming - and is not related to what distributor you use." - Spotify
Ok, let''s start there. Why did this happen? How is this happening? There are countless services out there that claim to help you boost your streams. Most services make it look legit ("We don''t use bots! We only pitch your music to real playlist curators!"). Believe me, their language is tricky AF. I''ve spent the past 3 years studying these services and even became a victim to one 3 years ago when MY album got removed. I wrote about that experience on Digital Music News. (That was a CD Baby distributed album.)
These services are, by and large, against Spotify's terms of service. So avoid them like the plague!
The thing is, Spotify purging songs for ''artificial streams'' (as they call it), is not new. They just do this in waves.
And the latest wave began January 1st, 2021.
Good rule of thumb, never pay a service to market your music on Spotify.
For clarity, running ads on Facebook, Instagram or Google to get people to click on your ad which then sends them to Spotify is not against Spotify''s terms. That''s old-fashioned, very legitimate marketing. You''re targeting real humans to use their human fingers to click on your ad and use their human ears to listen to your music on Spotify.
+How This Artist Grew To 500,000 Monthly Spotify Listeners Without Playlists
This is a good use of your marketing dollars.
Also, hiring a PR firm to promote your music and story to blogs and other media outlets is, of course, also not against Spotify''s terms. PR companies are contacting real human writers and influencers to use their human brains, hearts, voices and fingers to talk and write about you and your music.
This, similarly, can be a good use of your promotion dollars (Spotify playlist editors have said point blank that they read blogs and pay attention to who journalists are talking about and listening to).
Just be careful, there are plenty of PR scams out there too!
Spotify is trying to do away with these scammy services by teaching artists a lesson.?But this is a really shitty way to do it. It''s like punishing your child for getting kidnapped while working at their job. "You should have known better!"
It''s an extremely difficult time to be an artist in the music industry these days. Not only do you have to create brilliant art, you have to brand it, market it, promote it, manage your brand on social media, oh, and book shows, tours and manage all your finances. This is all before anyone in the music industry will even glance their way. We know that no one, not managers, agents or labels, will give the time of day to an artist who doesn''t seem to have their shit together.
And how do you have to show you have your shit together in this day and age? Streaming numbers! Great branding! Engagement! And a great f''in story to boot.
So artists got punished for attempting to do what they thought they were supposed to be doing - promoting their music.
But this is the world we live in. So if you''re an artist, again, do not, I repeat, do NOT pay anyone to pitch you to playlists or boost your presence on Spotify.
What about Playlist Push and SubmitHub?
These two services technically do not break Spotify''s terms of service. Technically. On the face. But there is a lot of grey area here and many artists who got their music removed only used Playlist Push or SubmitHub. So what gives?
+Playlist Push Review
+SubmitHub Review
For the uninitiated, Playlist Push is a service that''s been around for about 3 years where they have a network of playlist curators who get paid to listen to music and possibly add it to their playlist. Now, they''re technically not being paid to add your song to their playlist (that''s against Spotify''s terms). Just paid to listen and review and POSSIBLY add it. The artist pays a bulk amount (like $1,500) to submit their song and based on your genre, Playlist Push sends the song to the playlist curators they think will dig it.
Where it gets a little iffy is, the playlist curators actually make MORE money if they DO add your song. So it''s to their benefit to add your song. So no, they''re not being paid to add it, they just make more money if they add any song.
This is how my funk band''s song got added to "90s boy bands" and "P!nk and Avril Lavigne" playlists when the song has nothing to do with these playlists. Supposedly because we selected "funk" and "soul" and "R&B" as our genres, that Avril Lavigne playlist also had "soul" selected, or something like that.
And, not to mention, that it totally f''d up our Fans Also Like and killed our Spotify Algorithm.?
See, Spotify is increasingly driven more and more by the algorithm. We know about Discover Weekly, Radio, etc. And if they start throwing your music into someone''s Discover Weekly who would definitely NOT like your music (because they like 90s boy bands and P!nk and you do 1970s funk), Spotify is going to think that people just flat out don''t like your music and will bury it.
Our Fans Also Like, shortly after running our Playlist Push campaign, turned from the hottest emerging funk bands in the world, to all Japanese artists, with Japanese Artist Names and Song Titles. It was pretty hilarious.
SubmitHub operates where you can similarly pay a person (one at a time) to review your music and possibly add it to their playlist. Again, not recommended!
So, artists, per usual, got fucked. Because Spotify can''t figure out how - or just don''t care - to go after the ACTUAL perpetrators (the scammers and fraudsters), they go after the victims. The artists.
Maybe next time the police should arrest and imprison the kidnapping victim for being so dumb to show up to work.
If you''re a DistroKid artist you can dispute the takedown here. DistroKid is saying they will go to bat for you with Spotify if it shows that you didn''t do anything wrong.
You can also get in touch with Spotify directly here and plead your case.?
If this doesn''t work, it''s recommended that you immediately stop the playlist plugging/marketing service you''re working with (duh) and redistribute your songs/albums. You may be able to use the same distributor. You may not. If you use the same ISRC numbers (you''ll need a new UPC), your streams should?stay intact.
~Ari
PS - We just updated the digital distribution comparison (Amuse vs. AWAL vs. CD Baby vs. DistroKid vs. Ditto Music vs. FreshTunes vs. Horus Music vs. LANDR vs. ONErpm vs. RouteNote vs. Songtradr vs. Soundrop vs. Stem vs. Symphonic Distribution vs. TuneCore vs. UnitedMasters). Check it out and hit me any questions!
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