The MLC is holding $1.2 Billion in publicly traded securitiesThe MLC is holding $1.2 billion in investments, and no one seems to be watching closely, writes Chris Castle. Find out why more in the industry are questioning where the money is going and who benefits.
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The Importance of Queer Visibility in Pop MusicFrom the earliest days of rock & roll, gender fluidity and gay culture were always quietly bubbling under the surface. AllMusic looks at the identity of pop superstar Chappell Roan and some of the pioneers of queer visibility in music.

Tip Jar: Rewriting the BeatlesBy Mark WinklerThat visual artists learn their craft by using a great master’s work as a tool is nothing new. When I was in Amsterdam at the Rijksmuseum, I was fascinated to see that the great painter Rembrandt did many copies of works by artists he admired, such as Caravaggio and Titian, to learn their techniques. Paul Gauguin reproduced paintings by Van Gogh, and Andy Warhol studied his young contemporary Basquiat to see what he could learn, which resulted in their collaborative canvases. Using great songs as a template for your own songs is a valuable tool for any songwriter. There’s always a reason a song is a hit, and a great song has “great bones.” So, why don’t you go to the top, and rewrite The Beatles, who are undoubtedly (at least in my mind) the most significant pop group of the 20th century. John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison wrote dozens of excellent songs during their quite short tenure as The Beatles. The song of choice to use as a template in this exercise—“Penny Lane.”The lyrics of “Penny Lane” are basically childhood reminiscences, told through a series of vignettes. Each verse contains a vignette, and the last verse brings some of the characters from the earlier verses together in a final scene. Winkler digresses…In the early 1970s, I did rewrite Jimmy Webb’s classic “Wichita Lineman.” Here’s the story: I worked at the Los Angeles Music Center as an usher. In those days, the Music Center had three performance venues and a wide variety of musicians played there. It was a great place to see everybody from Aretha Franklin to Maurice Chevalier. My best friend—then and now—is Arnie Zepel, a fellow usher at the time. Every year, the ushers would have a talent contest and in this particular year, he wanted to win it, because a girl he wanted to impress was on the committee. Arnie, while a great guy, was not exactly a strong singer or dancer, so I had to come up with something to make him shine. My answer was to write a parody to “Wichita Lineman,” which I retitled “Music Center Usher.”Instead of “I am a lineman for the county, and I work the main road,” I wrote, “I am an usher for the county, and I work the main floor.” I filled the lyrics with inside jokes that only an usher would get, and Arnie’s charming delivery and my spot-on lyrics won the talent contest and cinched him a date with the girl.A parody is rewriting an existing song’s lyrics for deliberate comic effect. Weird Al Yankovic is a master at it, and he’s also very successful; he’s had a No. 1 album for each of the last five decades. Randy Rainbow, of YouTube fame, is another master of the genre. I’ve written parodies many times and find that adhering to the structure and rhyme scheme of a tune is a great tool to learn to write.Songwriting ActionsNow, back to “Penny Lane,” here’s what you need to do: Rewrite the lyrics to “Penny Lane,” but keep the melody exactly the same. Retitle the song with another three-syllable location that had meaning for you as a child, like “Baldwin Hills,” “Omaha” or “Sherman Oaks.” Be sure to match the stress of the words “Penny Lane,” which is on the first syllable. For example, the New Jersey town of Bridgewater has three syllables, but the stress is wrong. You can tell by trying to sing the word “Bridgewater” to the melody that goes with the words “Penny Lane” in the song. If you want a New Jersey town for your song, try “Basking Ridge.” Sing it and you’ll hear why. • Rewrite the vignettes in each verse of the song using scenes and characters from your childhood. For most writers, writing about your childhood can be a great way to access your emotions and the details only you know.• Keep the Beatles’ scansion (length and rhythm of line) and rhyme scheme. It’s critical to memorize the melody exactly, which means literally playing the tunes over and over until you learn it. • In the first verse, lines two, three and four rhyme. • In the second verse, the lines two and three rhyme and then on line four, there’s an inner rhyme.• In the chorus, lines one and two rhyme and line three doesn’t.Objectives of the Songwriting ActionsTo learn how to write lyrics that match the melody of the song. When the lyrics match the melody, it is called prosody. Make sure you can match the Beatles’ melody in cadence and stress.Learning to put your lyrics to a melody is a necessary ingredient in songwriting. Even if you have written the lyrics and the music together during the first verse, when you get to the second verse, you have to write different lyrics to the melody you have already set up. I find memorizing the melody of the tune ultimately much easier than thinking you’re matching the lyrics to the melody by counting up the syllables and notating what syllables get stressed. Only by singing the words to the melody will you know if they work as a unit. It’s a muscle you need to develop, that will get better with time. Also, knowing the melody immediately gets you to sing and make what you are doing “musical” and not an abstract exercise on some paper. If you are a lyricist, you do not need to be a good singer, but singing the tune will let you know a multiplicity of things about the interplay between the words and the music. A songwriter friend of mine says that until you “taste” the words in your mouth you don’t know if they work or not. To make sure you have enough “specificity” in your song: study the Beatles’ lyric. The vignettes in each verse are like little movies and the nouns and verbs are specific: a banker and a barber and a fireman, not just a guy, another man and a girl. In Nashville, songwriters call nouns and verbs that are very specific, the “furniture.” The more furniture the better.To find the lyric for the Beatles’ “Penny Lane” copy this linktinyurl.com/2jdxztnkThe post Tip Jar: Rewriting the Beatles first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Bruno Mars breaks own record, hitting 150M monthly Spotify listenersBruno Mars continues to shatter records, this time becoming the first artist to reach 150 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The feat, announced Monday (January 27), comes just over two months after Mars surpassed The Weeknd‘s previous record of 120.7 million monthly listeners. With the latest listener count, Mars’ listeners now account for a little … Continued
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In the wake of new Spotify deal, Universal Music Group adds $3.4 billion to its market cap; Warner Music Group shares up 4.7% as investors await similar agreement with streamerUniversal and Warner jointly pile on around $4 billion in market cap value following landmark announcement
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Spotify UMG deal is good news for all Artists: Read Full TextA new multi-year deal between Spotify and UMG that includes recorded music and music publishing appears to establish a new precedent in how royalties - particularly those involving income from bundled subscriptions to songwriters - will be calculated.
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4 Essential Strategies for Touring ArtistsTouring is no longer just about ticket sales—it’s a goldmine of revenue opportunities waiting to be tapped. Discover four proven strategies for touring artists to grow your fan base, boost merch sales, and connect with fans worldwide.
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Apple Music Stats 2025 You Need to KnowApple Music isn't always first on music marketers minds, even though it has 93 million subscribers and higher payouts than most competitors. Dive into Apple Music stats 2025 plus learn the features that set it apart.
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Album Review of "Hiding in Plain Sight" by Herin (9/10)The Laser’s EdgeProducers: Terry Brown and Christopher HerinChristopher Herin is well known in international progressive circles as a guitarist/multi-instrumentalist in bands like Tiles and Discipline. Stepping out as a first-time leader can be a daunting task. Add the weight of composing 11 tracks centered on Alzheimer’s disease and his 10 year journey caring for his ailing father, and the result is a brave and soul-stirring experience. Primary album sales go to benefit Alzheimer’s charities and research. And luminaries such as Peter Frampton, Alex Lifeson and Martin Barre brilliantly contribute to the cause.The post Album Review of "Hiding in Plain Sight" by Herin (9/10) first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Confirmed: Spotify and Universal have a new deal – including a direct agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group in the USIt’s official: as MBW reported earlier, Spotify and Universal Music Group have inked a new multi-year licensing agreement. Both sides of the deal have now confirmed their fresh alliance. And, as MBW’s sources nodded to earlier… it includes a surprise direct licensing agreement between Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) and Spotify in the United States … Continued
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Universal Music Group and Spotify have inked a new licensing deal. It remedies Spotify’s infamous US ‘audiobook bundle’ royalty discount in UMG payouts, say MBW sourcesBig news from the land of MBW’s well-connected industry sources: Universal Music Group and Spotify have inked a new licensing agreement. (This news has now been officially confirmed by both sides – read all about it here.) We’re told the multi-year deal arrives a year earlier than many expected UMG’s next deal with Spotify to … Continued
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Album Review of "From West Hollywood" by Silas Nello (7/10)SelfProducer: Silas NelloSilas Nello’s EP From West Hollywood reflects his move from Texas to Los Angeles, and reimagines past material (as well as a Bob Dylan cover) in a stripped-back, lyric-focused presentation with an emphasis on serving the song. Nello has doubled-down on independent releases and self-production, drawing on a do-it-yourself ethos. “Holy Ghost Blues” is memorable and will be a powerful listening experience when heard live and reformed with a full band. We’ll get our chance when he’s touring his new home state of California and across the U.S.The post Album Review of "From West Hollywood" by Silas Nello (7/10) first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

DIY and Independent Musician News Last WeekThis week, our tips and advice for the independent, do-it-yourselfers out there covered how to make more money from merch at shows, new music bills introduced, and more...
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Last week’s Top Music Business NewsA busy week by any definition and music business news was no exception, with new updates on LA Fire Relief, Chartmetric reports an overcrowded industry, and more...
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Signing Story with Nina NesbittDate Signed: January 2024Label: Apple Tree RecordsType of Music: FolkManagement: Vicky Dowdall, VDM MusicBooking: Marty Diamond - WassermanLegal: Kieran Jay - Harbottle & LewisPublicity: High Rise PR - ninanesbittmusic.comScottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt is taking the reins of her career by launching her own record label, Apple Tree Records. The name of the label is a nod to her first independent EP release 12 years ago, The Apple Tree, and it was also the first project of Nesbitt’s that her manager Vicky Dowdall worked with her on. Nesbitt and Dowdall are equal partners and owners of the new venture. “I feel like Vicky has partly raised me in the music industry. I was 17 when I started working with her. Vicky got me through my first heartbreak, she introduced me to some of my favorite albums.” Nesbitt revealed. “She's really protected me from the music industry, and stood by my side when I'd been dropped. We bring out the best in each other. And I think now that I'm older, it feels more like a partnership, which is really nice.”The first project under Apple Tree Records was Nesbitt ‘s fourth studio album, Mountain Music, which was released on September 27. “I wrote the album before we signed anything, so it didn't really change the creative part or the making of the album, but definitely in terms of how we promoted it,” Nesbitt says. “We had to hire the team and choose what we wanted to spend the funding on. It's been a lot more organic than other albums. We didn't take the first few songs to radio. We didn't do a lot of ads. It was just to let it grow naturally and just put the music out.”Nesbitt was previously signed to Universal Music Group and the indie label Cooking Vinyl. Those experiences have shaped her views on how the industry works. “I didn't know what a label could offer me in 2024, apart from funding. I feel like so much of it is on the artist and manager.” Nesbitt continues. “A lot of it's the artist doing the social media and the TikToks and everything. I'm at a point where I've established a fan base, and I just want to nurture that fan base and grow that. It really is a guessing game in the music industry, like nobody knows what's going to happen. No one knows what's going to be successful. You just really have to believe in yourself.”The post Signing Story with Nina Nesbitt first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.