How to release and promote your first singleReleasing a single can be a daunting task for any artist. Whether an independent musician or a signed artist, you should take key steps to ensure your single is successful.....
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Global recorded music revenues grew by 9.8% in 2023Growth is back! After a slower 2022, global recorded music revenues grew by 9.8% in 2023 to reach $35.1 billion, compared to 7.1% in 2022, which means that the market is now more than double (124.5%) the size it was in 2015. 2023 was the year in which the industry settled back into a positive growth trajectory after the volatility of the pandemic and post-pandemic years. But the numbers also point to a market that is embarking on a major period of change.

The recorded music market is becoming more diversified, and although streaming is still the centre piece, its role is lessening. Streaming revenues hit $21.9 billion in 2023, up a relatively modest 9.6% on 2022. For the first time ever, streaming grew slower than the total market, to the extent that its share of total revenues actually fell (to 62.5%). Interestingly, over the same period, the five publicly traded DSPs grew revenue by 15.9%, and Warner and Sony collectively grew music publishing streaming revenue by 18.4%. Value is beginning to shift across the streaming value chain.

In other years, the recorded music streaming slowdown would have been cause for concern, but not in 2023. This is because other formats picked up the slack. Physical, after a decline in 2022, was up again (4.6%) in 2023, as was ‘other’. Interestingly, physical is emerging as the industry kingmaker: so far in this decade, over each of the two years that physical revenues grew, industry revenue growth was strong, and in the two years physical fell, industry growth was slow. Physical is the difference between good and great.

The growth in physical revenues, however, is more than just a revenue story, it reflects an industry strategic shift. Anticipating the streaming slowdown, labels and artists alike have been looking for diversification and new growth drivers, with superfans emerging as the central target. The strong growth of physical and ‘other’ revenues in 2023 are the first fruits of the new superfan focus.

The most compelling evidence for the superfan shift, is expanded rights. A subcategory of ‘other’, expanded rights reflect labels’ revenue from sources such as merchandise and branding. In short: superfan formats. Traditionally, expanded rights are not tracked as part of recorded music industry revenues, but last year, because of the industry’s growing fandom focus, we decided we had to include them, even if other entities still do not. 2023 underscored the importance of that decision. Expanded rights revenue grew by 15.5% to hit $3.5 billion – 10% of all global revenues. Expanded rights are one of the main building blocks of tomorrow’s music business.

Change was not constrained to formats. Market shares took some interesting turns, too. Non-major labels had a great year (and we’re calling them that, rather than independents, because a lot of the bigger ‘independents’, such as HYBE, have little in common with what people think of as traditional indies). Non-majors grew revenues by 13.0% in 2023, compared to 9% for the major labels. This meant that non-major label market share was up for the fourth consecutive year, reaching 31.5%. (Though, note this is measured on a distribution basis, not an ownership basis. Therefore, independent revenue that is distributed via a major record label or a wholly owned major label distributor will appear in the revenue of the respective major record label. So ‘actual’ non-major share is higher).

Non-major labels had a great year in expanded rights, outgrowing the market, in large part thanks to Korean labels, which accounted for nearly 70% of non-major label expanded rights revenue.

In stark contrast, 2023 was a tough year for artists direct (i.e., self-releasing artists), with various streaming market developments seeing them grow streaming revenue and their number of streams much more slowly than in previous years. 2023 was the first year artists direct lost market share. Streaming revenue grew just 3.9% in 2023, compared to 17.9% in 2022 and 35.5% in 2021. The result was a 0.4 point decline in streaming market share. Despite a difficult 2023, artists direct revenue in 2023 was 57.7% higher than in 2020, though the impending streaming royalty changes will likely see growth slow further.

On the majors’ side of the equation, Universal remained the largest label group, with its $10.0 billion representing 28.3% market share, but for the first time since 2020, Sony was the fastest growing major, increasing revenues by 11.6%, growing market share 0.3 points to 20.3%

Concluding thoughts

2023 was a very positive year, and it may prove to be the one we look back upon as ‘when things started to change’. Streaming growth slowed, on the recordings side of the equation, at least; monetising fandom became a serious part of the industry; non-majors locked into long-term market share growth; and self-releasing artists started to see a clear divergence between what they streamed and what they earned. 

The industry is beginning to bifurcate between the traditional, streaming-focused business, and a new one in which fandom and creation will take centre stage. Welcome to the first year of tomorrow’s music business.

MIDiA clients read the full report here

Peppermint Creeps at the Whisky A Go GoDespite premature reports of its demise, there's still plenty of fun to be had on the Sunset Strip. Those that long for the heady and decadent days of glam, glitter, sleaze and hair can find all of those things on a regular basis at the Whisky A Go Go, as well as the nearby Rainbow and Viper Room.

On Friday, March 15, it was the turn of the Peppermint Creeps to wow the Whisky faithful. Before that, the last of the many opening bands, San Diego's Foxy Roxx, successfully warmed up the baying throng. A glorious mass of shocking pink, latex and stars, this party rock troupe had some shining moments in the '90s, an antidote for some to grunge and plaid.

Songs such as "Who Killed MTV" ampex up the celebratory atmosphere in this most historic of venues and, by the time they exited the stage, the crowd was pumped.

Headliners the Peppermint Creeps took to the stage to the sound of an apocalyptic yet completely indecipherable voice telling us something dark and deep about the future. No matter, the intent was the important thing and the atmosphere was appropriately built.

"In a world of one-hit-wonders, Peppermint Creeps stand the test of time," reads their online bio. "Where most bands only last as long as they feel relevant, Peppermint Creeps march on as the 'hardest promoting band on the planet' doing it for the fans before anything else. Whether people care or not, Peppermint Creeps spread their message regardless of what critics and skeptics think."

All of those ingredients made for a heady brew at the Whisky. Like a cyberpunk take on Mad Max, the Creeps make a statement out of black and luminous pink and green. They look like mimes at a rave, and they make it work.

The songs are crushingly brilliant -- a potent blend of power-pop, glam rock and trash punk. Covers of songs by Hanoi Rocks ("Boulevard of Broken Dreams"), the Vapors ("Turning Japanese") and Ramones (the closing "Beat on the Brat" and "Blitzkrieg Bop," plus the punked-up theme to Spider-Man that the Ramones recorded), betray their influences, though those same bands are pretty clearly present in the Creeps sound.

This was the first time in a while that a band from the glam-esque world has invoked a circle pit at the Whisky, and that's to be admired. Besides those covers, highlights included "Lesbian," "Fuck Off and Die," and "Pop Culture." All of them feature sugary-sweet, infectious melodies, super-cynical lyrics and anthemic choruses, and that all made for a great Friday night.

Getting It Done – The week in D.I.Y & Indie Music: Living Wage bill, release tips, finding a manager and moreLast week, our tips and advice for the independent, do-it-yourselfers out there covered how to promote a music video, how to find a manager and much more…
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REWIND – New music industry’s week in review: SXSW protests, Spotify adds video, TikTok under fire & MoreIt was a busy week by any definition, and the music industry was no exception. Spotify added music videos, TikTok angered a congressman into unanimity, Instagram trumped TikTok for the first time, and more......
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'Five Days of Broadway' Theater Training at Segerstrom CenterWhile all Five Days of Broadway spots are officially filled, scholarship spots are available for both Middle (ages 11–13) and High School (ages 14–19) students and applications are now open! These scholarships are not audition based and are designated to families requiring financial assistance. Each scholarship covers all or a portion of the enrollment fee, and applications must be completed by Friday, May 3.For more information and to apply, click below!Learn moreWant to put your name on the waitlist for Five Days of Broadway?Sign up by filling out the registration form here.

Lindell Audio announces LiNTEC Vintage Program Equalizer as take on studio classic with vintage workflow for making modern soundsBoutique recording equipment maker Lindell Audio is proud to introduce its LiNTEC Vintage Program Equalizer — enabling its take on a much-lauded studio classic with vintage workflow for making modern sounds, breaking with tradition by choosing a solid-state design over a tube-driven one — as of March 7…

By bringing a much-lauded studio classic — conceivably the most renowned studio EQ ever known — home to smaller studio setups and larger recording studios alike, anyone can now get hands-on with classic Pultec-style workflow when sculpting their tracks, thanks to Lindell Audio’s timely LiNTEC introduction. Indeed, it is billed as being a Vintage Program Equalizer, as emphasised by the on point wording boldly blazoned below the VU (Volume Unit) meter dominating its beautiful blue front panel that, in turn, emphasises Lindell Audio’s Scandinavian heritage, courtesy of subtle front panel positioning of an adapted Swedish flag motif. Attractive as it is to look at, alluding — albeit applying a ‘modern’ minimalist Scandi touch — to the time-honoured aesthetics of the Sixties-vintage, prohibitively-expensive Program Equalizer from which it draws its inspiration, it is what it sounds like — making its musical mark by bringing air and space to vocals and stringed instruments, beefing up the low-end of kick drums, or adding a touch of warmth and weight to an entire bus — that clearly counts. It is fair to say, though, that anyone running their tracks through a LiNTEC will wonder how they got by with using software EQs for so long!

LiNTEC’s lean, old-school design offers a shared (five-step switched 20, 30, 60, 100, and 150 Hz) LOW FREQ (frequency) selection control for the associated BOOST and ATTEN (attenuation), alongside independent (11-step switched 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 14, and 16 kHz) HIGH FREQ and (five-step switched 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 kHz) ATTEN selections with a shared BANDWIDTH control. As a result, users can dial in the precise amount of tone-sculpting necessary to serve their track with no risk of muddying up the midrange. Moreover, LiNTEC’s stepped pots ensure easy recall and stereo matching when used in a stereo pair, while its filters are based on classic EQP-1A filters, complimented by Lindell Audio’s own new gain structure.

Speaking of choices, Lindell Audio broke with tradition by choosing a solid-state design over a tube-driven one. On record as professing its love for tubes as much as the next manufacturer, solid-state offered myriad benefits for LiNTEC that could not be had with tubes, such as a faster transient response with a smooth, creamy, and punchy character; lower noise than tube-based EQs; better unit-to-unit matching for stereo pairing — matched by hand to within 1⁄4 dB of each other; and, obviously, no tubes to wear out and replace.

Turning to the op-amp applied to the LiNTEC design, it is the same proven OPA-171 — Lindell Audio’s take on the classic vintage Melcor 1731 op-amp — used in its 7X-500VIN ‘Vintage Edition’ 500-Series compressor and 77X-500 500-Series stereo compressor. Custom-designed transformers that are also central to making the LiNTEC Vintage Program Equalizer what it is have been created specifically for Lindell Audio.

And, yes, Lindell Audio’s LiNTEC is perfectly capable of pulling off the so-called Pultec low-end trick that has been used to fatten bass lines and kick drums on innumerable recordings; simply choose the desired LOW FREQ setting — try starting at 100 Hz, then simultaneously turn up both the associated BOOST and ATTEN controls to taste. As a historical side note, it is interesting to note here that original Pultec documentation asserted — admittedly rather bullishly, “Do not attempt to boost and attenuate simultaneously on the low frequencies.” Is it any wonder, then, that eager-to-know-why engineers did just that! The result of this simultaneous boost/cut operation is a low-end boost below the selected frequency, with a cut slightly above the selected frequency; in turn, this results in a satisfying-sounding thump and body that does not risk muddying the midrange — a not-so-secret trick of engineers and producers ever since those eager-to-know-why engineers first tried ignoring what they were told! Try doing that ‘for real’ with software EQs.

Electronics evidently has a lot to answer for, and by bringing the much-lauded studio classic home to smaller studio setups and bigger studios alike, anyone can now get hands-on with classic Pultec-style workflow when sculpting their tracks for a lot less than the price of other classic hardware EQs, thanks to Lindell Audio’s LiNTEC.

Last, but by no means least, the LiNTEC Vintage Program Equalizer is also useful for adding a touch of warmth and harmonic content to program material — even with its EQ set flat! 

As a RAD Distribution company, Lindell Audio’s LiNTEC Vintage Program Equalizer is expected to ship in late-March/early-April 2024 with an MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) of $399.00 USD — RAD Distribution is also the exclusive North American distributor

For Lindell Audio products (https://raddist.com/en/brands/lindell-audio) — and an SSP (Standalone Selling Price) of €532.00 EUR — including 19% VAT (Value Added Tax) — in the EU (European Union).

From Universal’s TikTok takedowns to Deezer’s 26m deleted tracks… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days…
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Tracks with a Spotify Canvas video are 145% more likely to be sharedData from Spotify shows just how much adding a free 3-8 second Spotify Canvas video to a track can contribute to its success. If a song has a Canvas video,. Continue reading
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Why every musician and music company NEEDS merchandisingWe dive into the importance of merchandising for musicians and music companies and how it uniquely creates new connections with fans and expands outreach as an artist and music business.. Continue reading
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Living Wage For Musicians Act excites many but worries othersA new bill before Congress that would increase streaming royalties excites many independent musicians, but others are worried. Here is why… by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0 If you took. Continue reading
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Down The Skibidi Toilet: Why Universal Music Group’s ‘Project Timeout’ is hitting TikTok with endless copyright takedown requestsThere is a lot to explain here....
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Record companies are better placed than streaming platforms to monetize superfans… and 3 other things Robert Kyncl said in his new Q&AWarner Music Group’s CEO has some “radical” ideas on how to change how streaming services pay music rights holders
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30th Anniversary Limited Edition SansAmp Bass Driver DIThe SansAmp Bass Driver DI has been an arsenal staple for players and studios almost since the day it was introduced in 1994. To commemorate its 30th anniversary, Tech 21 is issuing a limited edition with an anodized precision-machined aluminum billet housing and all metal knobs.

This all-analog multi-function, multi-application pedal dials up big vintage tube tones, bright modern slap sounds, gnarly distortions, and all in between. There are three different outputs to drive power amps, recording desks, PA mixers, or simply enhance your current rig. Controls include Presence for definition and upper harmonic content; Blend to combine the ratio of direct signal and SansAmp circuitry; and active 3-band EQ with 12dB of cut or boost.

The 100% analog SansAmp Tube Amplifier Emulation technology encompasses the entire signal chain, from pre-amp to power amp to speaker simulation. An integral part of the circuitry, the individually-tailored SansAmp speaker simulation will complement any type of bass speaker cabinet system.

It is rare an electronic music-related product can withstand such a test of time. The SansAmp Bass Driver has been used for every kind of music style from death metal to commercial jingles, in countless studios, and on tours around the globe. In fact, many mammoth stage rigs you see are actually driven by a SansAmp nestled behind the backline. It has defied the odds and to this day, SansAmp remains the standard of the industry.

MIDiA independent label and distributor surveyMIDiA is fielding its annual independent label and distributor survey. This is the chance for the independent sector to have its voice heard. Given all of the changes that are taking place in the streaming economy, there has perhaps never been a more important time for this. In the survey, we ask about topics such as two-tier licensing, artist cut through, AI, catalogue and marketing.

All participants will get a copy of the final report so you can get a definitive view of how the wider independent marketplace is performing and how it is responding to today’s market challenges and opportunities. 

Crucially, all of the data is treated as strictly confidential. We never share respondent level data with anyone and we only use the respondent level data to create the aggregate market figures. This means your company-level responses are not seen by anyone else.

MIDiA has fielded this survey for years now and have been trusted with their data by many hundreds of labels and distributors.

Click here to complete the survey.