Over 145m fans attended 50,000+ Live Nation events in 2023, with company’s FY revenues up 36% YoY to $22.7bn in its ‘biggest year ever’Concert giant publishes its Q4 and FY 2023 financial results
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Producer Crosstalk: The IvyBand and production team The Ivy – Wyatt Clem and Shawn Abhari – met in 2016 while studying music production at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Oklahoma City. Both arrived with a music background and a passion for the craft of making records. Together the duo has released three self-produced EPs and the full-length A Door Still Open is slated to drop on February 23. To date, The Ivy’s 2017 “Have You Ever Been in Love” has earned more than eighteen million Spotify streams.

Writing and recording a song is typically only part of the artistic equation. Another crucial piece is how an artist knows if what they’ve created has merit or commercial viability. “If I’m not vibing with it within the first few days, then I move on,” Clem observes. “But Shawn and I won’t give up if there’s a song with one sound that doesn’t fit. Sometimes we can lose sight of whether it’s a good song as a whole because we want to make a certain tone or performance work. Otherwise we try to follow our joy and excitement, especially if we both feel it.”

 “I’ve learned over the years that all of the sounds in a song should feel like they’re in the same environment,” Abhari adds. “If you use a certain amount of reverb on one instrument, then make sure that it blends into the mix so that it all sounds like it’s in the same room. If I get stuck, I just turn on the main core elements. If those all sound good, then I’ll add other things piece by piece. If something is really jarring, we figure out what’s working and what’s not by building it up track by track.”

Knowledge gained on earlier projects is drawn upon regularly when a new record is begun. Further lessons are also likely to be learned in the process. “A Door Still Open came from a bunch of demos we’d written before we even knew we were doing an album,” Abhari recollects. “The challenge was how to make only a chorus and a verse fit with some of our other ideas. That was always hard but engineers and producers in LA helped us make the environment feel like it was in the same headspace.”

Virtually any band would be thrilled with the eighteen million Spotify streams that “Have You Ever Been in Love” has amassed. But what was it about that song that imbued it with such stellar reach? “I don’t know why it hit other than maybe that indie-pop eighties genre was popular at the time and maybe it fell right into the algorithm,” Abhari speculates. “I loved the crunchy, eighties-sounding four chords. I took the drum rack from one of Wyatt’s demos that had some really cool reverse snares and things and made the beat from it.”

Many artists are noted for their customized gear. Eddie Van Halen had his Frankenstrat and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready has a custom-modified amp that goes to eleven (really). In Clem’s case, his most prized piece of gear is his hacked Mexican Strat. “I took the body off of Shawn’s first electric guitar – a twenty-dollar Squier – and combined it with parts from my own,” he recalls. “Now it feels better than it ever did. I don’t see myself parting with that anytime soon.”

The three most important lessons the two have learned as producers, musicians and engineers are:

It’s not about what you can do with your instrument. It’s how you can serve the song.

Any sound can be cool if you manipulate it hard enough. We once made a song entirely out of six samples of paper being torn.

You can achieve everything you need without spending thousands of dollars. Our songs that have reached the most listeners were done on inexpensive equipment.

For 2024, The Ivy plans to concentrate on local shows initially and to join a larger tour towards the summer. The two also have material for another record in their creative queue. Both Clem and Abhari maintain home spaces from which they record demos. Often they work at the Santa Monica studio of SameSame, the production duo of Rob Cohen and Blake Mares. Until 2021, all of their music on Spotify was recorded in their bedrooms.

Contact - wearetheivy.com; Instagram = @wearetheivy;

Amanda Curtis - Press Here Publicity, Amanda@pressherepublicity.com

Reservoir has spent nearly $1B on acquisitions and signings, and 5 other things we learned from its latest investor factsheetReservoir Media has clocked yet another year of strong growth, with revenues up 14.6% YoY in calendar year 2023. The company’s quarterly financial results show revenues of USD $140.5 million during the year, up from $122.6 million in 2022. With the company’s stock trading at $7.00 as of February 22 (up 6.4% over 12 months, … Continued
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UMG, Jimmy Iovine backed NTWRK buys Complex to build a Superfan hubUMG and Jimmy Iovine-backed live-video shopping platform NTWRK will acquire media company Complex to create a music and culture superfan destination...
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MIDiA identifies the top seven challenges Musicians face
Continuing from his "how difficult it is to make it in the music business" post, Bobby Owsinski breaks down a recent study revealing what's most difficult about being a professional musician.

Spoiler: It has nothing to do with talent...

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Free tracking app Playlist Alert adds Apple MusicThe Playlist Alert iOS app sends real-time alerts when songs are added to playlists. Since 2021, the popular free app has focused on adds to thousands of Spotify editorial playlists...
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TikTok’s ‘Add To Music App’ feature is rolling out in another 163 countriesDespite its ongoing spat with Universal, TikTok is undeterred in its push to capitalize on the popularity of music on its platform
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Good Neighbours might be the hottest new independent band in the world right now – and the major labels know it.MBW's sources suggest this one is moving fast, with many sides keen to make a swift and potentially substantial deal
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Universal Music Group is acquiring a stake in Complex – via a takeover focused on ‘superfans’ and e-commerceEarlier this month, Robert Kyncl, CEO of Warner Music Group, confirmed that WMG is in active discussions to sell two of Complex's long-time rivals
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ASCAP 2024 Membership Meeting: Jermaine Dupri, DOMi & JD BECK, Maggie Lindemann, Sam Hollander and More Industry-Leading Talent Take the StageASCAP, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, the only US PRO that operates on a not-for-profit basis, has announced the talent lineup for its 2024 Membership Meeting, scheduled for February 28 in New York City. 

Featuring performances, panels and presentations aimed at bringing the ASCAP community together for inspiration, education and a report on ASCAP’s historic 2023 financial results, the day will kick off with a performance from Grammy-nominated progressive jazz duo DOMi & JD BECK. Confirmed to participate in the meeting are Songwriters Hall of Famer and forefather of the Atlanta music scene Jermaine Dupri (who will participate in a keynote conversation), #1 songwriter and producer Sam Hollander (“High Hopes”), pop-punk singer-songwriter Maggie Lindemann, ASCAP President & Chairman Paul Williams, ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews and many more. Full schedule and lineup below.

After the opening DOMi & JD BECK performance, Williams and Matthews will deliver ASCAP’s “state of the union” as the PRO celebrates 110 years of serving music creators. The two will offer an essential recap on ASCAP members’ remarkable 2023, including the organization’s record-breaking financial success. They will discuss what it means to be the only US PRO operating as a not-for-profit, how ASCAP is putting creators first to serve the greater good, and the latest on its advocacy on behalf of creators’ livelihoods in the age of AI. Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stacey Ryan will perform to close out the session. 

More than 30 years after his first smash, producer, entrepreneur and record executive Jermaine Dupri is still crafting incredible songs for R&B stars like Muni Long (“Made for Me”) and Ari Lennox (“Pressure”). In a keynote conversation, Dupri — fresh off his appearance as Usher’s hypeman during the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Performance — will reveal the decisions that have helped get him to where he is today, and what it takes to sustain a productive, inspired and successful career. He’ll also share anecdotes from his decades-long career, including co-writing and co-producing three singles for Usher’s diamond-certified album Confessions; co-writing, co-producing and winning a Grammy for Carey’s “We Belong Together;” releasing two solo albums, and amassing eleven #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits.

The second half of the day will turn to networking and educational sessions. “We Create Music,” a superpanel of ASCAP songwriters and composers at the top of the pop, film music and musical theater spheres, will feature Hollander, his fellow #1 songwriter-producer Gregg Wattenberg (Five for Fighting, OAR), Madison Love (Kings & Queens,” Ava Max; “Turbulence,” P!nk), Oscar-nominated film composer Carter Burwell (Carol, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Banshees of Inisherin), and playwright/lyricist and composer Michael R. Jackson (Tony and Pulitzer-winning A Strange Loop). In this discussion moderated by Variety Executive Editor, Music Jem Aswad, the panelists will talk about their approaches to storytelling and offer practical advice for navigating the ups and downs of the industry – from paying dues and setting goals, to overcoming obstacles and the politics of collaboration.

The program will close out with the “Writers Jam,” featuring some of today’s top writers across the genre spectrum performing their biggest hits live and telling the stories behind the songs. Participants include Liana Banks (Bebe Rexha, Saweetie, Queen Naija), Grammy-winning songwriter Claudia Brant (Camila Cabello, Carlos Santana), pop-rock juggernaut Maggie Lindemann (“Pretty Girl,” “hostage”), and Dove Award-winning gospel singer-songwriter and composer Blessing Offor (“Believe,” “Brighter Days”).

Read on for the full lineup and run of show.

ASCAP Membership Meeting Schedule

3:00 pm - ASCAP Membership Meeting

Opening performance from DOMi & JD BECK

Updates from Paul Williams, Elizabeth Matthews and ASCAP SVP Membership & ASCAP Foundation Executive Director Nicole George-Middleton

Closing performance from Stacey Ryan

4:00 pm – 4:15 pm – Break

4:15 pm – 5:00 pm – “We Create Music” featuring Carter Burwell, Sam Hollander, Michael R. Jackson, Madison Love and Gregg Wattenberg

5:00 pm – 5:45 pm – KEYNOTE: The Confessions of Jermaine Dupri

5:45 pm – Break

6:00 pm – Writers Jam with Liana Banks, Claudia Brant, Maggie Lindemann and Blessing Offor

7:00 pm– 8:00 pm – Networking reception

The 2024 ASCAP Membership Meeting is currently at capacity. For more information, visit: www.ascap.com/meeting2024. 

Spotify Editors discuss what makes a Classic Album in the streaming eraWhat makes a classic album in the streaming era from 2015 to the present? Industry insiders join Spotify editors to discuss how albums were chosen for Spotify's new CLASSICS’s classic hip-hop and R&B Albums of the Streaming Era list.,,
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Tiffany Red shines light on unfair songwriter and publishing splitsMany artists, including big names like Beyonce, have been accused of stealing undeserved and unearned publishing splits. Tiffany Red is calling them out......
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Why all musicians need an Artist IDEver wonder how streaming platforms sort artists and songs with the same name? That's where artist IDs come in. Let's dive in to how you artists can navigate and utilize their own ID...
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Music creators – take our survey!MIDiA is fielding its annual music creator survey and if you are a music creator we would like you to take part. Whether you are a songwriter, artist, producer, engineer, vocalist, DJ, instrumentalist, soundtrack composer, or whatever you may be, we want to hear from you. This is an opportunity for you to have your voice heard on some of the most important issues facing music creators in today’s industry. 

On top of that, all participants will receive full access to the results of the survey so you can benchmark yourself against your peers. You will be able to compare against the industry average for things like workflows, tools used, income mix, challenges faced, platforms used, etcetera. It is a great opportunity to get a sense of how you are doing and learning about how other creators are carving out their careers, too.

If you need any further persuasion, all respondents will be entered into a prize draw of five $100 prizes.

All responses will be treated as strictly confidential. We will never present or even analyse your individual responses. Instead, they will be aggregated into the survey totals along with hundreds of other respondents.

Just follow this link to complete the survey.

Genre Just Ain't What It Used to BeSometimes an artist can't be neatly boxed into one genre, and this phenomenon is continually more frequent as time passes. While there have always been artists who blend influences from various parts of the music world, the meaning and influence of genre is rapidly changing.