Album Review of "The Deacon Speaks" by Steve Hunter (9/10)Deacon Records

Producer: Steve Hunter

Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and Mitch Ryder are just a few of the musical luminaries that have relied on his guitar prowess. Hunter’s been one of the hired guns that has provided the secret sauce for their star maker machinery.

Now he’s front and center, serving up, not only soul-stirring axe work, but scintillating and resonant vocals as well. His takes on traditional tunes like “Back Door Man” and his own “Tiresome Blues” are spot on. And Reed’s “Sweet Jane” gets a fresh and revelatory arrangement.The post Album Review of "The Deacon Speaks" by Steve Hunter (9/10) first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Getting It Done: Last Week in D.I.Y. and Indie Musician NewsLast week, our tips and advice for the independent and do-it-yourselfers out there covered the blurring line between distributor and record label, a Spotify marketing guide, how to make money realistically with music, working with sync reps, and more...
The post Getting It Done: Last Week in D.I.Y. and Indie Musician News appeared first on Hypebot.

REWIND: The new Music Industry’s last week in reviewIt was busy week by any definition, the music industry last week was no exception, with a flamout by ticketer Lyte, NITO taking on ticket scalpers, CD sales on the rise, and more...
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Signing Story with Cascade RiotDate Signed: July 2024

Label: PNWK Records

Type of Music: Alt-rock, punk

Booking: sam@pnwkmusic.com

Legal: robert@pnwkmusic.com

Publicity: Mike Cubillos - Earshot Media

Web: pnwkmusic.com/cascaderiot

Detroit’s Cascade Riot started playing music together as kids. Explains frontman Ryan Failla, “We're big on the chemistry that the three of us have… I don't think any one of us really have much of a desire to play with anyone else.” Those kids eventually grew up, with one member taking an out-of-state job, dissolving Cascade Riot into the harsh waters known as the nine-to-five grind.

Fast forward to 2022, six years later, when the departed member returned to Michigan, posing the question, “what’s stopping us now?” This time, however, the group decided they needed to be all-in. “We couldn't go away for another six years and then come back and expect it to happen,” laughs Failla. “So one of the things we were interested in [this time] was label support.” 

In attempt to take the band the next level, Cascade Riot began submitting demos. Rather than agreeing to the first pitch they heard, however, the dudes took their time. “[With the first label we met], we realized we didn’t need what they're offering… They were kind of wanting to market us as just a punk band that only does this kind of sound and looks like this and acts like this.” Hearing this leaves us projecting the harsh reality Cascade Riot will be disappointed seeing we pigeon-holed their genre to fit our bio box above.

After turning down their first offer, the trio found PNWK. Failla and company were familiar with the label’s track record as fellow Michigan natives, Potion Seller were already signed. “They weren't locking us into any sort of commitment,” expresses Failla. 

Along with no long-term commitment, PNWK didn’t push an agenda or narrative on the band’s vision or sound, and only offered to help in spaces where Cascade Riot seemed interested. Like merch ideation and printing. “[Having the right deal], you don't feel like you're entirely on your own anymore. If there's something we need, we know we can go to them and they're probably gonna take care of it for us.”

The band is now recording its PNWK debut for a release later this year.The post Signing Story with Cascade Riot first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

From Global Music Rights’ $3.3bn valuation to the Miley Cyrus copyright lawsuit… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
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Music Tectonics music tech startup competition finalists namedThe Music Tectonics Conference Swimming With Narwhals music tech startup competition has named its 2024 finalists.
The post Music Tectonics music tech startup competition finalists named appeared first on Hypebot.

QUICK HITS: Mellomanic + $6M •  Cargo Indie Distro launches • Audoo adds Advisors • Believe names Managing DirectorSuperfan platform Mellomanic (formerly We Are Giant) has announced the closing of a $6 million funding round, bringing the total capital raised to $13.8 million dollars.
The post QUICK HITS: Mellomanic + $6M •  Cargo Indie Distro launches • Audoo adds Advisors • Believe names Managing Director appeared first on Hypebot.

Musicians: Don’t Give Up! Success May Be Right Around the CornerSuccess as a musician can be illusive and it's natural to get discouraged. But our message is simple: musicians, don't give up! Keep trying, because success may be right around the corner.
The post Musicians: Don’t Give Up! Success May Be Right Around the Corner appeared first on Hypebot.

France’s recorded music market generated $450m in H1, as paid subscription revenues grow 11.3% YoYSixteen of the top 20 albums in France in H1 2024 were domestically produced
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New Toys: The Fender On-the-Go Amplifier (Mustang Micro Plus)Fender has released the latest version of its most versatile on-the-go mini amplifier, the Mustang Micro Plus. Building on the success of The Mustang Micro launched in 2021, this new update offers personal guitar amplification that fits in your pocket and has a wide selection of tones, amp models, and effects from popular Mustang Series amps. 

The Mustang Micro Plus now has 25 guitar amplifier models and 25 effects combinations. Classic Fender tones can be quickly and easily dialed in anywhere. As the name Micro Plus implies, this device is just a bit larger than a pack of Tic Tacs. It plugs straight into your electric guitar, and musicians can effortlessly select from a variety of amp models tailored to their musical style. And as you would expect from Fender, the jack is designed to plug in easily even if your guitar has a recessed jack, like on a Telecaster.

Right out of the box, 70 different sounds are ready to go for hours of inspiration. From creamy clean swirling chorused echoes to clean jazz, '70s hard rock to '90s metal… any guitar player should be able to find some great sounds they will enjoy right away. Each preset has nine different EQ presets available. The integrated LED display is bright and clear, and the built-in tuner works well.

A metronome with a Tap feature can help you find and set a tempo right away. You can use your favorite headphones wired with a mini plug or connect to ear buds via Bluetooth to enjoy the stereo sounds. If you spend a lot of time with the Micro Plus, you may do well to memorize all the buttons as you can’t really see them once the unit is plugged in, but you can change them by touch.

The level of sophistication and power in this little amp is huge, but don’t let that scare you. It is easy to navigate. Musicians can save and instantly recall their favorite amp and effect settings with the 100 editable presets. If you want to get deep into saving presets, programming and getting other players programs, the Micro Plus is compatible with the Fender Tone: iOS and Android app for use with your tablet or phone. Additionally, it has Bluetooth audio streaming with audio/video sync to enable playing along in real-time with your favorite music. 

The Micro Plus ships with 6 months free of Studio One+, the Digital Audio Workstation and music creation “ecosystem” partnership with PreSonus and Fender. $129.00

fender.comThe post New Toys: The Fender On-the-Go Amplifier (Mustang Micro Plus) first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Nelly sued for at least $50m over allegedly not crediting former St. Lunatics bandmates on hit album Country GrammarUS rapper Nelly has been sued by his former bandmates, the St. Lunatics, over a copyright dispute regarding several tracks from his hit album Country Grammar, which was released in 2000. The complaint was filed by lawyers in New York on Thursday (September 18) on behalf of Ali Jones (Ali), Torhi Harper (Murphy Lee), Robert … Continued
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Irving Azoff’s GMR just struck a $3.3 billion private equity deal, say MBW sourcesLook. We’ve broken some pretty big news of late. Proper news. But this? Size-of-transaction-wise, this tops the lot. MBW has confirmed via well-placed sources that Irving Azoff’s US-headquartered PRO, Global Music Rights (GMR), struck a multi-billion dollar deal yesterday (September 18) with a new private equity partner. The deal, we’re told, valued GMR at USD … Continued
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NITO indie agents, managers take ticket scalper complaint to FedsThe National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) has filed a formal ticket scalper complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging widespread violations of the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act.
The post NITO indie agents, managers take ticket scalper complaint to Feds appeared first on Hypebot.

Imagine Dragons livestream to benefit Tyler Robinson Foundation FridayThe Tyler Robinson Foundation and Bandsintown are hosting a special Imagine Dragons livestream performance from Los Vegas tomorrow Friday, September 20th at 9:30 PM PT/12:30 AM ET.
The post Imagine Dragons livestream to benefit Tyler Robinson Foundation Friday appeared first on Hypebot.

Q2 2024 music market metrics: bifurcation is hereThere are so many music industry metrics and financial results flying around these days that it can be difficult to keep up with them all. Don’t worry, we’ve got you. MIDiA has just published the first edition of a brand-new report series: quarterly music metrics. The aim of the report is to synthesise a sea of data into the insights that matter. Here are some highlights from the first edition.

Q2 2024 faced intense music industry scrutiny, with Universal Music Group’s (UMG) streaming revenue growth lagging that of market leader DSP Spotify. A complex mix of factors contributed to this trend –– UMG pointed to sluggish performance of Amazon Music and Apple Music, though regional factors were probably the main culprit, with Spotify growing well in Global South regions where UMG is not as strong. 

Earlier this week, UMG’s Sir Lucian Grainge laid out UMG’s vision for ‘streaming 2.0’ – a more segmented approach to taking the streaming market to its next phase. This included a more considered outlook of 10% annual subscriptions growth 2023 – 2028. Which is exactly what MIDiA projected in our music forecasts. It is solid and achievable growth. But one that does indeed need a fresh, more nuanced approach with the music market now bifurcating, both in business terms (DSPs vs social) and geographic terms (Global South vs Western markets).

The signs of bifurcation are already apparent with early signs of a slowdown in streaming music consumer behaviour to accompany the revenue trend. Spotify and YouTube Music were the only leading DSPs to experience weekly active user (WAU) growth between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024. All other DSPs saw declines over the period. This is not a one-off event. Between Q2 2020 and Q3 2022, all DSPs experienced steady WAU growth. From then on, however, all experienced flattening or declining growth. 

YouTube is worth taking note of as well. WAUs for watching music videos on YouTube have been in steady decline since Q3 2022, reflecting the growing competition from short form (both TikTok and YouTube’s own Shorts). YouTube Music app WAUs were up slightly.

The streaming slowdown is not restricted to DSP WAUs. The vast majority of monthly consumer streaming activities and wider monthly music behaviours, were also down. 

Secular trends are likely at play, namely cost of living pressures and growing competition for attention from other forms of entertainment. Interestingly though, the fact YouTube Music and Shorts, and TikTok related activities were the only ones to buck the trend is evidence of the bifurcation of music between DSPs and social, with the latter on the up.

But streaming value chain dynamics aside, Q2 24 was another quarter of solid growth across the wider music industry with leading labels, publishers, DSPs, and live music companies all registering growth once more. Total revenue across the fifteen leading music companies tracked by MIDiA were up 9.6% in Q2 2024, to reach $20.7 billion, with publishers and DSPs growing fastest.

Live continued its post-lockdown renaissance but the first signs of moderating growth are showing, with Live Nation’s and Eventim’s combined growth rate of 8.2% the first single digit growth rate since recovery started in Q2 21. There is no cause for alarm bells yet, but saturation of market demand for increasingly expensive live experiences will likely manifest in the coming years.

If you liked what you saw here, then check out the full report: Q2 2024 music metrics | Bifurcation is here

If you are not yet a MIDiA client, then drop us a line at businessdevelopment@midiaresearch.com

And as if you need any further persuasion, the data file with the report includes around a million consumer data points alongside quarterly company financials across labels, publishing, streaming and live, including separate sheets for major labels, publishers, and South Korea!