Maximize your Ad Budget as an Independent ArtistThis ultimate indie guide covers strategic planning and targeted marketing to maximize your Ad budget as an independent artist or label. by Tim Jack, CEO @ RiseLA, posted on Symphonic. Continue reading
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Music Tectonics launches 2024 Music Tech Startup CompetitionApplications are now open for the 2024 Music Tectonics Startup Pitch Competition. This multifaceted event empowers startups to gain exposure and get feedback from investors and industry experts.
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Music isn’t getting worse, genre is

A couple of weeks ago Rick Beato put out a video titled “The real reason why music is getting worse”. The core arguments centre around too many people making music, and tech making it both easier to make music and  for people to be lazy creators. And while Beato followed his original argument with an ‘old man yells at cloud’ video (this time titled “I know you’re angry, so am I…”), he stood his ground. The problem is, what constitutes ‘good music’ is entirely subjective. If it was only about technique then the majority of popular music would consistently lose against classical or jazz. Music is good when it moves us. And it tends to move us most when we are young. Hence most generations thinking that the best music was made when they were young.

Of course there is a lot in Beato’s arguments, but the ‘problems’ he identifies are also the positive trends that underpin the tectonic shifts in today’s music business and culture. But (and I know you shouldn’t follow a ‘but’ with a ‘but’, but…) there is also a lot more going on. The tech and democratisation trends are merely responding to and catalysing wider cultural shifts in music –– with fragmentation and genre the prime movers.

There has been plenty written about genre coming to an end; that we are in a post-genre world. The truth is more complex. In some respects, genre was only ever intended as a way for audiences to navigate their way through music, signposts to what they will probably like. Genres still play this role, though mood and activity playlists are fast becoming an alternative architecture for categorising music. Nonetheless, genre  remains the primary way we understand music.

The canon of music genre was established years ago (pop, rock, metal, dance, hip hop, jazz, country, blues, classical, etc). Each of those meta-genres came to prominence with underpinning cultural movements and at specific periods in time, especially popular music: pop ‘60s, rock ‘70s, dance, hip hop and metal ‘80s, dance late ‘80s / ‘90s.

The last chapter of the genre cannon –– dance –– was the ‘90s (and yes, that is a statement that is asking to be disagreed with). All other genres since have formed within the now-canonised meta-genres.

The new genres of this millennium fall into four groups:

1.    Regional interpretations: amapiano, Brazilian funk, reggaeton

2.    Scene-driven sub-genres: hyper pop, drill, trap

3.    Genre reinvention: mumblecore, dovecore

4.    Genre revival: shoegaze, post-punk

Each one of these meta-genres push music in new directions but still claim membership to one of the genre canon.

The fact that meta-genres have become canonised is a reflection of the post-mainstream nature of music. Fandom has fragmented, and genre fragmentation is really the music manifestation of this foundational behavioural shift.

All of which means that the meta-genres are actually less important and useful than they were. They have always referred to the mainstream end of music fandom, with sub-genres being traditionally where the more tribal end of music fandom lives. While that tribalism still exists, the subtle-but-foundational shift is that the fragmentation of fandom means that many of today’s niche sub-genres are built around listening patterns more than tribal music scenes. Crucially, niche does not inherently mean small, it just means not mainstream (and just to complicate matters further, has itself become niche).

Perhaps the best way to think about music genre in the 2020s is less in genre terms and instead through the lenses of sound and culture. Music today is shaped in six key ways:

Technology: Music production technology is innovating at a rapid pace, not just in terms of what tech is being made but also how creators are using it. AI is accelerating and amplifying this. New, unexpected sounds are working their way into music and changing its shape and sound. Think hyper pop (auto tuned vocals, pitch shifted instrumentation), and neurostep (a dubstep sub genre that uses lots of hypergrowls and ‘neurotic’ sound design).

Cultural interplays: Regions fusing their local sounds with international sounds to create something new. Think Reggaeton’s fusion of dancehall, Latin music, and hip hop.

User modification: Music fans speeding tracks up or down, boosting the bass, or creating mashups all flow back into music’s creative melting pot. A TikTok user creating a trap / grindcore / ambient mashup could accidentally create an entirely new wave of sound. This will become increasingly widespread, especially when you put gen AI in the hands of music fans.

Scenes: Music used to create scenes. Now, music is often the soundtrack to scenes, especially online ones. As a consequence, music has the potential to evolve much more because it is not tightly bound by genre rules. Nightcore as the soundtrack to online games and manga communities was an early example, with its sound shifting over the years.

Context: Physical spaces used to shape music (think Paradise Garage, late ‘80s warehouse raves, etc). As we spend ever more time online, it is only natural that online spaces are becoming the places that shape music. Whether that be TikTok-core, Spotify-core or Roblox-core. TikTok-core is so meta that it is often referred to as ‘core core’. Even social media is reshaping music – look no further than techno’s shift  to Instagram-friendly, fast BPMs and big drops. If / when the metaverse finally becomes a thing, this effect could explode. Take a look at VR club Shelter to get a sneak peek of what the future may hold.

Genre fluidity: All of the above factors lead to genre fluidity, with artists increasingly happy to throw together elements of many different genres. In the old world, the genre-police would have angrily shouted down these efforts (and to be fair, some still do) but there is much more willingness to straddle genre’s old boundaries. The walls are coming down.

The music business, and music critics, are often too keen to identify new genres. But simply putting ‘core’ after a word does not invent a genre. Most often it explains a sound phenomenon, with music responding to one or more of the above six factors. Spotify-core is one such example. And because the digital world is forever changing, the nature of music is forever changing. If the 2010s was characterised by artists trying to make music that ‘works’ on Spotify –– with big intros, drops and hooks –– the 2020s is seeing music with a more aesthetic and mood based approach. This is music responding to its surroundings rather than the creation of music genre. 

Some of the change is truly innovative, some of it entirely reductive. And the reductive change is not simply driven by the long tail of enthusiast creators learning their way. The biggest artists and songwriters are just as culpable: of the 960 songs from the US Billboard Top 40 in the entirety of the 21st century just 32 diverged from 4/4 time. In the era of fragmentation, creators big and small will do whatever it takes to cut through. In this paradigm, genre can be a barrier rather than a signpost, confining a song to just one lane of music culture’s highway. 

Genre is not going away, but while it was once the only place music could go, it is now just one part of a much more nuanced and complex picture. And that’s a good thing.

ASCAP Empowers Music Creators to Vote in Major Election YearThe American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) today announces the launch of the 2024 ASCAP Citizen campaign. Powered by nonpartisan, nonprofit voter registration organization HeadCount, ASCAP Citizen encourages ASCAP’s more than one million songwriter, composer and music publisher members and their communities to make their voices heard in this year’s elections.

As the congressional debate around artificial intelligence regulation intensifies, the 2024 ASCAP Citizen campaign focuses on why voting is important for ASCAP members, emphasizing the direct impact policy can have on a music creators’ ability to make a living. This year’s campaign kicks off earlier than ever, on July 9, and will run through Election Day on November 5.

The campaign launches with a video featuring ASCAP members Leon Thomas (“Snooze,” SZA), Madison Love ("Bad Things,” Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello), Jimmy Jam (“What Have You Done for Me Lately,” Janet Jackson), Marcus Miller (“Jump to It,” Aretha Franklin), Siddhartha Khosla (Only Murders in the Building), Joe Ragosta ("Need a Favor,” Jelly Roll), Akil “worldwidefresh” King (“BLACK PARADE,” Beyoncé), Amanda “Kiddo A.I.” Ibanez (“Calm Down,” Rema & Selena Gomez), René G. Boscio (The Watchful Eye), Amanda Jones (Moving On), Jaren Johnston (“Take Me to the Bottom,” The Cadillac Three)and Georgia Middleman (“I’m In,” Keith Urban)sharing why it’s critical for music creators to participate in the democratic process, and sending the message to elected officials that music creators vote. 

Throughout the campaign, @ASCAP social media channels will feature educational content and personal messages about the importance of voting from ASCAP members across every genre. The initial list includes LENA ("Tu Corazón”), Blu June (“CUFF IT,” Beyoncé), Pinar Toprak (Captain Marvel), 310babii (“Soak City (Do It)”) and more. ASCAP will also amplify “get out the vote” messages from other top ASCAP creators partnered with HeadCount including Olivia Rodrigo, Alicia Keys and Kehlani.

“Whether it is protecting creators’ rights through copyright law or new artificial intelligence regulations, policy directly impacts our members’ livelihoods. It’s vital for music creators to stay engaged with democracy and that starts with voting,” explained ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews. “It’s time to show elected officials that they should listen to more than just our members’ songs, because music creators vote.”

"We're thrilled to continue our partnership with ASCAP to empower music creators and their communities to vote in the upcoming elections. ASCAP Citizen embraces music’s power to bring people together – and music creators’ power as advocates for making our voices heard," said Lucille Wenegieme, Executive Director of HeadCount.

For the third election year in a row, ASCAP is an official partner of National Voter Registration Day on September 17. ASCAP Citizen will engage in online and on-the-ground grassroots voter registration mobilization throughout the summer and fall, and will shift to get-out-the-vote efforts in the days leading up to Election Day, including early voting efforts for Vote Early Day on October 29.

Starting today, anyone can visit www.headcount.org/ascap to register to vote, verify or update their voter registration status and view their local ballot.

More information about ASCAP Citizen can be found at www.ascap.com/citizen.The post ASCAP Empowers Music Creators to Vote in Major Election Year first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Streaming fraud costs the global music industry $2bn a year, according to Beatdapp. Now it’s partnering with Beatport to combat the trend“Suspicious activity has been on the rise in recent months," Beatport's Chief Revenue Officer says
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ONErpm has 550 employees and 40 offices globally… and it’s still 100% owned by its founderThe founder of ONErpm is aiming to build the world's fifth largest music company – without the help of outside investors
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Sign letter to Congress supporting today’s Fix The Tix Day of Action!Today, Tuesday, July 9, is the Fix The Tix coalition's official Day Of Action harnessing the voices of artists and fans to push Congress to fight ticket scalpers and finally pass comprehensive ticketing reform.
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Understanding 3 Sizes of CD Cover Art + Tips to create Great CoversThis guide teaches the various dimensions and guidelines for creating CD album covers that meet industry standards.
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How every musician can be more eco-friendly and sustainableExplore effective strategies and practical tips for independent musicians who want to adopt eco-friendly and sustainable practices, including sustainable touring, green studio setups, and more.
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BMI Appoints Executives to Leadership TeamBMI has announced the appointment of two senior executives who will lead major initiatives as the company advances its strategic growth plan. Tom Kershaw, a technology leader in Internet and Mobile communications, including work on mobile application development, advertising and marketing systems, data science and large-scale data, will join the company as Chief Technology Officer, and Justin Rohde, who has more than 20 years’ experience in strategic management and building growth opportunities for both corporations and consulting firms, has joined BMI in the newly created position of Chief Transformation Officer. Both Kershaw and Rohde will report to Mike O’Neill, President & CEO of BMI. 

"Tom and Justin have the experience and leadership qualities to enable us to enhance and increase the value we provide to our songwriters, composers and publishers," said O’Neill. "Working with our team, they will be instrumental as we carry out the key elements of our strategic growth plan, to continue to grow distributions, advance our technology and customer service and to seek new sources of revenue for our affiliates."

Kershaw

Rohde

Kershaw previously co-founded one of the leading open-source software organizations in the Internet community (prebid.org) and has  more than 20 years of experience working with businesses in technology-based markets, ranging in both size and geographic complexity. He joins BMI most recently from Travelport, a leader in travel distribution for air, hotel, car, and rail, and has also held positions at Google and Ericsson. He received his undergraduate degree from New York University and a Masters’ degree from London School of Economics. Kershaw is taking over this role from BMI’s Chief Information Officer, Mike West, who recently announced his retirement from the company. 

Rohde brings extensive experience in process improvement, sales effectiveness, product development and global business management to BMI. He joins the company from Xplor Technologies, a private equity owned Global SaaS and Payments conglomerate where he served as both Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Transformation Officer. In that capacity, he was responsible for revenue growth, profit improvement and strategic initiatives across diverse areas of the business. Previous experience includes leading product development and growth strategies at Integramed America and management and strategy consulting at Bain & Company. Rohde received his undergraduate degree, Master of Science degree and MBA from Northwestern University."

BMIThe post BMI Appoints Executives to Leadership Team first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

There are 8bn user-curated playlists on Spotify, 725m created this year alone, Daniel Ek saysThe streaming service has been working to make playlisting a more attractive feature for its subscribers
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Amazon, Apple, Spotify file legal challenge against Canada’s music streaming taxCanada's broadcasting and telecom regulator is planning a 5% tax on streaming revenue from non-Canadian companies starting this fall
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73K Fake Tickets worth $49M on sale for 5 DC Venues in last 6 MonthsFive Washington DC area venues were hit with 73,000 speculative tickets worth $49 million on sale by ticket resellers during the first half of 2024, according to an analysis by the Fix The Tix coalition.
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How Musicians find sustainable success in a turbulent music business [Keith Jopling, MIDiA]A new study looks at how Musicians find sustainable success in the turbulent music business, their strategies to thrive in unpredictable times, and how chaos can even fuel stability.
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Fix The Tix Day of Action this TuesdayThe Fix The Tix coalition's Day Of Action is tomorrow, Tuesday, July 9th. The day will harness artists and fans to push Congress to pass comprehensive ticketing reform.
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