Space Jams - The Funky, Futuristic, and Featherbrained Universe of Sci-Fi Dance MusicInspired by Mon Mothma cutting loose on the dance floor in the recent Star Wars series Andor, we revisit Buck Rogers, Tron, and (ug) The Matrix Reloaded among others in our interstellar list of good (and so-bad-its-good) sci-fi funky performances and space jams.

Unsigned Only Music Awards: Last Call for the Next Big TalentFor independent artists navigating the ever-changing music industry, one name continues to stand out as a launchpad for emerging talent: Unsigned Only. Known for championing musicians outside the grasp of major labels, the organization is once again calling on artists worldwide—but the clock is ticking.With only three days left to submit entries, the extended deadline for the Unsigned Only Music Awards is fast approaching. Artists have until midnight on May 7th to submit either an original or cover song for a chance at recognition, exposure, and a substantial career boost.This year, Unsigned Only is doing more than just opening the stage—it's changing it entirely. In a notable shift, the competition has transitioned into an all-digital format. A statement from the company discloses that the new online music awards format reflects its “ongoing commitment to recognizing and honoring exceptional talent of independent artists while encouraging creativity, innovation, and the pursuit of musical excellence.”Artists can now participate from anywhere, making the process more accessible and inclusive than ever. And while the format has evolved, the rewards remain as enticing as ever.The top honor? Artist of the Year—a title that comes with a $20,000 cash prize and an industry-respected accolade. Winners will also receive a custom-designed award from Society Awards, the team behind prestigious trophies like the Emmys and Golden Globes.What sets Unsigned Only apart is its dedication to talent over trend. All submissions are reviewed by a panel of music industry professionals—including well-known musicians, producers, label executives, and journalists. The panel ensures that “each category will have one winner, such as Best Rock Artist, Best Country Artist, Best Latin Artist, etc.”For unsigned artists seeking a platform that values artistry and potential over connections and contracts, Unsigned Only offers a rare and valuable spotlight.With just days to go, this is a final reminder for musicians to take the leap. Whether you’re a seasoned songwriter or a fresh voice waiting to be heard, this could be your moment to rise—no label required.Click HERE to enter!The post Unsigned Only Music Awards: Last Call for the Next Big Talent first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

FTC warns speculative ticket sellers, clarifies fee rulesThe Federal Trade Commission last week issued an FAQ clarifying its "Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees." In it, the FTC warns speculative ticket sellers and clarifies fee transparency rules.
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Why It’s So Hard for Independent Artists to Break Through No one cares about you until you are already successful, For independent artists, that reality can be brutal. Anna Stephens of Decent Music PR looks at why breaking through is so hard and how artists can take back control.
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Independent Musician News Last WeekLast week, our tips, advice and independent musician news covered advice from a Spotify exec, how to release physical music, fingerprinting (who knew?), mental health, accounting terms for musicians, and more...
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Music Business News Last Week: Live Nation, Tariffs, SpotifyA busy week by any definition, the music business news last week was no exception, with a forecast from Live Nation, tariffs affecting fans, advice from a Spotify exec and more...
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FiXT Launches Music Industry Educational Membership PlatformArtist-owned independent record label FiXT has announced the launch of the educational membership platform – FiXT Academy."Led by FiXT Co-Founder and President, James Rhodes, FiXT Academy was created after years of delivering in-depth educational webinars, workshops, and coaching services to FiXT’s internal label roster," reads a statement."Now, FiXT is leveraging the company’s widespread experience – from billions of streams, thousands of Film/TV/Game Sync Placements and decades of industry relationships, to empower external musicians and producers with the tools, knowledge, and inspiration they need to elevate their careers. With a mission to educate, develop and inspire, FiXT Academy serves as a one-stop resource for those aiming to refine their craft, build sustainable careers, and connect with like-minded professionals in the music industry.""I’m incredibly honored to get to share not only my knowledge and experience with aspiring artists but also provide them access to amazing guests and resources not available anywhere else. We’ve got an amazing line-up of Spring & Summer events from industry veterans like Ryan Shuck (Julien-K / Orgy), Dustin Boyer (Venture Music), Hisham Dahud (Artist Pro), Klayton (Celldweller / Scandroid) and more to be announced,"explains James Rhodes.FiXT Academy’s membership tiers offer a content library of webinars and resource guides as well as monthly programming of live webinars, workshops and member-only calls and newsletters each month, along with interactive Q&A opportunities and community interaction in a private Discord server. FiXT Academy has also announced a monthly event it calls the Black Box Sessions, where a featured artist, producer or label shares a communal listening and discussion experience where you might hear demos, or unreleased tracks, as well as stories behind existing releases followed by an intimate Q&A session.Find out more at fixtmusic.com/academy.The post FiXT Launches Music Industry Educational Membership Platform first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Sony Music Publishing wins 2025 Publisher of the Year at ASCAP Pop Music AwardsSMP songwriters honored for their work across 28 top-performing songs
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4 Takeaways from the Live Nation Earnings Call Q1 2025Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary missed forecasts, reporting an overall revenue decrease of 11% in Q1 2025. But the concert giant predicted a record year ahead based on advance ticket sales and tour volume.
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Spotify Exec: Ignore per-stream rates and focus on engagementMuch of the debate over whether or not Spotify is paying artists and songwriters fairly centers on estimated per stream rates. But according to Spotify executive Sam Duboff, it's time to ignore per-stream rates which he calls "one of the most misleading metrics in music."
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Live Nation starts 2025 strong: ‘No pullback’ on fan demandLive Nation starts 2025 strong, reporting a reasonable solid Q1, after markets closed Thursday. The concert giant claims its on track for a record year despite global economic uncertainty.
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UK record industry warns against celebrating UK government’s copyright bill amendmentsA bill that could weaken UK copyright law in favor of AI developers is headed to a vote in Parliament next week
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1.5M in US earn a living as a digital creator or influencer1.5M in people in the US earn a living as digital creators and social media influencers. That stat is both encouraging and frightening if you're trying to grab attention online to market music or live shows.
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Are we reaching peak fandom?With streaming revenue growth slowing to 6.2% in 2024, the recorded music industry’s attention is firmly fixed on superfans as the ‘get out of jail free’ card. The growing sophistication of artist merch has reached the stage where fans can buy Taylor Swift fashion bags and shop her jewelry range, meanwhile all eyes are on the impending Spotify supremium tier (as reported by Bloomberg). But there are early warning signs that the industry may be going too fast and that superfan spending is being pushed to the limit. 

Record labels’ expanded rights revenue (the share of merch, branding, sponsorship, etc. that labels participate in) was up an impressive 16.4% in 2024 and was more than a tenth of all recorded music revenues in 2024. At the same time, however, physical revenues were down -4.8%, and have oscillated between growth and decline every year of the decade so far. Most significantly though, all was not well in the live music sector in 2024. This matters because so many of those live fans are the very same people buying merch (more than half of merch buyers also go to concerts every week). In short, both the live and recorded music businesses are trying to max out the spending of the same customers, all at the same time that streaming prices have gone up and high interest rates mean rents and mortgages are getting ever higher.

Live music has undergone a revenue renaissance since Covid, with revenues of leading live music companies more than double their pre-Covid high. Revenue growth soared in 2022 and 2023, but slowed to just 4.6% in 2024. Most importantly though, while revenue was up, the number of tickets sold was down. According to Pollstar, even though 2024 revenue for the top 100 tours globally was up 3.6% ticket sales were down -5.7%. For the top 100 US tours tickets were down -9.2%, and revenue was down too. In Ibiza, it was a similar story with ticketing revenue up 6.4% but tickets sold down -12.0%.

Live music companies argue that live music is price inelastic – meaning demand will remain stable despite price increases and consumers will tolerate higher prices because they want the product so much. That was true in the post-Covid era, when fans were so desperate to see concerts again that they were willing to pay a premium to do so. But the thing about elastic is, that if you stretch it enough, it snaps. Again, according to Pollstar, the average ticket prices for the top 100 tours worldwide rose 53.9% between 2021 and 2024. The elastic snapped in 2024.

Fans are still fans but they are being pummeled for spending from three directions: higher prices (plus supremium to come!) from DSPs; merch and vinyl from labels and artists; higher ticket prices from live companies. This is all while they are finding it harder than ever to pay the rent or mortgage, and this is not even considering the inflation that tariffs will most likely bring. Instead of thinking of the fan as a single person, three different parts of the music industry are seeing the fan as three separate addressable audience segments. We are now seeing the impact of that – and it will get worse. So much so that we may even see a decline in live music revenues in 2025. Keep an eye on Live Nation’s Q1 25 results later today (May 1st) for what may be an early indicator of what is to come.

As we have long said at MIDiA, you cannot harvest fandom if you are not also nurturing it. As long as the fan appears as three disconnected marketing lists for the music industry, what happens instead is that the field gets harvested three times over. It is time for a joined up view of the fan and a better understanding of just how much money they can spend. Otherwise superfans will simply never be given the chance to become super enough.