Spotify As We Know It (2020)

03-Aug-2020 By 1 Comment

(Post via Josey Dunbar)Unless you’re someone living under a rock, you know we’ve come a long from purchasing magical little devices called cassettes, CDs and Vinyl too. Now, I’m not saying we need to base modern life off prehistoric tendencies BUT suspend your disbelief enough to imagine a world where music hypothetically has more value than $0.006. $0.006. Thanks, streaming! Streaming is a powerful tool in the times we’re in today. If it wasn’t for Napster and PirateBay, none would imagine how else the music industry would have turned itself over to digitization where, practically, listeners today have a choice to consume all the music they like for little to nothing. Amidst all the noise surrounding streaming these days, we decided to zoom out ( just a tad bit) in order to get to the origins of one such a streaming service called Spotify (sure you’ve heard of the name before).

History:

This whole evolutionary change (you know, the one where we demoted the value of art) can arguably be tied back to October 7th of 2008 in Stockholm Sweden. On this fateful day was born Spotify, a digital audio streaming device, developed and released by partners Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. Contrary to popular opinion, Spotify’s foreign roots and sleek color scheme were not its sole motivators for success; rather, this was a result of excessive planning and a brilliant business model. Come summer of 2009 (less than a year following its official release) Spotify raised $50M in their second round of funding which was essential in the paying off of major record labels.

Initial Reaction:

Not surprisingly, Spotify faced mixed reactions upon its release to the public. Its initial business plan massively underpaid artists and exercised the objectively suspicious need to pay off record labels who otherwise were unwilling to hand over their precious songs to be distributed to the public for practically nothing. Artists were the first to catch on to the consumer-heavy focus of Spotify’s business model: essentially underpaying musicians only to cut the literal value of music by 99.4% (which was revealed when Spotify later released a statement illustrating the payout per new streamer to be less than a cent).

Underpaying artists may be in the best interest of consumers (and happy consumers means a happy Spotify bank-account) however, is discounted music really worth the scamming of artists and overall wear and tear streaming has on the entire music industry? Many don’t think so. Artists and producers such as Thom Yorke, Taylor Swift, Nigel Godrich, and David Byrne spoke out against Spotify not only as businessmen and women fighting for economic equality but also as concerned lovers of the art itself with fear for streaming’s influence on its future.

“If Spotify reaches its goal of gaining a definitive hold on the new delivery system then another precedent will be set and the idea that recorded music is practically worthless will become normal.” – Nigel Godrich

Influence:

As it was so beautifully stated by Mr. Godrich (likely in a British accent), Spotify and streaming as a whole will continue to demote the worth of music so long as the literal marketed value of a song continues to drop so drastically. As profit brought in by music alone declines, labels must find other means of making money off of artists and the easiest way to do this is by “branding” a musician. AKA owning the artists’ names not merely their music; naturally leading to creative restrictions from labels. At the end of the day, music is music. It evolved into what it was 10 years ago and it continues to reshape into what it is today just as it will tomorrow and forever. There’s no way to stop a changing industry from growing but there is a way to help it. To aid it rather from becoming something you don’t want it to be. At the end of the day- you, the fan- have the most influence of all. What you choose to buy sells and what you don’t will likely conform to something you will. So make the change you want to hear, music as we know it is ours to protect.

Maintaining some control of your own booking and touring can be made easy for those who choose to hire a manager and those who fly solo through youbloomConnect and/ or sign up here: https://www.youbloom.com/artist-apply/ where you can get partnered to perform with other local artists, build a steady fan-base, and even get your band on the road.

Be Yourself: Raised on TV’s Advice

21-Jul-2020 By Leave a Comment

(Post via) Marie Tobias)Keaton Rogers offers some excellent advice, tells his band’s story, and elaborates on how they’ve arrived where they are: released their debut album titled “Season 1” two months prior to playing at the youbloomLA Music Summit & Festival back in 2017! One word of advice: Be Yourself!

Photo: youbloomDublin 2018

Garage Band Beginnings

Keaton, Kacey, and Ryan, the members of Raised on TV, began “working away in Ryan’s mom’s garage” in the summer of 2015. Keaton and Kacey, who are brothers, “always thought it would be cool to be in a band together”. So when Keaton’s previous band disbanded and Kacey and Ryan’s previous band also fell apart, they joined forces to create Raised on TV. With influences such as Weezer, Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, Pink Floyd, and Blink 182, there’s no doubt that Raised on TV’s first EP, released in 2016, had rock and roll roots. Since their humble beginnings, they’ve toured twice and recorded a full-length album. And they “feel like [they’re] in a good place as a band.”

When asked about the band’s vision, Keaton joked that their band’s vision is “20/20 when [they] wear [their] glasses”

To “make and share quality music” is, “in all seriousness”, their true vision. Live performances hold an especially special place in their hearts, as Keaton stated “having an amazing concert experience is very much at the heart of our vision for our band.” And if they can help others “get through a tough day” with their music, even better. “It’s not about the competition!” Last year, Raised on TV entered a battle of the bands competition for a chance to play on the Vans Warped Tour. With 200 original contestants, they successfully navigated through the hoops to compete out of 8 groups in the final round. However, their “mindset was never that [they] were competing with other bands.” Instead, as Keaton states, they were just aiming to become “the best version of [themselves].” Again, be yourself!

Even though they lost in the final round, they reminded themselves that “it was never about winning in the traditional sense anyway. So, don’t get caught up in the competition. When you go see twenty or so amazing bands at a festival, there’s no first or second prize, no gold or silver medal, there’s a bunch of freaking awesome music and people there to enjoy it.”

Keaton’s word of advice? If an artist is true to themselves, “there will be nobody else like that artist and that’s what it’s all about.”

Check out youbloom Connect and/ or sign up here: https://www.youbloom.com/artist-apply/ where you can get partnered to perform with other local artists, build a steady fan-base, and even get your band on the road.

Artist Community: Promote Your Music on YouTube for EDM Festivals (2025)

20-Jul-2020 By Leave a Comment

(Post via Robert Loustaunau) Electronic Dance Music (EDM) has exploded into one of America’s most dominant music genres, with festivals across the country drawing millions of fans annually. From Chicago’s underground EDM scene to Houston’s thriving electronic music community, EDM artists are finding unprecedented opportunities to connect with massive audiences. YouTube, by far, has always been ahead of the curve in being able to successfully serve as a bonafide platform for cool content creators and EDM artists community alike.

For the artists’ community though, YouTube finds itself in the midst of this roaring upsurge of streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, where one would wonder if YouTube is still as lucrative. The answer is yes, however, the catch really is that if you don’t use the platform in conjunction with your favorite streaming platform (read Spotify), it may not entirely serve the purpose. It’s 2025, and with the rise of virtual event marketing and streaming platforms, the music landscape continues evolving, while you can’t go out there and play live, YouTube has been doing something special for the artist community. YouTube For Artists comes with a super-advanced analytics suite, an exclusive community, and official artist channels. Read on to know how exactly you can leverage this.

Promoting your Music on YouTube

Promoting your Music on YouTube isn’t exactly revolutionary. In recent years, the content-sharing platform has beefed up its incentives for creatives looking to grow a subscriber-base and monetize their music. For the DIY musician, the challenge is rising above that seemingly infinite noise of YouTube content and its pesky algorithms. Here we’ll outline how to make your channel a hub for promoting the biggest music festivals in America and unstoppable, watchable content that the algorithms just can’t keep at bay.

Put Your Best-Flick Forward.

Whether you’re promoting EDM concerts in Chicago or planning to sell jazz fest tickets, your channel should immediately showcase your best work. Have your best or newest music playing at the start of the page or readily clickable. A majority of viewers decide whether or not they’re going to subscribe to a channel in the first 30 seconds of scanning the page. If they’ve ended up on your page then that’s already a great start for you. But now you need to hook them. Have your newest release or most popular upload playing automatically as they enter your channel. That, or have a welcome video that immediately makes the page personable between you and the viewer.

Clear Call-To-Action

You don’t want it to be hard for your viewer to find more of what they like. At the start and end of videos, as well as throughout your profile, make your call-to-action easy to see, and simple to click. The Backlink channel with Brian Dean has a really useful tutorial that explains the “In and Outs” of creating an effective call-to-action as well as tips on all aspects of YouTube strategy. A call-to-action can be linked to your Instagram, Spotify, and your website ( get one if you don’t have one!). Also, end your videos with explicit calls-to-action for viewers to leave a comment. Anything that will provoke further engagement among viewers is key.

Keep it Consistent

Whether you’re covering famous music festivals or local events like Arts Beats and Eats 2025, choosing a day and time of the week to consistently upload content will more likely gain you a consistent fan base. Followers and fellow artists from your community are more invested in you if they can rely on you to stick to an upload schedule. You’ve most likely spent a lot of time developing your band or music to fit a certain style. You want the feelings fans associate with that style to transfer over into your YouTube page. Work on developing your page to mirror your music. This could mean creating a layout with video thumbnails and color schemes that match that of your album artwork.

No Returns Without Tags

The tags you choose to represent your videos with will be your first line of attack in ranking among the ocean of YouTube videos. You want to cast a wide net but you also want to be casting it in the right place. Tags are the primary source that YouTube algorithm’s use to place your video.

Your first tag should match the keyword you have chosen to represent your video and should also be included in the video title. If the video in question is your “Music Vlog at the Hollywood Bowl,” than an appropriate first keyword might be “Hollywood Bowl or “Music Vlog.” For your next view tags, use variations of that keyword. Perhaps “Gig Vlog,” “Vlog,” or “Hollywood Music.” For your final few tags, use general terms that encapsulate the big picture of your video: “live music” or “LA music scene.” For festival coverage, consider tags like “biggest festivals in America“, “EDM Houston“, or “festivals in the United States“ to capture broader searches.

Another way to get your tags working for you is by using the same ones as other popular videos that are similar to your’s. Websites like TubeBuddy and vidIQ allow you to quickly check the tags of high ranking videos allowing you to slap on the same tags for a chance to show up beside them in a search.

Keep it Short Lengthy

This isn’t Twitter folks. 140 characters isn’t excessive. In fact, research has shown that writing longer descriptions for your videos actually helps your ranking. 100-200 word descriptions work well, especially when covering topics like RFID wristbands at festivals or streaming vs cable music consumption. This is because the more specific you are, the more YouTube bots have to work with when sorting you for organic searches.

By the same logic, longer videos, usually 8-15 minutes long, rank better. Just by making longer content you are quickly increasing the chances that your video will get more watch time. So if you’re wondering how to turn that 3 and a half minute music video you’re premiering into ideal-length content, get creative. Add bonus content to the ends of your music videos; a behind-the-scenes feature or heartfelt message from you and your band to your followers serves two purposes. It gets that run-time up closer to the sweet spot and it humanizes you and your content, giving fans a connection to you and your band that would otherwise be lost in cut-and-dry music video.

Co-Market

Make this Space a HomeMany YouTubers rely on one another to promote their own channels. Teaming up with other artists, collaborating, or guest appearing in each others’ videos is mutually beneficial when both parties exchange niches of fans and followers. Websites like youbloomConnect make this co-marketing simple by matching you with compatible artists that suit your style and are based nearby. This makes collaboration seamless and if you end up finding a good match, youbloomConnect will even help you to set up gigs with the other artists. Check out our Connect Guide to learn more about everything youbloomConnect can do for artists.

Finally, you want your channel to be more than a glorified playlist; that’s what Spotify is for. YouTube is the perfect platform to show your followers the minds behind the music and to establish a personal connection with subscribers. Feeling a relationship with a YouTuber promises a much higher return rate of loyal viewers between uploads. This can’t be done with a music video alone. Create band interviews, behind-the-scenes gig vlogs, or an informational video. And don’t forget to end each video with some specific call out to your viewers: “Leave a comment about your favorite part of that gig, what band we should collaborate with next,” etc.

If you’re looking for a simpler way to join these networks, check out youbloom Connect and/ or sign up here: https://www.youbloom.com/artist-apply/ where you can get partnered to perform with other local artists, build a steady fan-base, and even get your band on the road.

Getting A Record Label Deal: Musician’s Guide

15-Jul-2020 By Leave a Comment

(Post Via Michele Enoch) One of the most important things that artists look for when starting out is a record label. A label is very important to many artists and they always aspire to get one. A record label deal is a great thing to have but is not always needed. This article will start with what labels help out with and then list ways to get a label and how to do things on your own.

Record Labels:

Labels help with so many things. They help you pay for things such as tours, merchandise, and recording. They also help with creating shows and other performers to work with. Labels also help with distribution and marketing. They do a lot of the business side so you don’t have to.

YouTube:

YouTube is a great way to get your music noticed. Record labels go there looking for what’s new and making waves. It shows a lot about you and your music. Live videos will show them how fans and people react to you as well as show your stage presence. Music videos show your artistic side and even what your songs are about. They’re easy to link to and easy to find.

Good Music:

Having good music will intrigue them. You want something that will stick with them and they won’t forget you. The more you make unforgettable music, the more likely they’ll want to check you out. It can’t just be good to you. It has to be good to everyone. Have honest friends listen to your music and tell you what they think about it. Have music that stands out and doesn’t sound like everything else out there. There are popular sounds out there, but you still want to stand out amongst those sounds.

Live Shows:

You never know who’s going to show up to a live show. Labels will sometimes send out their A&R people and sometimes they’ll just show up on their own terms. You can always go to music industry conferences, such as SXSW, or find a local venue that holds industry night shows. There will be some venues who have nights where people from the industry will show up to check out a new artist. Most of the time you will have to bring a significant amount of people in order to just play there.

Contacting Record Labels:

When contacting record labels, you want to make sure you are contacting the right label for you. You want to make sure the label is helping out other artists like yourself and working in the same genre. Always look over the website before sending anything in. It will show you a lot about the company. It will show you what kind of music they work with, who’s on their roster, and how to send your music to them. Every A&R person will have a way they want you to send in music. If it doesn’t say, send them a link to your Spotify, Bandcamp or SoundCloud.

If a record label doesn’t respond right away, don’t get give up hope. They are most likely busy with other artists sending in their music and plenty of other things their job requires them to do. After a week or two, you can send in a follow-up email to remind them that you are still out there. Be respectful and understanding when doing so.

Website:

Owning a website is always a great thing to have. It has everything in one place. Links to music, videos, social media, merchandise, and news. Labels will be able to go to one place to get everything they need. There are plenty of domain owning sites out there to help you, you just have to find the right one for you. Like everything, shop around before settling with just one.

Artwork:

Artwork can be anything, it just needs to catch the eye of the people you want. Come up with a logo that is pleasing, eye-catching, and shows what your music is about. It can be very basic or very extravagant. Photos are the next things you need. It can be artsy and help show things about you. Shows how you look and describes the music you produce. Filters help show more than what a basic photograph can.

Independent:

Record Labels are now looking for artists who can handle things on their own. They will be there to help you out, but only after you are signed. They want you to be able to do things on your own before signing and even after signing. You have to know how to get fans on your own, have some music already recorded, and how to handle things that come to your music. Shows how passionate you are about your music and that you don’t have to rely on others to get things done.

Build Relationships:

Relationships are the most important thing in any business. It builds a connection between yourself and the other person. Try to build one with anyone at the label. Be genuine about it. Talk to them about themselves and get to know them. They will be more willing to help you with what you need. Don’t assume they are going to help just because you are being friendly. That should be left up to them. Do this before sending in music, otherwise, it might not work out the right way. Follow them on social media accounts and strike up conversations with them about some of their posts. It may take a while, but it will be worth it in the end. If the company is near you, go in and try talking to them face to face. Keep going in and trying to talk to their A&R person and become friends with everyone in the office, including the receptionist. Sometimes connecting with the first person you see when walking in is the best.

Looking for the right record label takes time and patience. Make sure you are ready before looking for one and have all the details about what you are looking for and what they are looking for. Build relationships and connect with them. Have followers and music to send them. You want to make sure they stay interested and won’t forget you.

Networking and making friends is crucial and takes a lot of work and dedication. If you’re looking for a simpler way to join these networks, check out youbloom Connect and/ or sign up here: https://www.youbloom.com/artist-apply/ where you can get partnered to perform with other local artists, build a steady fan-base, and even get your band on the road. Whether you reach out or decide to do it alone, do yourself a favor: get out more and meet like-minded people. Many of them might not be your next musical partner in crime, but the worst that’ll happen is you’ll have more friends.

About the Author

Michele Enoch is a music business graduate from Musicians Institute who has managed and promoted bands for years. She is now working on her photography and helping performers advance in their careers. Her passion has always been music and she is exploring all aspects of the industry. Michele appreciates all kinds of music and seeing music in all kinds of environments. She enjoys crocheting hats and toys, reading and writing mystery and horror stories, taking pictures of everything she can, food from around the world, and adorable animals. She is always on the lookout for anything new and exciting.

2025 Music Marketing Guide for Indie Artists: From Branding to Bookings

15-Jun-2020 By Leave a Comment

(Post Via SARA HARRISON) You may come up with the best marketing strategy that is fit for your band, but the most important thing is to come up with a brand and something you can do consistently. All efforts you’ve done for your marketing campaign will fail if you don’t follow through with your plans. If you’re in a band and you want to be popular in the music scene, you have to face countless others who want to be just as famous as their stars. Your best bet is to have a good marketing strategy.

Awareness: Who Is Aware of Your Brand Of Music ?

Music isn’t your only tool to be known by your fans. You can also invite people to attend your gigs and review you as a band, so they can spread the word.You can reach out to local bloggers and influencers with free tickets to your gig, or a free EP to give access to your music. Snapchat becoming a widely used service even by popular news sites, which means a lot of users are going to look for you here as well if they are your fans. Facebook is your friend, but you shouldn’t stick to groups and pages. You can use the power of live streaming, sharing commentary and creating the atmosphere of being engaging by always staying up to date with Facebook’s latest trends and using them to engage your fans.

Responsiveness: Are You Communicating With Fans?

Of course, you can’t exactly form a fan base if you’re not appealing to your prospective fans. It’s not always about your music, but how you convey it. You should be a group that people want to follow and check out. You should convey a personality of sorts when you interact with your fans, even in social media. Artists and bands may want to consider how large is their fan base first before releasing their tracks. If you want to make a partnership with labels, your social media numbers maybe your version of credibility for partners and sponsors. One way to do this is by making design contests. You can challenge artists to create
posters or shirt designs for your brand, and print the winner. If you’re reaching out to potential sponsors to support your shows or merchandise, preparing a professional sponsorship letter sample in advance can greatly improve your chances of getting funding or partnerships.

Exposure: Where Do You Bring Your Music?

So you have a band, and you want to be known. You have tracks ready, and you may have been doing gigs of your own as well. However, this shouldn’t count as your overall exposure, as you may need to do something more to fully expose your fans to your music. For instance, you can do unique song covers such as acoustic versions of your favorite non-acoustic songs, or slow versions of fast music. Spotify has grown to be the best alternative option to the radio. It’s one of the only bonafide music platforms to share your playlists to your fans inside and outside Spotify. You can team up with popular podcasters to have your music featured in their episodes, or you and your band can make a podcast as well. This is a handy way to have something to engage your audiences with that is not always your music. Additionally, aiming to play even a small set at one of the biggest music festivals in America can supercharge your visibility. Being listed on major festival lineups not only attracts new fans, but also signals credibility to promoters, sponsors, and the media.

Online Is Not Always the Best

This may seem counterintuitive, but this is something everyone should always remember, your offline presence should be just as strong as your online presence. Help your fans know that you are available in the real world to interact with. You should try establishing a home base where you’re always expected to appear, so fans can go and see you. Discmaker suggests you can go to local fests, events, venues, and bars to do gigs so people can discover your music. This is of course in venues outside your “home base.” Even niche festivals like Seabreeze Jazz Festival 2025 can be a great place to meet a highly engaged audience—especially if your sound aligns with their genre. Don’t overlook these genre-specific opportunities that help you stand out from generic lineups.

You can also try out geo-targeting your audience in emails, newsletters, and Facebook events. This means, with the right guidance, you can attract and focus on potential fans in areas closer to the place you will have events in. If you’re selling tickets for local gigs or small tours, be sure to explore youbloom, one of the cheapest ways to sell tickets online, so you don’t lose profits to high platform fees while keeping access easy for your fans.

The AuthorSARA HARRISON
Sara is a music enthusiast who loves to play guitar and the piano. She has alarge selection of music CDs with Rock and Blues being her favourite. In her spare time, she’s studying to be a music teacher and enjoys visiting music festivals. She currently writes for Undercover.net.au and enjoys life.