The Music Debrief

The Music Debrief

Sign in Subscribe

Quick Tips: How Artists Can Prevent AI Training of Their Work

As generative AI continues to march onwards, music artists face the risk of their work being used as training material for future systems. Many don't want this unauthorized use of their works, but don't know where to start. Here are four steps you can take to

Deep Dive: The Affordable Copyright Strategy for Future-Proofing Yourself as an Artist

Paid-members only

Deep Dive Featured

Deep Dive: The Affordable Copyright Strategy for Future-Proofing Yourself as an Artist

When it comes to ensuring full ownership and control over your music, it's crucial to copyright both the sound recording (master) and the composition. Most artists don't register either, and it can come back to haunt them.

Universal Music Group and TikTok Announce New Licensing Agreement

Yesterday, Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have finally arrived at a new agreement. This deal reinstates UMG's music catalog on TikTok, marking the end of a three-month standoff due to disputes over artist compensation and AI-generated music. The TLDR * New promotional tools: Features like "Add to

Have Your Live Shows Appear on Your Spotify Fans' Feeds for Free

Paid-members only

Have Your Live Shows Appear on Your Spotify Fans' Feeds for Free

Navigating College and Marketing with Obsidian: A Game Changer in Note-Taking

Navigating College and Marketing with Obsidian: A Game Changer in Note-Taking

As a third-year Marketing major at Penn State, transitioning from the satellite campus of Penn State Brandywine to the main campus introduced me to a host of new challenges and opportunities. The shift wasn't just moving away from my friends and family; it marked a turning point in

How to Apply Design Science on a Shoestring Budget

How to Apply Design Science on a Shoestring Budget

Many artists and brands operate under the misconception that effective market research and design optimization are luxuries reserved for the big players with deep pockets. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. With innovative tools and a bit of ingenuity, small brands and artists can employ sophisticated

Spotify: Everything an Artist Might Need to Know

Spotify: Everything an Artist Might Need to Know

Understanding and utilizing Spotify's features can significantly impact an artist's reach and engagement. Here's a comprehensive guide, combining my previous articles, to help you navigate these features effectively. How can I get more streams on Spotify? Consider These Questions: How Important is Your Music

Paid-members only

Spotify Soft-Announces in-app Fan Clubs in EU markets after DMA

First spotted by Music Business Worldwide. With the Digital Markets Act rolling out on March 7th, Spotify indicates it will soon be able to enable new features like a "superfan club". They attribute this feature & many others being now possible thanks to the removal of the "

A photo of a phone using Apple Music with earbuds plugged in, on a blue background

Apple Music's Spatial Audio Royalty Changes - 10% bonus

Apple Music has recently announced a significant change in how they calculate royalties for artists, with a special focus on content available in Spatial Audio, but it may be out of touch for artists The TLDR * Spatial Audio content on Apple Music will now earn a 10% higher royalty than

Tennessee's ELVIS Act: Why it matters in the AI Era

Tennessee's ELVIS Act: Why it matters in the AI Era

Tennessee's ELVIS Act, introduced by Governor Bill Lee, updates personal rights law to protect artists from AI misuse in replicating voices

An image of the Spotify Lyrics button and like button

Paid-members only

Quick Tips: Get your song lyrics everywhere at once (for free) with Musixmatch

A photo of an ipad and surface tabled, both of which have spotify ope

Quick Tips: 5x your streams per listener, link fans to playlists instead of songs

Paid-members only

TikTok Introduces "Series": A New Monetization Feature for Creators

A CGI image of the Spotify Icon

Quick Tips: Increase your Spotify Reach with Discovery Mode

Spotify's Discovery Mode is an innovative tool for artists and labels, designed to enhance the visibility of their music in Spotify's personalized playlists. This feature is accessible through Spotify for Artists and is already showing significant results in connecting artists with new audiences. The TLDR * Global

an image of the YouTube icon in 3D

YouTube Provides Artists with New Analytics

Heres some news that should surprise nobody, Shorts are driving listenership. Here's everything you need to know: 1. YouTube's 'Analytics for Artists' now includes Total Reach metrics from fan-uploaded Shorts, offering a comprehensive snapshot of an artist's audience on the platform. 2.

Opinion: Why you probably shouldn't be spending money on paid ads, when its ok to, and what to do instead

As a music marketer, I've often found that musicians are all too eager to pay for exposure, but haven't began to lay the groundwork for their fanbase first. If you don't already have a large following and movement on the algorithm, here's

News: Apple Music introduces improved interface for Artist profile management

Apple Music is following the recent trend of streamlining their artist tools, rebranding to "Apple Music for Artists". This change comes just days after SoundCloud announced a similar overhaul, including using "for Artists" branding. Here's everything you need to know: * Enhanced Promotional Tools: Artists

An Image of the Apple Music icon with the text "Music" under it

Apple Music Introduces 'Apple Music Sing' Feature

Apple recently announced a new feature for its Apple Music service, dubbed "Apple Music Sing." This innovative addition is designed to enhance the user experience by allowing subscribers to sing along to their favorite songs with adjustable vocals and real-time lyrics. The TLDR * Adjustable Vocals: Apple Music Sing

Image: 3 phones with short video clips of people moving

Breaking News: Send a 30-second clip to fans with Spotify Wrapped, submissions due by November 18th

Spotify has opened up submissions for a new segment of their "Wrapped" year in review. If you submit by November 18th, fans of your music on Spotify will get to see your video. However, manual acceptance is required so be sure to follow the rules and submit early

Quick Tips: You might be using hashtags all wrong

Quick Tips: You might be using hashtags all wrong

Did you know that Instagram and TikTok are using artificial intelligence to figure out if you're being truthful in your captions? If you're using all 30 hashtags on Instagram to try to boost your post, you may be doing more harm then good. On the contrary,

Text: Spotify with Shopify and an image of the Spotify Merch app page

Breaking News: Spotify will feature linked merch stores in Spotify Wrapped, set up by November 7th to qualify

In an email sent to Spotify For Artists members, Spotify announces that it will feature artists' merch stores in Spotify Wrapped if they have items listed on Spotify by November 7th.

Text: YouTube Creators: Hi there, your handle is reserved.

Breaking News: YouTube Introduces name handles. Get ready to reserve yours

You're going to want to keep your eyes on your YouTube channel's email. YouTube announced that they are introducing channel handles to make the shorts experience closer to that of competitors. Here is everything you need to know.

Breaking News: Everything you need to know about TikTok's "StemDrop" and should you participate?

Breaking News: Everything you need to know about TikTok's "StemDrop" and should you participate?

Quick Tips: Boost your TikTok reposts on Instagram by saving without a watermark

Quick Tips: Boost your TikTok reposts on Instagram by saving without a watermark

If you reupload your TikTok videos to Instagram with a logo, you are severely harming your Instagram reach. Luckily, there's an easy fix that you can start using to increase your reach. Here's everything you need to know: