Music streaming benefits artists because it provides them with an audience-building platform to promote and earn from their work. On the other hand, it hurts musicians due to its questionable division of payments, negative creative pressures, and biased algorithms.
There's no denying that streaming changed the ...
The average length of a song can change over time, but the most recent Billboard Hot 100 data suggests that popular songs are, on average, 3 minutes and 30 seconds long. The average length of a song increased by more than 100 seconds between 1950 and 1990 but has decreased by 20 seconds since 2014.
It's virtually ...
In extremis, making an album can take anywhere between 24 hours and more than a decade. On average, though, albums take anywhere between one and six months to complete (as far as the music is concerned). The whole process of releasing an album is more demanding and usually takes one to three years.
There's an old ...
Ghost producers create music for other artists without being credited for the final product. Ghost producers can collaborate with artists in many ways: they can create entire tracks, contribute with just a few corrections, or sing and play instruments without being credited for their performance.
The concept of a ...
In the U.S., musicians make an average of $21.5K per year, and the majority (61%) report that the money they earn from music isn't enough to make ends meet. The most positive study on musicians' income shows that musicians gross up to $35K annually, with most of the money coming from live shows.
The most ...
People still buy CDs, and the format is on the rise for the first time since the start of the millennium. While CDs are far from being the fastest-growing format of recorded music today (that title belongs to vinyl), many music collectors still buy CDs and there are plenty of new CD releases out.
In many ways, CDs ...
The constraints of technology, the unpopularity of the album format, shorter attention spans, a saturated music market, and the disappearance of the local music scenes are among the main reasons why so many people believe music sucks nowadays.
There's good music coming out every month. So, why do most songs people ...
Since its inception in 2006, Spotify has become the most popular music streaming platform in the world. It became the lifeblood of the music industry and quickly surpassed its competitors. This is largely due to its massive catalog of songs and easy-to-use interface.
As of 2022, Spotify has over 400 million active ...
When someone tells you that you have a good taste in music, it means one of three things: either that person likes the music you listen to, believes you have a good knowledge of music or thinks that the music you listen to makes you look cooler.
In many ways, music taste is an unfathomable concept. You can say ...
An electronic press kit (EPK) is the music industry's equivalent of a business card. It's an all-in-one portfolio containing the most important information about a music project. An EPK is useful for reaching out to industry professionals such as record-label A&Rs, journalists, and booking agents.
Why do bands ...
Quality music isn't enough for musicians to succeed. To make it in the ruthless music industry, artists must also market their work properly. Creating an EPK, investing in video content, and setting up an e-mail marketing strategy are just three examples of top marketing strategies for musicians.
Do you feel like ...
Spotify pays an estimated average of $0.0043 per stream, but their pay-per-stream (PPS) can be as high as $0.0084. The PPS of alternative streaming services varies between $0.0188 (Napster) and $0.0013 (Pandora). PPS values aren't always exact, as they can be influenced by factors such as location.
While it's hard ...