#1 – Streaming is the Future

Bands

The future of music lies in streaming. Don’t try to fight it, and don’t be afraid. I highly encourage artists to be on Spotify and Apple Music. These services will help your music be accessible to millions of people across the world. Next? Encourage your fans to follow you on these platforms and to add you to their playlists. You want streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music to do well because then you will do well. (Increased streaming = increased exposure, increase in subscribers = higher pay)

Don’t know how to get your music on these services? Try Tunecore (this link will get you 20% off your first purchase) or CD Baby.

Fans

The future of music lies in streaming. Don’t try to fight it, and don’t be afraid. I highly encourage fans to sign up for paid subscriptions. If you care about music, paying for these subscriptions is an affordable way to support your favorite artists and the future of the music industry. (How? When you pay for an app like Spotify, you are giving that company money to grow. As streaming services grow, the music industry gets stronger and smaller bands will start to get paid more.)

Enjoy an ad free, all-you-can-eat music buffet for the price of 1 album a month. After you subscribe, stream your favorite bands and add them to your playlists.

(Tip: Downloading/saving the songs to your phone won’t give smaller artists credit for streaming, stream unsigned/DIY bands whenever possible from wifi/data)

#2 – The Music Industry is Growing Again (Thanks to Streaming)

“U.S. Music Industry Sees First Double Digit Growth in Almost 20 Years as Streaming Takes Over” – Billboard

Bands

This is HUGE news. If you want a career in music, this is a breath of fresh air. Revenues have been falling for years and we have all been wondering how we can make a living in that type of industry. The industry appears to be growing again, and keep in mind…streaming revenues are higher than actual sales revenue. Translation: streaming is making more money than the sale of CDs, mp3s and vinyl COMBINED. Please, make sure your music is on Spotify!

Fans

When the music industry prospers, the fans get MORE! When bands are doing well, they often tour more, come out with more merchandise and put out more music. Get paid subscriptions to streaming services, buy concert tickets and keep supporting artists. Everything you do for your favorite artists is being seen by the music industry as a whole. You are giving hard working artists the opportunity to keep doing what they love.

#3 – Streaming is the new radio

Bands

The radio DJ’s used to be the gatekeepers – now you need to focus on playlist curators. The new radio hit is landing a solid spot on an official playlist with a lot of followers.  It’s a tricky game and sometimes you just get lucky.  Example: Check out the AP Discover made by curators from Alternative Press or Pop Punk’s Not Dead made by the awesome curators at Spotify.

Seek out playlists and try to attract attention from the people that make them. Create new playlists and use it to network with other bands by sharing their music with your fans.

(Tip: Record labels pay attention to streaming numbers. Keep your fans listening, post links, or even run a contest based around streaming.)

Fans

Streaming is a great way to find new music. Check out playlists, Beats 1 Radio on Apple Music, Discover Weekly on Spotify, and “similar artists” sections on either platform. If you remember MTV music video countdowns, you’ll get the same kind of excitement from Spotify’s official playlists. (My favorite? Pop Punk’s Not Dead). Instead of hearing the same 10 songs on the radio all day, you can plan out hours of awesome music to access whenever you want it.

For those of you who are still not sold on streaming..  Yes, you can still buy CD’s. Just stream the songs when you don’t have the CD.We are losing the CD drives in our laptops and now, even in our cars… Join the dark side, before it’s too late.

-David

http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7744268/riaa-us-music-industry-2016-revenue-double-digit-growth


Photo by Taylor Bryant