independent artists blog by MIDiA Research

Blog: independent artists

Embrace, enhance or hinder: What will AI do for you, the creator?

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

3 May 2023

There has been an abundance of coverage and conversation around AI, and it is unlikely to fade away any time soon. There is a question of how AI will change the music industry and broader creator economy....

The industry’s narrative is not always the same as the artist's narrative: Redefining success for independent artists

Blog post by Keith Jopling

6 Mar 2023

streaming

creator economy

Marketing

Last weekend, there was a fascinating quote from Maseo of hip hop legends De La Soul in the UK Guardian: “On our second album, we learned the importance of controlling the narrative. I learned early...

What comes next in the music streaming model makeover

Blog post by Tatiana Cirisano

17 Jan 2023

music streaming

Major labels

independent artists

The independent music community has been rallying for change to the streaming payment model for years. Now, major labels are joining the chorus. Why? The pro-rata model has long benefited bigger record...

What ChatGPT can do for independent music

Blog post by Tatiana Cirisano

21 Dec 2022

music industry

independent music

independent artists

Everyone is talking about ChatGPT , the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that could potentially change the music industry. While the conversation has mainly focused on how ChatGPT can help with music...

Artists – take our survey and get a free MIDiA report

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

15 Nov 2022

artists

independent artists

Artist survey

With 2022 coming to a close, and Spotify’s Wrapped just around the corner, artists are beginning to look back across the year at how they performed and what they have achieved, and whether it lines up...

Artists and managers: Help shape the future of artist services

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

7 Nov 2022

independent artists

artists direct

Music

It has arguably never been harder for artists to break through on social media, streaming, and in the real world. We repeatedly hear how artists and their teams are overextended, burned out and overwhelmed...

TikTok Music: Here is what it would mean for you

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

2 Aug 2022

TikTok

music streaming

creator tools

TikTok has filed a US trademark for TikTok Music , building speculation on whether the platform is gearing up to launch a streaming service. It already has the tools at its disposal with Resso, its streaming...

Beatport’s LabelRadar acquisition is the latest sign of the platforms era

Blog post by Tatiana Cirisano

22 Jul 2022

Beatport

record labels

music industry

This week, online music marketplace Beatport acquired LabelRadar, a service that streamlines the demo submission process for artists and labels. Following previous strategic acquisitions, the deal represents...

Artists survey 2022 - MIDiA asks music creators: how will you grow your audiences, earnings and career?

Blog post by Keith Jopling

8 Feb 2022

music streaming

Content Creators

creator tools

As the music industry continues to debate the many pros and cons of ‘the streaming era’ (while enjoying the unprecedented industry growth that it has brought), the spotlight can sometimes move away...

Creator consolidation: Fender becomes the next creator tools major

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

2 Nov 2021

creator tools

music production

independent artists

When Francisco Partners brought together Native Instruments and Izotope, it created the first creator tool major . Now a second player has staked its claim: Fender has made one of the biggest creator tools...

Creator tools will drive the (equal opportunity) future of music

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

17 Sep 2021

women in music

creator tools

synth

The last two years under a pandemic have driven more music creators in a DIY direction. Equipment and instrument sales reported record-breaking growth over lockdown – Sweetwater, for example, had its...

How Bandcamp could really fix the music business

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

25 Jun 2021

independent artists

artists

streaming music

“A thought: has streaming become the place to address consumers and the likes of Bandcamp the places to engage fans? i.e., fans and fandom inherently matter less on streaming because it/they are a minority.”...

When women don’t make music: The sunset of Indian Folk

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

29 Mar 2021

women in music

india

indian folk music

MIDiA recently released a study on the experiences of women in the music industry ( free to download here ), discussing both the broad-level challenges they face – but also pointing to the positives,...

BE THE CHANGE: WOMEN MAKING MUSIC 2021

Blog post by Dara Jegede

25 Mar 2021

Content Creators

music industry

independent artists

BE THE CHANGE: WOMEN MAKING MUSIC 2021 TuneCore and Believe Partner with MIDiA for First of its Kind Global Study LONDON, BROOKLYN AND PARIS —Thursday, March 25 2021: MIDIA Research and TuneCore/Believe...

Addison Rae will not be owned: The pitfalls of the major label business model

Blog post by Kriss Thakrar

25 Mar 2021

Major labels

TikTok

independent artists

TikTok stars are rejecting major labels. It is no secret that major labels are being outpaced by independent artists in the overall market. Addison Rae has a combined following of over 100 million between...

Women making music: The COVID impact

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

8 Mar 2021

Music

women in music

international womens day

The last 12 months have been marked mostly by the coronavirus pandemic, which has pushed much of life to the digital world. 70% of independent artists overall spent much of the time over lockdowns creating...

Smaller independents and artists direct grew fastest in 2020

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

1 Mar 2021

Spotify

streaming music

independent labels

Last year we identified a small but crucial metric from Spotify’s annual report: the share of all streams accounted for by majors and independent licensing body Merlin. It was crucial because it enabled...

Taylor Swift and the changing tide of artist power

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

16 Feb 2021

Music

Media and Marketing

Cultural Trends

In the latest episode of a long-running feud between Taylor Swift and Big Machine Records, the western princess turned pop icon is releasing the first of her original re-recorded albums under her own ownership....

Sony just became (even more of) an independent powerhouse

Blog post by Mark Mulligan

1 Feb 2021

AWAL

Kobalt

Sony Music

Sony Music has bought AWAL (and Kobalt Neighbouring Rights) from Kobalt for $430 million . By adding AWAL to its already-booming Orchard division (as well as other distribution companies), it now has leading...

Women making music

Blog post by Hanna Kahlert

28 Jan 2021

Music

Women

diversity

Even taking into account the impact of the pandemic, it has never been a better time for independent creators in the music business. The various 2020 lockdowns may have prevented artists from earning vital...

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