Copyright Infringement

One of the biggest and most challenging issues facing artists in the music industry at the moment is copyright infringement online. Due to the size and scale of the web it can often be difficult to track down where a copyright infringement has occurred and who is responsible. Although having said this many websites such as YouTube are clamping down on this issue to ensure that the overall rate of copyright infringement online is reduced.

A key reason why copyright infringement is so serious overall is that when a copyrighted song is posted without artists being accredited for it they could potentially lose out on thousands in royalties for the song if the video becomes popular. Furthermore , they are not gaining more music followers as viewers may not know the source of the music being featured.

Streaming Services

Another important issue facing the music industry is the use of streaming services by consumers. Increasingly across the UK and the wider world streaming services are becoming increasingly popular and the main form of music consumption. The problem for many music artists is that streaming services simply do not pay back the same as other media formats such as cd sales , record sales or concert sales.  This means that artists are earning less and also that the dynamic for artists becoming popular overall is changing.

In order to address the issue of streaming services earning less for artists some artists have publicly outed streaming services such as spotify and have promoted their own platforms or simply started selling music via traditional channels such as cd and record sales. Unfortunately the situation with streaming services is unlikely to change anytime in the future as increasingly the younger generations are turning to streaming services in order to have fast and cheap access to music online.

Breaking Into The Industry

A major issue for up and coming artists in the music industry is the age old issue of making a break into the industry. Increasingly the industry is becoming flooded with promoters and influencers on social media platforms who claim they can help to promote an accelerate growth for music artists. However this method should be treated with caution as it can be costly and may not always be as effective as it would appear.

One great way in which new artists can break their way into the industry is through promoting their songs on a  variety of different social media channels. Writing blogs about music as well as releasing music and new releases onto a wide variety of social networks is an excellent way in which to gain exposure for a musical artist overall. Doing this means that their audience should rise over time and people will be more likely to share their music as well as blog posts if they find them interesting/engaging.

Toby Fenwick

A music journalist and audio archivist, Toby specialises in deep dives into discographies, band evolution, and the production techniques that shaped iconic sounds across decades.

The post What Challenges Are Music Artists Facing In The Industry? appeared first on Midnight Oil Film.

Expanding Our Website Outreach

One of the biggest motivating factors for us choosing to use a link building service for our website was expanding our website outreach. If you want to be successful in your chosen field online, it is crucial that where possible you consistently work to ensure that where possible your website outreach is widened so that you can reach larger overall audiences. Doing this is one of the many key ways through which you can expand the overall impact your website has online.

One of the main issues that we found with our website was a lack of links. Prior to choosing to use the link building service our website had a distinct lack of links pointing to it. This meant that it had become increasingly difficult for us to expand our website outreach as well as reach large audiences in order for the band to grow. Therefore we called on the services of Spicy Pepper to provide a quality link building service.

What Effects Did The Link Building Service Have?

Overall, there were a number of positive effects that the link building service had on our bands website. One of the main and most noticeable benefits which we took into consideration was an increase in traffic. After several months of using this service we found that there had been a noticeable increase in the amount of traffic that was visiting our website. We found this to also improve overall interactions and shares for our dedicated blog which covers a wide range of different issues.

Ultimately, link building brought about a lot of positive change for our website in terms of search engine optimisation as well as increased traffic levels. Prior to using the link building service we had very little overall knowledge about how the link building service worked and the effect that it could have on our website. Link building is a key way through which SEO can be improved in order to ensure that websites appear higher in the search engine results online. This is something that we had been trying to do previously with little knowledge or experience.

Our Message To Other Artists

Based on our experience of using link building to help shape our online activities, we would urge you to look into using these services. This is because they can really help up and coming bands grow their website to a point where they can see a noticeable improvement in web traffic as well as their website ranking higher in the search results for their band name or related content. SEO is a complex journey but one well worth exploring.

Toby Fenwick

A music journalist and audio archivist, Toby specialises in deep dives into discographies, band evolution, and the production techniques that shaped iconic sounds across decades.

The post We Used A Link Building Service For Our Band appeared first on Midnight Oil Film.

We wanted to share some of the things that we have learned along the way during our musical journey, so that aspiring musicians can get out there and be heard.

This isn’t a ‘get famous quick’ post, but rather a reality check to help put things in perspective for musicians.

Ok let’s get started.

1. Master Your Craft

This one should be obvious, but you have to dedicate hours and hours playing and practising your chosen music discipline. Whether it is singing, writing, or playing an instrument, you have to be good enough to be taken seriously in this industry, so put in the hours first!

2. Record Demos and Get Them Out There

Recording demos really helps you to create full songs that are well rounded, so get recording. You should also share your music to hear what kind of response it is getting.

3. Promote Yourself

It is no use having great songs if no-one ever hears them. Try to promote your music via as many channels as you can, social media is a great place to start. The internet is good, but it has created an oversaturation of artists all scrambling to be heard, so be creative and try new things.

4. Network

This goes alongside the promotion element, but the more people you know in the music industry the better chances you have of being heard. Go to other people’s shows, network at these events, and make sure you do it naturally and don’t just tell everyone you meet that you are an artist, this will get you nowhere.

5. Keep Going

If you genuinely want to make it in the music world, you have to keep going at it and cannot give up. Believe in yourself and keep doing your own thing.

Toby Fenwick

A music journalist and audio archivist, Toby specialises in deep dives into discographies, band evolution, and the production techniques that shaped iconic sounds across decades.

The post How To Make It As A Musician appeared first on Midnight Oil Film.

Many up and coming artists have no luck finding a label to sign to, so they go for the DIY approach of starting their own label.  Although this is quite a challenge for most people, it can be incredibly rewarding and many big artists made their way in the music industry under their own steam on their own label.

We want to give aspiring musicians some brief but solid advice of the steps to take in order to start their own label.

Choose the Name of The Label and Business

This is the best way to make the label as efficient and manageable as possible.  By registering the label as a business, legally it will be much easier to run.  Do some research and make sure your label name isn’t taken.

Create a Framework for Artists and Signings

Create a plan of how you are going to set up and deal with artists on the label.  This framework should include recording and mastering costs, budgets, earnings, promotion etc.

Sort Distribution

Get a distributor on board that is engaged and committed to selling your records.  Make sure you organise digital distribution as well.

Figure Out Promotion

Decide whether you want to handle promotion yourself or if you want to hire someone else to do it.  There are several aspects to promotion, like radio, print, online, clubs and advertising.  You might want to think about doing a few yourself and hiring someone to handle the other ones.

Prepare Your First Release

If you have all this in place then it is time to put out a release. If it is only going to be digital, then you don’t have to worry about manufacturing, but if you are going to be releasing a physical format, then you need to factor this in.

Toby Fenwick

A music journalist and audio archivist, Toby specialises in deep dives into discographies, band evolution, and the production techniques that shaped iconic sounds across decades.

The post How to Start Your Own Record Label appeared first on Midnight Oil Film.

Pallet Trolleys For The Crew

These headline tours around the world often go one for months, even years at a time, so the crew and band work long and hard hours to get the show performed.  Heavy-duty pallet trolleys make the moving and handling of awkward and bulk objects easy, fast and safe.  Much of the equipment used by touring bands are stored in flight cases, which are heavy-duty and padded on the inside so that their contents are safe.  They also roll on casters, so that they can be moved around easily.  Having heavy goods on wheels can be incredibly useful when you are moving massive amounts of equipment in a short time frame.   This is why trolley jacks and pallet trolleys are used in this situation.

Transporting the Crew

Ok so we have discussed the movement of all the gear necessary for the show, but what about the people that make it happen.  It is not uncommon for concert tours to have crews of over 100 individuals, ranging from riggers, caterers, security, technicians, electricians and drivers.  All of these people need transport, accommodation and catering, not to mention they have to be paid.

Clearing Customs

For international tours, all the equipment that is needed for the show must go through customs at every single border the show encounters.  These tours often run on a relatively tight schedule, and one of the things that can make or break a successful world tour is the smooth clearance of all the band’s equipment.  Anything from incorrect paperwork to a moody customs agent can delay the gear while it is in transit.  For this reason, specialist touring cargo companies often employ third party customs specialists to set up customs clearance in advance.

The Biggest Shows On Earth

For major world tours, a specialist cargo company that deals specifically in live acts is a must.  They have the experience necessary to coordinate the movement of this type of cargo.  If there are any delays, damages or errors, the whole show could be completely thrown off for the remainder of the dates. U2’s 360 Degree tour needed a total of 120 trucks to move the stage, screen, lights and the 250 speakers required for the show to move them from venue to venue.  In the pop music world, Beyonce needed 7 Boeing 747 cargo planes to transport all of her equipment for her Formation Tour.

Toby Fenwick

A music journalist and audio archivist, Toby specialises in deep dives into discographies, band evolution, and the production techniques that shaped iconic sounds across decades.

The post Pallet Trolleys Are a Must For Bands appeared first on Midnight Oil Film.

AC/DC are one of the most successful rock band of all time, with an estimated net worth of around $380 million.

And while this may sound a fine and well, to achieve this took years of dedication and hard times.

And now that AC/DC has made it to the top of the rock and roll hall of fame, years and years of touring and performing has taken its toll on the band.

The original band line up is vastly different from how it was when the band started.

Bon Scott was instrumental in the bands early sound, and features as the lead singer on the 1979 album ‘Highway to Hell.’

A year after the release of this vastly popular album, Bon Scott died while on a night out in London, due to acute alcohol poisoning.

Fast forward to the last decade, and the band lost a few other members, this time choosing to leave the limelight behind for personal reasons.

Malcom Young left in 2014 after he was diagnosed with dementia, then unfortunately passed away from the disease in 2017.

Lead singer Brian Johnson was forced to leave the following year due to his hearing being completely shot.

Cliff Williams the band’s bassist decided to leave after all of these departures.

Now the only original member is Angus Young, and there have been no announcements as to whether or not the band will continue.

The fact is that the rock industry is one of the hardest to make it out of any of the music industry sectors.

And even if you do become successful, it seems that the lifestyle is practically unsustainable.

Toby Fenwick

A music journalist and audio archivist, Toby specialises in deep dives into discographies, band evolution, and the production techniques that shaped iconic sounds across decades.

The post The Trials of Rock and Roll Industry appeared first on Midnight Oil Film.

Organising An Event

One of the most important aspects of an event prior to it being started is organisation. Organisation in the events industry is absolutely essential in order to ensure that it runs smoothly overall. One key aspect of event organisation is coordinating with different organisations.  For example when Glastonbury is hosted in the UK each year a large number of organisations are involved in the prep , running and closing of the event. Everyone from the police to the production crew as well as security firms and many more organisations.

Overall this all requires effective and slick communication to ensure that everyone is kept up to date with any changes or alterations that need to be made. A great way to do this would be to have a system or group where all relevant organisations can communicate any changes or things they need changed.

Marketing And Publicising The Event

After ensuring that the foundations of the event are in play , it is important that events are well marketed as well as advertised accurately overall. Doing this ensures that the event gains traction in terms of guests and also raises the profile of the organisations involved which could lead to more business overall for them. One highly effective way in which the event can be marketed overall is through the use of a marketing agency. Using a marketing agency is an excellent way in which the profile and scale of the event can be publicised to greater numbers of people worldwide.

Sourcing Staff For The Event?

When preparing for any event it is important that the right staff are sourced to ensure that it runs smoothly overall. A great way in which the right staff can be sourced for an event is by reading their online reviews as well as finding out more about the business that represents them. Doing this means that you have a far better chance of sourcing quality staff.

However one thing to consider it is also worth speaking to other organisations and looking for word of mouth recommendations as often these can provide some of the best staff available. When sourcing staff for the event it is important to keep in mind that all staff play an integral role in an event’s success overall.  Some of the best staff will be skilled , experienced and be excellent overall communicators. Often guests and customers experience at the event through their interactions with staff influences the overall perception of the event itself.

Toby Fenwick

A music journalist and audio archivist, Toby specialises in deep dives into discographies, band evolution, and the production techniques that shaped iconic sounds across decades.

The post What Goes Into Making An Awesome Event? appeared first on Midnight Oil Film.