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.

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.

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.