Music Ally Focus

Stuart Dredge, Head of Insight at Music Ally, discusses the ambitions, possibilities, ethical and legal issues of AI music in the music business. They explore the human element behind AI music, the battle for control within the industry, and the direction of AI music towards collaboration with human musicians. The podcast also touches on the ethical and legal implications, regulations, and the impact of AI in music making.

Ep 126: in this episode Editor Joe Sparrow is joined by musician and music education facilitator Elizabeth J. Birch, and the CEO of UK charity Youth Music Matt Griffiths. They join us to talk about the experiences of disabled musicians in the UK music industry – and the work done by Elizabeth and Youth Music to improve it. Elizabeth is a champion of accessible music-making, and shares her knowledge with aspiring young disabled musicians. She hopes for a day when the disabled community are not so overlooked in the music industry – and Elizabeth has now been nominated for the Inspirational Music Leader award at this year’s Youth Music Awards for her work at Midlands Art Centre as a result of her work. She and Matt talk about their work, explain how the disabled community is still quite invisible in the UK music scene, and what can be done to improve things in the music industry – including platforming more disabled people on and off the stage. Youth Music Awards https://youthmusic.org.uk/awards Youth Music https://youthmusic.org.uk Elizabeth J Birch https://elizabethjbirch.bandcamp.com/ Lock picking https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/97409-most-locks-picked-in-one-minute ------ 👉 FREE Amazon Music for Artists courses & certification: https://learn.musically.com/courses/amazon-music-for-artists/ 👋 The Knowledge, Music Ally’s free weekly newsletter: musically.lnk.to/knowledgepo 🎉 You may be eligible for a FREE Music Ally subscription, worth £399/year, via our corporate and sponsored subscriptions. If you work for a DSP, a major label, an indie label, or if you’re an artist manager, an employee of a CMO or a publisher, check here to see if you’re eligible: musically.com/subscription-options Ⓜ️ Subscribe to Music Ally's industry-leading analysis, reporting and news: musically.com/subscribe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicallybiz Twitter: https://twitter.com/musically Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicallyfb

Ep 125: In this episode Stationhead co-founders, Murray Levison and Ryan Star speak to Editor Joe Sparrow about the platform’s role as a gathering place for superfans, and what fans are seeking in a platform that mixes music, community and commerce. Superfans are well know for their all-encompassing support of an artist, and their desire to form a community to celebrate them. Stationhead started out as a kind of live radio platform that would allow users to play music and talk around the songs, and has changed its path a little to become even more oriented around fandoms. Now, fans gather around stations to geek out about an artist’s music and chat about. them – with some artists joining in on the broadcasts for things like release parties. Joe talked to Murray and Ryan – who is also a successful artist in his own right – about what fans want and what Stationhead is doing to give it to them. Stationhead:  https://www.stationhead.com Stationhead – Nicki Minaj fandom: https://www.stationhead.com/p/fandom/nicki-minaj-fans-stationhead Ryan Star: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKeFzpawPad05pLIP1NGFhA God Only Knows https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NADx3-qRxek Scratch Your Back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8US2vvG4niA Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtXl8xAPAtA&list=PL3PhWT10BW3VDM5IcVodrdUpVIhU8f7Z- Drumsticks https://youtu.be/4lJMjBU8fBM ------ 👉 FREE Amazon Music for Artists courses & certification: https://learn.musically.com/courses/amazon-music-for-artists/ 👋 The Knowledge, Music Ally’s free weekly newsletter: musically.lnk.to/knowledgepo 🎉 You may be eligible for a FREE Music Ally subscription, worth £399/year, via our corporate and sponsored subscriptions. If you work for a DSP, a major label, an indie label, or if you’re an artist manager, an employee of a CMO or a publisher, check here to see if you’re eligible: musically.com/subscription-options Ⓜ️ Subscribe to Music Ally's industry-leading analysis, reporting and news: musically.com/subscribe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicallybiz Twitter: https://twitter.com/musically Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicallyfb

Christine Barnum, CD Baby's Chief Revenue Officer, discusses the challenges of detecting streaming fraud. They explore the definition of fraud, techniques used by fraudsters, and the collaboration between distributors and rights holders. They also share personal experiences with impactful music.

Ep. 123: Music Ally’s Editor Joe Sparrow chats to Cat Henry, executive director of the US-based nonprofit philanthropic organisation Live Music Society. Cat talks about the society’s mission, which it describes as “to recognise and protect small venues and listening rooms across the United States so that live music can remain accessible to all.” Small venues can be one of the most enjoyable and valuable things that any local community possesses; a place where people can gather, enjoy music and grow their community. Small venues have been under the cosh in recent years: not only did the covid-19 lockdown punish them particularly hard, but a changing gigging environment, and large increases in costs has meant that, in 2023, running a small venue is hard work. Cat tells us about the state of the small venue community in the USA, the threats they and challenges they face, and why they are so important to the people who love them. Live Music Society https://www.livemusicsociety.org/ Cat Henry: https://www.livemusicsociety.org/news/live-music-society-announces-appointment-ofcat-henry-as-executive-director Toolbox grant https://www.livemusicsociety.org/toolboxgrant John Coltrane – A Love Supreme ⁠youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGUJd_6WZDWv_YGv6b4kd1IJbaH_Z7bGP⁠ Cobbler Most fruit cobbler eaten in 30 seconds ------ 👉 FREE Amazon Music for Artists courses & certification: https://learn.musically.com/courses/amazon-music-for-artists/ 👋 The Knowledge, Music Ally’s free weekly newsletter: musically.lnk.to/knowledgepo 🎉 You may be eligible for a FREE Music Ally subscription, worth £399/year, via our corporate and sponsored subscriptions. If you work for a DSP, a major label, an indie label, or if you’re an artist manager, an employee of a CMO or a publisher, check here to see if you’re eligible: musically.com/subscription-options Ⓜ️ Subscribe to Music Ally's industry-leading analysis, reporting and news: musically.com/subscribe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicallybiz Twitter: https://twitter.com/musically Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicallyfb

Alex Mubert, founder of the Mubert AI generative music platform, discusses how generative AI music platforms will revolutionize music-making. He highlights the role of content creators in the mass adoption of generative music and its impact on streaming platform revenue. The podcast also explores payment for rights holders and monetization options on generative AI music platforms, as well as the future of generative music on streaming platforms. With personalized music generation and collaborations with major labels, the concept of music-making is being redefined.

Ep. 121: We speak to two people from TikTok who have helped turn classical music into viral content. TikTok has captured the attention of people in every area of the music industry, who now look to the short-video app for A&R, marketing, music discovery, audience-building and fan-nurturing. Darina Connolly, Head of Artist & Label Partnerships, talks about TikTok’s direction and strategy, and she’s joined by Label Partnerships Manager Lisa Skeppner, who is one of the go-to TikTok people when it comes to classical music. Music Ally's Editor Joe Sparrow asks them what it is about classical music that holds users’ attentions – is it the song, the performance, the context of the song’s use, or the artists themselves? And what can non-classical artists learn for how they use TikTok? We talk to Darina and Lisa about how classical music has connected on TikTok, and the impact on classical artists – and also they talk more widely about what it means for users to be discovering new “old" music this way – and what the longer-term impacts of that are beyond short-term spikes in attention around novel genres. TikTok Artist Handbook: newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/uk-artist-handbook-supporting-artists-to-get-the-most-out-of-tiktok Sade - No Ordinary Love: youtube.com/watch?v=_WcWHZc8s2I ABBA – Gimme Gimme Gimme: youtube.com/watch?v=XEjLoHdbVeE Peas: Most peas eaten using a cocktail stick in 30 seconds ------ 👋 The Knowledge, Music Ally’s free weekly newsletter: musically.lnk.to/knowledgepo 🎉 You may be eligible for a FREE Music Ally subscription, worth £399/year, via our corporate and sponsored subscriptions. If you work for a DSP, a major label, an indie label, or if you’re an artist manager, an employee of a CMO or a publisher, check here to see if you’re eligible: musically.com/subscription-options Ⓜ️ Subscribe to Music Ally's industry-leading analysis, reporting and news: musically.com/subscribe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicallybiz Twitter: https://twitter.com/musically Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicallyfb

Ep 120: We're joined by Piers Henwood, a Grammy and Juno-nominated artist manager and musician. Artists today are under increasing pressure to do, well, lots of stuff: write, record and release music, create TikToks, collaborate, communicate with fans, go on tours, and so much more. A while ago, Piers wrote a guest post on Music Ally about “the implications of the pressure placed on artists to succeed in a needy industry and an always-on culture” – so we wanted to talk to him more deeply about the relationship between fans and artists, and the pressures that artists experience. Henwood says it’s time we take another look at who the customer is in this system, and help artists retreat from the always-on approach.  Music Ally Editor Joe Sparrow chatted to him about what a healthy and sustainable creative existence is for the people who, ultimately, are at the centre of everything we love about music. Piers' guest post on Music Ally: musically.com/2023/05/09/reclaiming-fame-as-an-artist-whos-your-customer-guest-post Harry Belafonte - Calypso: youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nL5Xd_KkpM0wzk08xIw2mksZvS7ze9JZo Piers Henwood: piershenwood.com ------ 👋 The Knowledge, Music Ally’s free weekly newsletter: musically.lnk.to/knowledgepo 🎉 You may be eligible for a FREE Music Ally subscription, worth £399/year, via our corporate and sponsored subscriptions. If you work for a DSP, a major label, an indie label, or if you’re an artist manager, an employee of a CMO or a publisher, check here to see if you’re eligible: musically.com/subscription-options Ⓜ️ Subscribe to Music Ally's industry-leading analysis, reporting and news: musically.com/subscribe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicallybiz Twitter: https://twitter.com/musically Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicallyfb

Ep 119: Every time our Head of Insight appears on the podcast, people say how useful they find his analysis – so we're bringing Stuart Dredge back again to answer a thorny question: “is music streaming like radio?”. Stuart explains why this simple-sounding question is actually quite complex and how it could raise a number of fundamental legal issues around payments to artists and rightsholders. Streaming platforms have always provided radio-like experiences: whether something simple like "lean back" listening – where you hit play and the platform chooses what music you hear – or more overt concepts like Spotify's new AI DJ, creating what is a recognisable personalised radio-like experience. So at what point should streaming music be classed as "radio"? Moreover, streaming services want to compete with regular radio, to attract its listeners and advertisers. What does it mean, then, if streaming and radio's boundaries are blurring? Editor Joe Sparrow puts these questions, and more, to Stuart. ------ 👋 The Knowledge, Music Ally’s free weekly newsletter: musically.lnk.to/knowledgepo 🎉 You may be eligible for a FREE Music Ally subscription, worth £399/year, via our corporate and sponsored subscriptions. If you work for a DSP, a major label, an indie label, or if you’re an artist manager, an employee of a CMO or a publisher, check here to see if you’re eligible: musically.com/subscription-options Ⓜ️ Subscribe to Music Ally's industry-leading analysis, reporting and news: musically.com/subscribe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/musicallybiz Twitter: https://twitter.com/musically Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musicallyfb

Keatly Haldeman, CEO of Dequency, discusses the long-term impact of web3, crypto, and blockchain tech on the music business. They explore the benefits of blockchain in music licensing, smart contracts, and future payments. Keatly shares their journey in the music industry and the importance of signal processing. The podcast concludes with a discussion on an agency, passion for music, and a significant album choice.