Music Ally Focus

Music Ally Focus Ep. 98: This episode is for anyone interested in building a long, sustainable career as a musician. We're joined by Keith Jopling, of the Art of Longevity podcast, in which he talks to notable musicians - like, for instance Suzanne Vega, Nile Rodgers, Gary Numan and Norah Jones – about their careers in music and how they kept them going for so long. We ask him what he’s learned, what patterns there are in long-term success, and how you can use this information. Keith Jopling has also just published a white paper called “Crossing the Rubicon” (link below), which charts the careers of many of the artists he's spoken to, and attempts to find out if there is a common artist career paths, how important big hits are, and whether classic albums still exist - or are even important? Keith breaks down a few different career examples, including that of Norah Jones, Suede, Teenage Fanclub, Suzanne Vega, and more – and gives us the big, actionable takeaways for you to use in your own work. The Art of Longevity podcast: songsommelier.com Download "Crossing The Rubicon" here: songsommelier.com/crossing-the-rubicon Most pancakes filled in one minute ------ 👋 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

Music Ally Focus Ep. 97: “It was sampling that revitalised – and continues the life of – a lot of music that we would never have otherwise heard… it deserves a lot more credit than it gets” Sampling has been the backbone of a number of modern music styles, from house to hip hop. Deborah Mannis-Gardner of DMG Clearances has just helped pull off something that many thought may never happen: getting the many samples on De La Soul’s groundbreaking albums cleared so that they can finally appear on streaming services. She's also cleared samples for Wu Tang Clan, Drake, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Common, Eminem, and the groundbreaking musical Hamilton. We ask her how she gets the right people to say "yes" to letting other artists use bits of their songs. After De La Soul's master recordings were acquired by Reservoir, Deborah was brought in to clear every sample on their classic albums. She explains to us what the hurdles are when you approach an artist with a sample clearance request; how she sleeps with her phone in case one of her high-profile clients decides to check if they can sample something at a late hour in the studio; and how she doesn't see the desire for artists to use samples going away any time soon.  DMG Clearances dmgclearances.com Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly  The shortest song in the Hot 100 ------ 👋 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

Music Ally Focus Ep. 96: Artists have been increasingly vocal about the pressures of the music industry and the impact on their mental health. And it’s not just artists: everyone can experience unique stresses in the industry. In this episode, Joe Sparrow talks to Adam Ficek and Jeordie Shenton of UK charity Tonic Rider about what they are doing to provide music industry-specific support. Music industry pressures are unique: job security can be shaky, and there can be endless late nights – not to mention the sex and drugs and rock ’n’ roll. Meanwhile, the idea of the “tortured artist” is normalised, and those artists are then put on a pedestal. UK charity Tonic Rider provides resources to encourage good mental health in the music business, through regular support groups, learning sessions, workshops, and training courses. Adam and Jeordie explain what stresses that artists and music business professionals tell them that they are feeling, what the Tonic Rider can do for you and your business, and how regular support groups with other people in the business who really understand its unique mix of pressures can be hugely helpful. Tonic Rider: tonicmusic.co.uk/tonic-rider Contact Tonic Rider: tonicrider@tonicmusic.co.uk Most chocolate bars eaten in one minute: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/94495-most-chocolate-bars-eaten-in-one-minute ------ 👋 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

Music Ally Focus Ep. 95: Time is flying and we’re now one month into 2023, so we asked Music Ally's Head of Insight, Stuart Dredge, to flex his insight muscles and speculate on what might happen in the rest of the year. We analyse some of the biggest issues in the music business: The recent comments made by UMG’s Lucian Grainge about how income from streaming should be shared Job cuts in music tech, including Spotify’s recent layoffs; Is streaming an affordable luxury that people will not cancel? Are gig tickets a luxury that people will skip to save cash? What about TikTok and how music generates money from non-streaming platforms Fairness for artists – what can artists do to make more money and take more control? This discussion is extra-long – a whole hour! – and was recorded as a companion piece to Music Ally’s latest Quarterly Report – there’s a link below for Music Ally subscribers. Music Ally's "Looking ahead to 2023" Quarterly Report:  https://musically.com/2023/02/09/music-ally-quarterly-report-looking-ahead-to-2023 Most pencils snapped in one minute: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/118697-most-pencils-snapped-in-one-minute ------ 👋 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

Music Ally Focus Ep. 94: Dr. Jennifer Otter Bickerdike is a rock ’n’ roll cultural historian and author, who recently wrote the critically acclaimed and best-selling books You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico and Being Britney: Pieces of a Modern Icon. We spoke to her about the pressures placed on music stars, including burnout, overwork, and (social-) media stress – with Britney as a central example, but also leaning on knowledge from Jen’s past work in the music industry history. She worked in senior positions at Interscope and with artists like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Dr. Dre, Gwen Stefani, U2, and Eminem – before she left to start a new life in the UK. Amongst other things she’s co-founder of Moving the Needle, a nonprofit organization that supports women in the UK music industry through their careers. She spoke to Music Ally's Joe Sparrow about how we can create a better space for artists to produce the music we love. There's also an eye-opening anecdote about a clown, and much more Phil Collins than this podcast is usually comfortable with. Dr. Jennifer Otter Bickerdike: jenniferotterbickerdike.com Jen’s podcast: jenniferotterbickerdike.com/podcast Most jalapeno chilli peppers eaten in one minute  Phil Collins - Sussudio youtube.com/watch?v=r0qBaBb1Y-U ------ 👋 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

Music Ally Focus Ep. 93: What does a music publication need to be in 2023? We talk a lot on the podcast about marketing from the artist-side: getting projects to launch and connecting to as many people as possible. But what about the point after that - when music fans debate and discuss music – and explore and discover music they don’t know that they don’t know? Sean Adams, of Drowned in Sound, explains how he’s going to build a modern music publication. Drowned in Sound was one of the UK’s earliest music blogs back in 2000, and it then became one of the UK’s leading music publications, growing into a successful record label, an early podcast, and also live shows on the way. Having “paused” Drowned in Sound for a few years, Adams is bringing the publication back - but in a format that connects with the needs of music fans in a 2023 environment. So what is the mix of content, platforms, and community that music fans need now if they want a jumping-off point that is more contextual and community-driven than a playlist? Sean explains his plans. Drowned in Sound’s new podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6hdFH47LWFXxL1Jdp9QqYK?si=20a4bf26d94946aa Announcing DiS’s relaunch: https://twitter.com/seaninsound/status/1614909932184141824 Sean’s music pick: Warszawa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7kg5hq1eCc Most shrimps eaten in one minute ------ 👋 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

Music Ally Focus Ep. 92: We’re joined by Annabella Coldrick, Chief Executive of the Music Managers Forum to talk about the new realities of touring in the post-covid world. The Music Managers Forum recently held a round-table event with its members and it revealed a lot of concerns and issues around touring.  Artists are now facing a completely different touring environment: where a transformed economy means that touring is no longer the sturdy income source it was once considered, and artists are cancelling shows due to the lack of economic viability or as a result of mental health issues from the increased pressures around performing. We ask Coldrick what touring in 2023 is going to look like for her members and the artists they work with, and what they think the future holds. Links mentioned in the show: MMF (Music Managers Forum) – themmf.net FAC 100% venues campaign - thefac.org/venuedirectory Super Furry Animals – Northern Lights  Most coins deposited into a piggy bank by a dog in one minute  ------ 👋 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

Music Ally Focus Ep. 91: WTF is "web3 music"? In this episode we’re joined by Dan Fowler, Director of Open Source Projects at web3 music incubator HIFI Labs, and a man with deep experience working at where crypto, web3 and music meet. Joe Sparrow asks Dan the stupid questions so that we can all find out what web3 music is, and what it will mean for the music industry. Most of us now have a surface understanding of NFTs and web3 stuff, but what is it exactly that classes a song as “web3 Music”, what does a web3 music  industry look like, and how is web3 music different to the music we are used to? Dan – who has worked on blockchain music projects for Jaak, ICE, PRS For Music, and now HIFI Labs – gamely agreed to explain what it all means, how bit works, and who can use it to good effect. HIFI Labs: hifilabs.co – or join their Discord here: discord.gg/bqVs89D44M Dan Fowler is on Twitter – @dan_djfnd – and on Substack: danfowler.substack.com Most alternate paws offered by a dog in one minute: guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/448008-most-alternate-paws-offered-by-a-dog-in-one-minute ------ 👋 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

Music Ally Focus Ep. 90: This episode, just like the Wu-Tang Clan, is for the children. Or rather, the parents of those children: we’re joined by the founders of Parenthood In Music, which aims to improve working conditions for parents in the music industry. Parenthood, they believe, remains one of the main drivers of inequality in the workplace. We find out why, and what changes they’re hoping to make. Parenthood In Music is an initiative founded by Steffi von Kannemann (founder of the agency Better Things) and Marit Posch (General Manager IDOL Germany/ Co-founder of Hyper Culture).  Parenthood, they say, often means that mothers and single parents end up not reaching and holding managerial positions, or must switch to new jobs in other industries. They want to “build a music industry that doesn’t marginalise parents, but supports them.” So we wanted to find out more: why has this happened, what changes should be made, and what the benefits are for the industry as a whole. Fun fact: because all of us are based in the same grimy city of Berlin, this is the first ever in-person Music Ally Focus Podcast! Parenthood in Music: https://www.parenthoodinmusic.com/home-eng Most apple sauce eaten in one minute: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/412530-most-apple-sauce-eaten-in-one-minute ------ 👋 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

Music Ally Focus Ep. 89: Music Ally has just released its Campaign of the Year report (Get it for free here!) and so we finish the year with our annual podcast that highlights some of the best campaigns from 2022, chosen by the experts at Music Ally. The 2022 issue of our utterly essential Campaigns of the Year report has 60 highly-detailed case studies packed with data, KPIs, ideas and learnings – straight from the teams who did the best work of 2022. It’s a huge, vital resource for anyone working in music marketing, from DIY artist to major label. To pick out some jewels from 2022, we're joined for our end of year party / marketing bonanza by:  Eamonn Forde, writer Campaigns and Behind the Campaigns and Campaigns of the Year report;  Marlen Hüllbrock, Head of Marketing and Audience at Music Ally; and Magda Jędrzejevska, Training Executive at Music Ally.  They each picked two campaigns from the report, explained why they are so good, and we spoke about how anyone listening can try to use these ideas for themselves. Campaigns highlighted: Eamonn: Eason Chan and Joakin Berg Marlen: JVKE and Cate Magda: Dapz on the map and Jagwar Twin Report: Sandbox Campaigns of the Year report: download it for free now! Webinar: Sandbox Best Campaigns of 2022: Actionable Insights and Strategies for 2023 Behind The Campaign :: Eason Chan Behind The Campaign :: Joakim Berg Muhammad Rashid cracking walnuts with his head: https://youtu.be/DonEdEUX0aI ------ 👋 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