Music Ally Focus

Episode 103: Laura Kidd has been a fully independent artist for a long time – and her recent "Obey Robots" project managed to hit the UK albums chart at #14 (ahead of Artic Monkeys and Lewis Capaldi and just behind ABBA and Fleetwood Mac). It’s a hugely impressive achievement for a DIY/indie artist - so how did she do it? In this podcast she explains to Joe Sparrow how she used email, YouTube videos and Facebook ads to get chart success. She also talks about her deliberate choice to ignore fame, and how she instead looked to build a slow-burn, direct-to-fan “nano-community" that supports her work – and this is what she now considers “success.” Laura also explains why someone who is not concerned with the traditional concept of success decided to aim for chart success, how being completely DIY is a “terrifying” concept, how it can be hard to let go of the reins, and how she now considers herself a 'community artist’.It’s a fascinating conversation for anyone working in music marketing – and especially for DIY artists looking to cut through. The Obey Robots project: https://shop.penfriend.rocks/collections/obey-robots Laura's Penfriend YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/penfriendrocks Music choice: Kid A by Radiohead  Most bananas snapped in one minute: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-bananas-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

Episode 102: we’re joined by Sarah Woods, the Deputy Chief Executive of UK charity Help Musicians, a UK charity that offers career help for musicians in the form of a number of services, including financial support. She talks to Music Ally’s Editor Joe Sparrow about what she calls “reverse globalisation” of the music industry: a situation where UK artists become confined to touring in the UK due to it becoming increasingly hard to tour abroad.Post-Brexit, touring the rest of Europe is now a complex affair, involving visas and carnets, and accompanying rising costs. As a result, some musicians have been looking to America - and are finding complications there too, with the US planning to raise touring visa fees for foreign acts by more than 250%. We spoke to Sarah about this “reverse globalisation” and she shared some data that shows where applicants to Help Musicians’ services most need help around touring, and what the impacts will mean for artists as they seek to expand their audience at home and abroad.  Help Musicians: helpmusicians.org.uk Visa advice for touring artists: helpmusicians.org.uk/get-support/develop-as-a-musician/advice/visa-advice-service The Cure – “Disintegration” Jacqueline du Pre & Daniel Barenboim - Elgar Cello Concerto Plus: Peeling and eating bananas quickly ------ 👋 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

Episode 101: We talk to Andy Robinson, of Boutique rights management company Interstellar Music Services. In the modern music business paradigm, managers can do everything – so we’ll discuss how you can not do everything – and avoid burnout whilst providing the best service possible to artists. He talks about making tough choices, transparent conversations with artists, and how he regularly finds hundreds of thousands of streams that artists have not been paid for. Andy has a background in artist management and now focuses on helping artists recover as much of the money as possible from their music via a data-centric approach. He took this specific path after he realised that it was his strength – so we wanted to ask Andy one of those slippery questions that all managers must ask themselves: with almost infinite number of ways to connect with the music industry now, how do you focus on the things that will work well for you and your artist? And perhaps more importantly, how do you choose what not to do? Andy and Interstella: https://www.interstellarmusic.com Music pick: Santana’s “Santana” Plus: Competitive pizza eating ------ 👋 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. 100 🎉 – We talk about about Neurodiversity in the electronic music business with Finlay Johnson, interim CEO of the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM) and Tristan Hunt, who is an ADHD coach for musicians and people working in the music business, and is also an ex-regional manager at the AFEM. There is increasing awareness about neurodiversity, and more people are being diagnosed with conditions like ADHD at later stages in life. Last year, the AFEM surveyed people in the electronic music industry to learn more about the neurodiversity of the people working in it. They discovered that 58% of these participants demonstrated a neurodiverse condition, although only 38% currently have a clinical diagnosis. Finlay and Tristan discuss how the same creativity that results in innovative music can also be accompanied by neurodiversity; how the electronic music industry, with its inherent late nights and party atmosphere can exacerbate existing issues; and what people working in the music industry can do to support colleagues with neurodiverse conditions. AFEM: https://associationforelectronicmusic.org AFEM Neurodiversity report: https://www.billboard.com/pro/neurodiverse-electronic-music-study-analysis/ Tristan: https://www.tristanhunt.co.uk Finlay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finlay-johnson-77b3936b ADDitude magazine: https://www.additudemag.com/ Music choices: Finlay: Four Tet – Rounds Tristan: Paul Simon – Graceland ------ 👋 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. 99: Successful songwriter Niclas Molinder co-founded the music credits ecosystem Session along with two other Swedish songwriters, Max Martin and Bjorn Ulvaeus in 2019. Music Ally's editor Joe Sparrow asks him about what he’s doing to make sure that as much new music as possible has all the correct credits and metadata baked in from the start – and ask him why getting music metadata straightened out is taking so long. Session aims to attach complete metadata is attached to all recordings and songs at the point of creation. Niclas has written and produced for artists such as Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Mary J Blige and The Jonas Brothers. Niclas also talks about the challenges that companies who have spent fortunes buying catalogues of decades-old songs – often with patchy metadata – can go about uncovering and attaching the correct credits to their catalogue of music. Session: https://www.session.id Niclas' music choices: Sting – They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo) youtu.be/MS_bN5ECJTI Monica Zetterlund – Waltz For Debbie Most rice grains eaten in one minute using chopsticks ------ 👋 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. 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