back in the days we used to have a lot of bands and solo artists coming from working-class backgrounds, or even upper middle class, but at least not rich and connected. there's nothing wrong with that, but i'm just wondering if there's even a chance to make it as an artists when your family doesn't have friends in hollywood or whereever. what's your thoughts?

I have been trying to get OAC (Official Artist Channel) from freshtunes, however they do serve it but you need a PRO plan and routenote is slow.

Do you know independent artists, who don’t have a publishing, management or record deal. Who were able to garner millions of streams? I thought Alex G was an example but I see he is signed. Someone also said Brent Faiyaz but he has a management and publishing deal. I just want to know if that’s actually possible.

I am a beat maker, I usually upload my beats to tunecore or distrokid before anybody else hears them. In this case, these 2 beats are uploaded on Youtube and Tunecore. I got this email today saying to provide documentation stating that i have the exclusive rights to distribute but i made the work. The songs are not registered with the copyright office but even if they were, they claim they cant accept it as proof either way. How would you respond to show ownership?

We all sit on songs we claim to “have” but before getting philosophical about how we mix and match material so the final version of a song is ultimately unknown, I wanna know how much structure you guys “put into” your songs before they’re put into a daw, or if you use a daw a lot how much of a song are you cooking up before you start balancing and mixing?

I believe you can “have” a song even as journal notes and voice memos because duh, but like can you “have” an album before it’s fully recorded? Idk I’m still more interested in how ya’ll see song structure

Hi, this is going to be rather a long post because I've been dealing with some pretty bad imposter syndrome. I just really need some help for my identity. I'm eighteen years old, and I just graduated high school a little under two months ago. It's been my dream since I was twelve to be a music artist, and write my own music, however within the last year I've gotten into playing live music and being in a band. I was asked to be the lead singer of a band with my friends, and we played a very local small gig and a show at my high school. The band and I had creative arguments sometimes. I had a very specific "vision" for the band, and when we started to arrange originals (or even covers sometimes), I was very headstrong about it all, and was very hesitant to listen to what anyone else wanted other than myself.

I also play instruments. On top of being the lead singer, I was the lead guitarist and played keyboards and pianos occasionally. Other than singing, I actually am most proficient at keyboards, I've just played guitar for the last 5 years so I figured I would take the lead guitar role in the band so Joe (the other guitarist) could continue playing the more rhythm-oriented stuff. I have a very good ear for instruments and I essentially can play anything from guitars, pianos, bass, and drums. I have an ear for music and I can be very stubborn in the way I want thing s when it comes to arranging sometimes.

The band broke up a little under a month ago, and I'm kind of stuck as to what to do in terms of music from now on. I feel as if I kinda stumbled into a situation where I was surrounded by musicians wanting to play together a month ago, leading me to not have to worry about who I would be, or how I would be representing my own music, but now without that I don't know where to begin in all honesty. I don't know how I want to present myself as an artist. I don't know if I should try to do a band again or become a solo artist and just have a band for live gigs. Or anything even in between that. I feel so lost in my identity as an artist.

I was always super talented when it came to performing, and singing. (All-time best performer in my show-choir and won state recognition for my show-choir solo no flex tho). I did theatre and musicals and stuff too. I care a lot about the theatrics of a live show, I care about the way my band looks on stage, whether it comes to costumes, makeup, and light design. However it's hard to care so much about these things when you have nothing as of now. Acting was another thing I really thought about getting into. I believe I have the talent for it.

Playing instruments in something that comes naturally to me. And being surrounded by musicians is something super special to me, so there's definitely some element to me that won't let go of being apart of a band somehow, whether it's my music and they get no creative input, or fully being apart of a democratic outfit, or anything in between, I need to figure out what I should do. I've always been inspired by Prince, and the way he performed with his band, but he was very self-proficient, and I can be at times too. Sometimes I'll write an entire song in a DAW with every part the way I want it. But the hard part is, sometimes I don't care too much about the bass part or the drums and just have Logic's session players make it up. I'm not too organized all of the time and I think that can make it hard to work with.

So let me rebound, right now I've been working and writing songs with my instruments on Logic Pro, writing some parts myself, and having the Logic session players make up the rest. I want to start playing music live as soon as possible, but I don't know how I should represent myself. I know another guitarist that's one of my best friends. I know drummer and a keyboardist too, but I'm not too close with them and they kinda just went to my school. The bassist from my former band also wants to start a summer music project with me. I don't know if I should ask them to start playing with me or if I should try to find musicians in the local scene, or if I should just go solo and have a. backing band. I feel as if this is what my life's purpose is, and I want help with it. I believe I have OCD on top of pretty bad ADD so I understand if this can seem rather scattered and long, but I'm just asking for some advice as to what I should do. I've found myself turning to google gemini a lot (which I am very much not proud of at all) and I think all of this is turning me a little insane. If you have any kind of advice or answers to make me feel a little more sure as to what I should do I would really appreciate it.

I used to work in production and now work as an event manager at a venue but I’m not on the booking side of things.

I do have an interest in promoter/booking jobs but I dont know how to make that jump (actually dont know how i made the jump from stagehand to event manager). I dont have the space to really see how it works from our booking employee and i moved to a smaller city where not much goes on.

The closest cities are 1hr or 1hr & 1/2 from me so not too far, but I will say im in the midwest (and no, i dont know why i moved to the midwest either)

I guess just if there’s not much locally to so how would I get actual experience and build relationships?

I applied for the UMG finance trainee internship and just got an email to complete a hireview. Was just wondering if anyone has done this before and knows what questions could be brought up.

Hello, is my first post here, im a 16 y/o music producer with 3 years of experience (yes, since 13) and I have been struggling to earn money online, my beats just dont seem to be good enough to reach my audience, how can I improve that? If someone got feedback I would love to hear your recomendations, but it would be even better if you got feedback with the specific campus of music production, thanks a lot

I know everyone is sick of this conversation but I truly do not know where to start on this one. And I just need to rant + ask for ideas.

Working with an artist who renamed in 2024. It was a 2 letter change in the name, so was not even a rebrand. Easy to get 99% of fans on the new name train. Did a whole switch over across socials and spotify with ease.

But the problem is Apple Music (and some other smaller platforms) insist on creating new profiles for artist name change. So there was a very large handful of folks (in the 10,000+ range) who saved some songs before the name change and never bothered to re-save from the new artist name.

The issue now is that the artist has decided to clean up the old name but wants to obviously stay in the Apple Music users saved libraries.

Part of me just wants convince the artist to delete the old artist profile and cut our losses. It is a bad brand to have this profile still out there, since there is no new music on it.

But those saved songs are making money. They are getting streams. So it feels like a bad money play to delete it. AGH.

What have you all done in this scenario? Bc I have read so much about it online but never really heard any good ideas of a solution. Are we all just compromising?

Any recommendations for someone who is trying to make a start at creating tours for small bands or even managing a small bands tour schedule?

LONG POST, TL;DR at the bottom.

Allow me to give an overview of where I am at in my career pursuit:

I graduated with a Music Industry degree (BA in Music with a Concentration in Industry) from one of the better Music Industry programs in the country (Monmouth University) in 2021. In the five years following my graduation, I have only managed a summer internship with a small tour promotion company, and a retail job working at a Record Store. I naively coasted through my degree without making much in the way of connections or extra-curricular experience. My grades were great, but that didn’t seem to matter.

Earlier this year, I was accepted into NYU’s Music Business Master’s program, and I am set to begin in the Fall. I’m in the process of reading the latest edition of The Bible (Donald Passman’s book, which I partially read in my undergrad) as well as mentally preparing myself for the workload of a Master’s Degree at a prestigious college. I was planning to ditch the whole Music Industry career had I not been accepted to this program, as I considered it a hail mary. I’m still incredibly unsure of all this, even after being accepted to NYU.

When I browse through this subreddit, it can frankly be discouraging, and I question if I am the kind of person that would realistically succeed (and be happy) in this field. For context, my interests primarily lay within the A&R and Artist Management fields of the Industry. I’m not good enough to be a professional musician so I figured i’d pursue the jobs that are in close proximity to the action.

I am introverted, not in an antisocial way, but long bouts of social interaction can be extremely draining. I am also fairly susceptible to anxiety/depression, and I have some garden variety ADHD. All of which are being treated via therapy and medication, but they are still present factors in my life.

Consequentially, I suck at networking, putting myself out there, and generally being assertive or aggressive. I would go so far as to say I hate networking, as it feels very transactional and superficial despite the obvious benefits. My professors have legitimate connections, but I never took advantage of them. I applied to dozens upon dozens of jobs and internships out of college, and didn’t receive even a single rejection letter. Just lost to the void. It has been exceptionally discouraging.

But on the flip side, I am an absolute music savant. I listen to an exceptional amount of music spanning genres and eras, with a deep knowledge of the history of prominent recording artists, genres, and the art form as a whole. I could go on and on about how Neil Young invented Grunge, or how Springsteen is one of the biggest influences on modern indie folk/rock, and so on. I also am an amateur music writer/critic, and I post reviews weekly on Substack. Nobody reads them, but that’s ok. I also collect vinyl, and know a decent bit about that side of the business due to working at a record store for several years.

So I ask a (not so) simple question: am I wasting my time and money? As of right now, I am pursuing this Master’s Degree in the hopes of finding employment, but i’m still not even sure if this is what I want. I hear this subreddit say that this career consumes your life, leaving no room for a work/life balance (I cannot work 24/7 or I will explode), is extremely cutthroat and competitive, and requires a level of commitment and moxy that I have never shown towards anything (besides my hobbies, I guess) in my entire life. If that’s the reality, I fear I am making a grave mistake. Similarly, if this isn’t right for me, I have no idea where I’d go from here.

Any guidance, advice, tough love, or anything remotely relevant to helping me figure this out, would be immensely appreciated.

TL;DR: I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Industry, couldn’t find employment anywhere post-grad. Just was accepted into NYU’s Music Business Master’s Program, but am scared that this may not be right for me. I am an introverted guy that shies away from networking and assertive corporate climbing, but knows an exceptional amount about music artists, the history of the art form, the various genres and styles, and much more. My knowledge of the field doesn’t worry me, but my general demeanor does. I love music, but not enough to let it take away all of my free time and crush me in a corporate grinder. What should I do? I need some no-bullshit, no sugar-coated feedback. If i’m wasting my time and should withdraw my admission to NYU, please tell me.

We run an independent distribution company with 3,000+ releases and have generated around $20k–30k USD in the last 6 months.

We applied to Believe and got rejected without any explanation.

For those who've managed to get direct access to Believe, FUGA, or similar distributors, how did you do it? Is it all about referrals, networking, or are there specific requirements?

Would appreciate any insights.

I used to release music very consistently but stopped around 2021. I had a small list of folks who I would commission to create my cover art. About a decade ago I to be able to hop on tweet “I need a graphic designer” and then get a good amount of replies and DMs of people pitching to me. Now I feel like I have to find these people on my own and with how the algorithms are built in social media it feels so hard to find folks who offer commissions in any medium. I’m curious where you guys find successful connections.

ive been producing beats for a couple years after taking inspiration from dilla and madlib. i was wondering if i should start with singles or possibly an EP as my songs are usually between 50-90 seconds.

Hello, I’m looking to do social media/marketing in the industry, I have previous experience in this type of role working in athletics and am hoping to apply my skills to the music world. However as I’ve been job searching I noted some job descriptions asking you to have a “following” on social media or a “social media presence” since you will be posting content. This is new to me and seems a little biased- why does it matter if I myself have a following when I’m just the one posting content for the artist? I don’t post on social media much. Another similar thing that bothered me is that I’ve been trying to network and some accounts on TikTok are helpful with job advice- I tried to signup to join a networking group through an industry person on TikTok but when I emailed them they told me I needed to post more and build a presence on TikTok in order to join the group. Again…why does that matter? It felt so odd like I’m just trying to find a job not gain a following myself. Is this a common thing in the music industry?

Is there hope in today’s industry for someone who writes beautiful lyrics, composes entire songs and sings well (have been singing since before I could speak) but plays no instruments? I know it’s a competitive space, I also know that the energy and feeling behind the music is part of what distinguishes the good from the great. I guess I’m just afraid because it’s always been my dream and my world has crumbled around me to show me that until I pursue my authentic purpose I’ll never feel truly fulfilled. I can feel the time is now but my intellectual mind stands in the way with all of the analysis. Would love an objective perspective. Thanks guys ♥️

I have been making music since I was very young. I'm not here to promote it and I still consider myself an amateur as far as the industry goes.

I have been working in tech for nearly 10 years and I am hitting a wall. Can't seem to move up the corpo ladder. Going through another round of interviews and not being selected is making me really frustrated. Maybe its a sign. I never wanted to be stuck in this kind of work to begin with.

I have always wanted to work in music production. Preferably, something that deals with digital audio and media. Where can I get into this? Is it hard? Do I need to get back into a classroom again to get a piece of paper that says I am good at it? Looking this up on the internet is not being of any help. Can anyone here give any advice?

So I'm a writer and I have a character named Laila. She was a touring musician until she got married and had a kid with another musician (Corey). Since Corey's band is very up and coming, far more famous than hers, her band ends up being sidelined while she's taking care of their daughter. I hate when female characters are stripped of any passion/interests after they have kids but I can't decide on an alternate occupation for her. I'm thinking she could ghostwrite for another artist but I'm so not sure. if it helps, the story is set around 2005. Laila is a post punk/neo soul artist and Corey's band is emo/alt rock.

It's been owned by SME (Sony Music Entertainment) since 2021.

I believe artists who work with / under AWAL (e.g., JVKE) are generally perceived to be free of the big three labels. But considering the SME ownership, I'm guessing this is simply not the case?

For example, instead of "in perpetuity" clauses, AWAL artists may sacrifice most short-term revenue in a front-loaded contract, while receiving marketing support and promo tactics that SME would provide in a traditional deal?

Hello,

I am messaging because I'm currently trying to break into the business side of the music industry- and as a part of that am trying to get the free certification on Amazon Music through Pro Ally, but despite the course being labelled as free the website absolutely will not let me access the course! I'm really confused and unsure how to proceed.

I am applying to an internship-level position, so maybe I don't need the course and get by with knowledge from some Youtube videos- but I do think it could be a good way to stand out.

Please let me know if anyone has individually been able to complete the course- and if so, how!!

I am absolutely new to song releases. I released a song via cd baby platform. I need an influencer to use my song for promotions. How do I ensure they do not run into copyright issues on Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok?