How to use music that is not 100% your original creation. This is a guide to clarify how you can use prerecorded sounds and music in your creations. If you use prerecorded sounds, compositions or lyrics in your music you need to find out the rights of that content. This is most important if you have any intention of sharing or publishing your music for or not for profit. This is your responsibility to give respect to the original creators to make sure you are using their creations legally. At no time can you use someone else’s creations without their permission or by abiding to the licenses t ..read more

Under the current “pro rata” model held true in Spotify and Apple, money from your dedicated fans goes into a giant pool that's paid out to artists based on their share of total streams. This mostly benefits mega stars. Spotify figures out how many streams came from a given country and then calculates the portion of those streams that went to specific artists. This causes smaller artists who might not have such a massive reach, but have a dedicated loyal audience, not getting much money because they share a smaller portion of the overall streams. Effectively, if The Weeknd or Harry Styles get ..read more

  Content ID is a very useful tool for artists who are releasing content where 100% of the recorded music is original. It will track your content across the platforms where it operates so you earn every time somebody uses your music, especially on visual media platforms where fans create content using your audio which helps widen your reach and engagement. Content ID Services and Fraudulent Activity Unfortunately, people have misused content ID systems across the music industry which has led to mass takedowns of content and numerous lawsuits. The most common issues, coming from YouTube C ..read more

A new dawn on the stage In March commercial shows from abroad resumed and the amount of offline live concerts grew rapidly. The online concerts popularized during the pandemic are here to stay, but “real” live performances are something that cannot be replaced. People are craving for a connection with artists and sharing space with other fans. Bright weather for live performances - The first half of 2023 in numbers  In the first half this year, there were more than 193,300 concerts, a 400% increase year-on-year, collecting $2.12 billion USD at the box office, a 670% increase year-on-year ..read more

What is ambient music? Ambient music is a genre that focuses more on creating different sonic atmospheres, moods and tones over traditional musical melodies, structures or rhythms. These soundscapes can be created for example by using traditional instruments, synthesizers, sampling recordings and nature sounds. The genre originated in the 1960s and 1970s partly due to the introduction of the synthesizer to the big audience. It was popularized by the British musician Brian Eno in 1978 with his album Ambient 1: Music for Airports (which has been actually installed and performed in several airp ..read more

China’s recorded music revenues grew by 28.4% in 2022 with music streaming accounting for more than 89% of those revenues. With this significant rise, China advanced into the top five global markets for the first time in only one year jumping from the 7th place in 2021 ad 6th place in 2022. China’s music market has now overtaken France and is leading Asia just behind Japan. Over 700 million paying users for streaming video services shows that the population in China is willing to pay for content and a massive 1.4 billion population with a relatively low subscription rate, the Chinese music ma ..read more

A quick review of the numbers shows just how much potential the streaming services in China hold for independent artists. A much smaller artist to listener ratio can give artists an upper hand in the sea of music compared. Though it is known that Chinese streaming services don’t pay per stream like the established streaming services outside of China, the value is in the fanbase that can be gained. Spotify has over 11 million artists and creators on their roster all contributing content. On average 1.8 million new tracks get uploaded to Spotify every month with now over 100 million tracks and ..read more

The genre of afrobeat music has subtly made waves in China’s music market. While Asian music lovers and afrobeat don’t seem like they go together, the genre’s rhythms and melodies have been inspiring for Chinese audiences and followers. Its versatility has led to a rising popularity in afrobeat music across the world. The Nigerian Label and CEO of SouthNice records Agbaja Emeka Augustine even suggested that afrobeats would spread to Asia. The sound reflects a wide range of styles and musical influences. Here’s a look at how afrobeat music got its beginnings and its popularity with Chinese aud ..read more

Originally Published in Radii by Brian Grogan. Into the Night is a series exploring China’s vibrant nightlife and music scene and the roster of young people that make parties in the country so damn fun. This story introduces the unexpected reggae scene that thrives in Southwest China’s Yunnan province. This might come as a surprise to some, but China and reggae music have a strong connection. The Chinese-Jamaican community, which first settled in the Caribbean nation during the 19th century, significantly impacted the roots of reggae music. Some formative members of t ..read more

The power of your reach is defined by the people you connect with and the tools in your hands. With a saturation of new music and 100,000’s of daily uploads to the most popular streaming services your best way of gaining new fans is in the power to reach unique audiences.  Emerging music markets are shaping the global music industry.  The role of emerging markets is vital for streaming services and major labels. Streaming giants, like Spotify and Apple Music, were late to realize the potential of emerging markets and, as such, allowed space for local players to get an early foothol ..read more