Evolution Music Press

Which Streaming Service Should I Choose?

Welcome to the digital revolution. Is the CD dead? Is Vinyl really making a comeback? Let’s be realistic, the lion’s share of consumption of music in 2021 is from smartphones. App-based music service has taken over how music is consumed and shared. Because of this shift in market share, more and more streaming services are popping up by the day. Of course, many artists and managers know of the big services, and these will be the focus of this article. However, know that after reading this you can apply much of these resources across every platform.

For this discussion, we should break this down into two camps, the consumer and the investor. This is what separates this article from the millions of other blogs over the internet.

We are all fans of music, this is why we are here in the first place. So as a consumer we would use the streaming service to consume music that best works for our available platform. As an iPhone user, chances are high Apple Music is your go-to service, however, Spotify is most popular among Android users. Consumers are still dropping millions of dollars in music across platforms so artists want to be sure to get their share, however, as an up-and-coming are you in a position to get a piece of this pie?

Artists would be foolish to not be available to fans across the main services; Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc. However, these services are not the only ones available to you to break into the mainstream market. Fans of artists will go out of their way to follow their favorite acts on other platforms, and true audiophiles have other preferred services, which brings us to the meat of this article.

Artists are putting their music out there for promotion, notoriety, exposure, and investment. Investors, (record labels, A&R, managers, publishers, publicists, booking agents, etc.) are always looking for the next act to help them succeed. Although Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube offer good metrics, (like, views, listens subscribers, etc.) these metrics can be skewed and perhaps are not looked at as seriously as you may believe.

Ease of use streaming sites are critical for investors. Following a link and having the music play immediately is worth more to an investor than how many listens they received. A&R listens to thousands of new tracks every week, spending time listening to (and skipping) and slows the process, losing interest almost immediately. This is where the wonders of Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and other sites like this really shine.

Although these streaming services do not get the listens Spotify, Apple, and YouTube they do provide very realistic perks. Ease of use is the most beneficial, however, linking bios, press kits, merchandise, and touring info is simple and direct in investor’s views at all times. The intangible benefits of putting the right information in the right hands can pay larger dividends than views, likes, or subscribers.

As a manager or, self-managed artist we have to set realistic goals and expectations. Although, we can monetize views, likes, and subscribers easier through the big services (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube), and feel a sense of accomplishment with these metrics, are we actually pushing our careers in the right direction?

Having your music available across every (or plenty) of services is imperative to reach investors at the best time. Although this may require some initial investment from artists and managers the pay-off is too large to ignore.

So what do we do with all these options available to us? We all have different marketing plans and every plan has merit, however, we should be weighing the pros and cons of each service and how can we capitalize on each.

For social media campaigns, we should keep these two camps fresh in our minds. As a fan, we want playlists, lots of content, and other artists like the ones I’m following. As an investor, however, we have to keep in mind; ease of use. How quickly can I get my music, (and only my music) in the hands of investors? When targeting your social media posts, ask who am I trying to reach with this post?

If you are looking for gigs, radio play, collaboration, management, publicity, etc.? Perhaps the SoundCloud, Bandcamp, and other smaller stream sites are the best to use in your marketing campaign. Do you want your music in your fan’s latest playlists, then share those Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube links.

Having all the resources available and knowing how to effectively utilize them can be the difference in quick gains vs. the long-term investment.

Do you have thoughts about this post? Please contact me and let’s keep this discussion going.

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Importance of having a great Electronic Press Kit

Industry refers to any party that could potentially pay for your product. Whether by booking live gigs, having your song played on radio, licensing your song to film or video games, or even securing a record/ publishing/management contract, and EPK is a detailed portrait of who you are and what you offer. It is critical that all players have a clear picture of the act they are pursuing because it would be a shame if a polka band was booked to play a EDM festival, or a metal band signed to an Urban music label that may not have the tools needed to advance the careers of metal players.

So what is an EPK, and how do we make one?

An EPK contains 7 basic elements that although equally important, not focusing on the right elements would be the difference of a good EPK and a great EPK. The seven elements I like to follow are:

Photos of the artist(s)
Music (or Product you are selling)
One Sheet, (a summary of all elements within the EPK to be quickly referred to). This will also list all relevant accomplishments fo the artist to boost interest
Press. This includes any third party reviews, any news articles, and media mentions
MP3’s. A complete discography is not necessary, but a full picture here would be need if the interested industry wants to dig deeper into the artists catalog
Song List, having more than one song is important to show the artist has more to offer than one single
Bio, the story behind the artist. It is critical that this be interesting.

Having all elements prepared in a pdf file with attached zip files will make sending and receiving of the EPK seamless. EPK’s are commonly delivered now on a USB drive or email.

Industry receives countless numbers of EPK’s in a given day. Making your EPK stand out above the crowd is the only way to get noticed. You get one chance to have your product reviewed, and that chance may be as little as thirty seconds. Having a third party review of your EPK not only highly recommended, it is essential to know that you are submitting the best and you are capturing your thirty seconds.

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The Critical Hidden Trait of an Effective Artist Manager

We all know a great artist manager is one who can hustle, negotiate contracts, meet lots of people and have incredible networking abilities. They require these core strengths as a career imperative. However, there is one intangible skill most artist managers do not possess, and one as an artist needs to be addressed before signing any management contract. The ability to research. Research is a skill we were taught in high school, we were given an assignment, and let loose in the library with our card catalogs, and microfiche. Now we are put in front of a computer with the World Wide Web in front of us with unlimited information at our fingertips. Does this make the information easier to obtain? Well yes and no. We only need to open our favorite search engine and type in what we think we need hoping subconsciously that an algorithm will read between our lines and magically show us the hidden gem of knowledge. This occasionally happens and when it does it can lead us very far down the proverbial rabbit hole of information and content. However, most search engines only give us what we ask for, not what we truly need.

This is why research proficiency is a critical management skill. The ability to ask the proper questions, and the ability to take the information we receive and spin in to ask more questions.

A simple Google search shows Research is “the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.” If we use just a small amount of these skills we would also find that Research states “that in an experiment, a variable must be manipulated.”[1] In this case, the variable is the client’s career, and the manipulation is the manager placing the client in new and wonderful scenarios in which to gain exposure and drive revenues.

As a quality engineer, we are trained to ask the question “Why” 5 times. This 5Y approach takes our original statement and asks why this is happening. Coming up with that answer we ask why again, and again, and again. Only by asking the question “Why” 5 times are we left with a true statement of what is the content we are looking for. This is how we can develop our new conclusions into our current situation and lead us down the proper trail instead of chasing the norm.

So how does this apply to the artist manager? Let’s start with an easy task. “I want to get a label interested in my artist. How do I do that?” Why? “I want my artist signed to a record label”. Why? “Exposure for my client in ways I cannot accomplish”. Why? “I do not have the resources a label has”. Why? “These resources are not available to me”. Why? “I have not found a way to acquire these resources”. Now we are at the heart of the matter.

Instead of searching “Labels looking for artist submission”, perhaps we need to start outlining the resources the labels have that the manager does not. By asking a whole new question, “Do I even need a label to represent my client?” The answers here may prove to be startling, as the resources a label uses are also those available to anybody. We can make a list of the all the resources we feel record labels possess and again ask the questions, “How do I acquire these resources?” You, along with many managers today are finding, getting signed by a label is not the be all end all it used to be, instead this industry is being rethought up every day, by managers who know how to find the information which most benefits themselves and their clients.

In this ever-changing industry, an artist manager requires the ability to research above all else. Finding those hidden niches, and marketing holes separate the ordinary from the extreme. By utilizing simple quality problem-solving tools, like the 5Y approach, a manager will begin to learn how to ask the right questions, as the answers for the right questions are just as easy to obtain as the wrong ones.

Do you want more great quality tools in your arsenal? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, or contact us directly for advice on how to take your management career to the next level.

[1] https://explorable.com/definition-of-research

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Why do I need an Electronic Press Kit?

Having a great Electronic Press Kit, hereafter called EPK, is essential for industry to meet you, understand what you do, and place you where they seem best suited. I will go into detail about what an EPK is shortly, but for now, it is critical to understand what is meant by industry.
Industry refers to any party that could potentially pay for your product. Whether by booking live gigs, having your song played on the radio, licensing your song to film or video games, or even securing a record/ publishing/ management contract, and EPK is a detailed portrait of who you are and what you offer. It is critical that all players have a clear picture of the act they are pursuing because it would be a shame if a polka band was booked to play an EDM festival, or a metal band signed to an Urban music label that may not have the tools needed to advance the careers of metal players.
So what is an EPK, and how do we make one?
An EPK contains 7 basic elements that although equally important, not focusing on the right elements would be the difference of a good EPK and a great EPK. The seven elements I like to follow are:
– Photos of the artist(s)
– Music (or Product you are selling)
– One Sheet, (a summary of all elements within the EPK to be quickly referred to). This will also list all relevant accomplishments for the artist to boost interest
– Press. This includes any third party reviews, any news articles, and media mentions
– MP3’s. A complete discography is not necessary, but a full picture here would be needed if the interested industry wants to dig deeper into the artist’s catalog
– Song List, having more than one song is important to show the artist has more to offer than one single
– Bio, the story behind the artist. It is critical that this be interesting.
Having all elements prepared in a pdf file with attached zip files will make sending and receiving of the EPK seamless. EPK’s are commonly delivered now on a USB drive or email.
Industry receives countless numbers of EPK’s in a given day. Making your EPK stand out above the crowd is the only way to get noticed. You get one chance to have your product reviewed, and that chance may be as little as thirty seconds. Having a third-party review of your EPK not only highly recommended, it is essential to know that you are submitting the best and you are capturing your thirty seconds.

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The Difference between Artist Management and Artist Consultant

Do you feel you need an artist manager? Is this the time to be sacrificing up to 20% of your revenue to have a manager, which may or may not deliver on the promises most managers make to get your percentages?

In today’s ever-changing DYI music industry, managers are being quickly phased out. Although traditionally, artists were advised never to tackle self-management, we find with the growing demand for digital internet-based marketing, managers lack the knowledge to innovate with these trends, and artists are being left behind.

This where management consultation comes in. Consultation is a firm which works with the artist, exploring marketing strategies, press kits, and career goals which the artist can implement themselves. Artist management consultation services offer the technical knowledge, the business experience and the ability to educate the artist to do all these management duties. In essence, if the artist is keeping their product in the online community, a consultant would be an affordable approach with many of the same results, or better.

Artists know their product better than anyone else, so why wouldn’t an artist be the authority to manage their own career. Learning from a consultant can be a very rewarding experience, as the artist learns what it takes to sell a product, and how to reach a broader target audience.

So what is the job responsibilities of an Artist Management Consultant?

Generally, a consultant is there to educate and be the devil’s advocate pointing out the potential risks present with an artist choosing to administer their own management duties. A consultant would review press kits, review marketing campaigns and make suggestions for avenues to travel which the artist may not have considered. A consultant would assemble venue recommendations for the artist to shop their project for possible bookings. The consultant would also share their contacts with licensing, publishing, radio, and legal, if applicable.

But, how much would a consulting service cost? Surely, a consultant would not work for free.

Normally, an artist consultant would be put on a small retainer, and charge an hourly wage for their services. However, some projects can be billed by assignment. For example, a set fee to set up a social media marketing campaign, or assembling of an EPK.

Before heading into any arrangement with a manager or a consultant, any signed documents should be reviewed with an attorney specializing in the entertainment industry. However, due to the limited control and influence a consultant has, the artist’s instincts should always be used. After all, it is ultimately the artist’s decision to use the advice given to them by the consultant. As an artist, you should always ask the two key questions, what are the potential advantages of following the advice, and what are the potential risks following this advice?

Evolution Music Press offers artist management consultation, please contact us for a free assessment of your project and your goals.

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