I’ve been a Spotify user for years, and I’m always learning new things about it. The best part of using Spotify is that it’s constantly improving thanks to its algorithms — and you never know what you might discover next! In this article, we’ll discuss how the Spotify algorithm works and how it affects your listening experience on the service. We’ll also explore how you can use your personalization algorithm to improve your Discover Weekly playlists.
The reason why it’s secret is that Spotify does not disclose the algorithm to the public, and it’s constantly changing. The Spotify team updates it whenever they find any flaws or bugs in their system, so you never know what will happen next with your music.
The algorithm is made up of many algorithms working together to deliver you the best possible listening experience. It uses machine learning to improve itself over time.
In addition to your listening habits and social media activity, the algorithm also considers how other users are interacting with your music.
Spotify uses all of these factors to create a personalized experience for each user. This means you might see one kind of playlist in one week and something completely different the next time you log on–but that’s okay! You can always find what you want on Spotify if you know where to look and how best to use their tools (like those featured here).
Spotify’s algorithm is what drives your Discover Weekly playlist.
Discover Weekly uses machine learning to recommend songs to you. It is a personalized playlist that is based on your listening habits, so it can help you find new artists and genres that you might like without having to spend hours searching for them.
There are two kinds of algorithms — personalization and discovery. Yours does both!
Personalization is about making your experience on Spotify better. It’s what makes the app feel like it knows you so that it can recommend music that fits your tastes and moods, or help you find new artists to love. Discovery is about finding new music that you’ll love: whether it’s an album by a band you’ve never heard before or an artist with whom you share friends on Facebook (or both).
The Spotify Algorithm is constantly changing. The way it works is that, as a creator, you want to make sure that your music is being heard by as many people as possible. This means uploading new songs and promoting them through social media channels like Instagram and Twitter. It also means getting your fans involved by sharing links with them so they can listen before they buy!
Once you have all of these things in place, then comes the hard part: waiting for results from the algorithm. While there are no guarantees when it comes to what will happen next (or even if), there are some things we know about how this process works at its core level–and we’d like to share those tips with our readers here today!
Remember that nowadays, many record companies are huge corporations that own a variety of record labels. For the most part, these companies are located in Lagos, Nigeria. These corporations usually consist of a parent company that owns more than one record label. In today’s economy, most large record companies are huge conglomerates that own a variety of subsidiary record labels. Often, the subsidiary labels are each mini-companies operating under the umbrella of the larger corporation.
To describe the hierarchy of a record company, it’s best to start at the top. The CEO (chief executive officer) is in charge of the business of the whole company. In addition, each label also has its president. Under the president of the individual label, there are vice presidents in charge of different departments. Let’s take a look at the departments that make up a significant record label:
The A&R (artists and repertoire) department is often considered the most glamorous department at a record label. This is because A&R is in charge of discovering new talent. A&R people work very hands-on with the artists that they “sign.” (When a record label “signs” an artist, it simply means that the artist makes an exclusive contract with that record label.) They do everything from assisting with song selection to choosing the people that will produce the album to deciding where the album will be recorded. The people in this department work as the link between the recording artist and all the other departments of the record company.
This department is in charge of all the artwork that goes along with producing an album. This includes CD cover art, advertisements, and displays at music stores.
This department is responsible for planning the careers of the artists who are signed to the record label. It promotes and publicizes the artists throughout their careers. According to Music Biz Academy, many labels no longer have artist development departments. As record labels have come to see artists as products in recent years, some artist development departments have been renamed “Product Development.” Many insist that this is because the emphasis in the current music business is to promote artists very heavily at the beginning of their career, as opposed to long-term planning. *If you don’t want to be a “one-hit-wonder,” pay close attention to how the record label views this aspect of career planning.
This department deals with the business side of things. It takes care of bookkeeping, payroll, and general finances.
This is usually one person, or a small group of people, who serves as the liaison between the record company’s distribution company (either an entirely separate division under the huge corporate umbrella or an outside company responsible for getting the CDs into the stores) and the record company. The label liaison also helps decide when to release an album (when the album goes on sale to the public) and makes sure it doesn’t conflict with any of the other labels the record company owns.
This department is responsible for all the contracts that are made between the company and the artist, as well as contracts between the record label and other companies. Any legal issues that arise (such as lawsuits between an artist and the company) go through this department.
This department creates the overall marketing plan for every album that the record company will release. It helps coordinate the plans of the promotion, sales, and publicity departments.
This department is in charge of dealing with the newer aspects of the music business, including producing and promoting music videos for the artist. In addition, this department is often responsible for helping an artist create a presence on the Internet. It deals with the new technologies in which artists can stream music and music videos through the Internet.
This department’s main purpose is to make sure that an artist is being played on the radio. It must get an artist’s new songs on the radio to ensure the future success of the record company. This department makes sure that all the other departments are communicating about the best way to sell the artist to the public. The promotion department may also try to get videos played on MTV or VH1 channels. This can be the responsibility of this department or in conjunction with the New Media department.
This group is responsible for getting the word out about a new or established artist. It arranges for articles to be written in newspapers and magazines. They also deal with radio and television coverage of an artist. Many artists also have independent publicists who help coordinate publicity with this department as well.
This department oversees the retail aspect of the record business. It works with record store chains and other music stores to get new albums onto retailers’ shelves. The sales department often coordinates these efforts with the promotion and publicity departments.
Remember that any given record label may have a slightly different organization. As large companies buy up smaller record labels, the organization of record companies changes a great deal. Most record companies have their Websites where you can find what labels the company owns and what artists the company is promoting.
Independent musicians are always looking to establish a fan base and promote their original songs/tracks. To do this, they must first become familiar with branding and marketing.
This is because for the business to grow, establishing the specific areas within your business that include things such as colour schemes, logos, and consistent posts across social media platforms are important when making music your full-time career.
Another aspect of marketing your music that should be a top priority is to get yourself an established email list set up. This is owned by you and gives you direct contact with your fanbase so that you can keep your audience up-to-date with upcoming gigs or live performances, or when new music is going to be launched.
The end goal for musicians is to create a solid fan base that you (the musician) can keep in touch with regularly so that they (the fans) know what you’re up to.
This helps you as an artist because you can keep track of your fans by monitoring the lists. It also allows you to reach out to them easily. There are free resources online you can use to do this, but this can also become a lot of work on your part that you might not have the time (or expertise) to do.
Musicians tend to want to focus on their craft – making and performing music – and not on all that goes along with it.
With digital platforms in the online world becoming more of a means to distribute and get noticed, there are multiple opportunities with companies that will allow music submissions by independent music artists. Many of these can take the guesswork out of how to get your music shared and noticed, without you having to do much of the leg work.
Utilizing online music submission software is a way to get your music directly in the thick of things. This site, in particular, called Share Pro, will immediately allow your original music submission to be viewed within a 48-hour window and get back to you if they are going to share your music on their platforms, maybe even work with you or offer a record deal.
It’s a fast-track way of getting your music heard by professionals and can be helpful when you want some feedback to see if your music can truly make “the cut.”
If you’re confident that your music is mixed and mastered and ready for the big leagues, this is a great step for you to take as a musician – you never know who might be looking for your specific sound.
A music licensing company is ultimately one of the best platforms for you to submit your music to, and Marmoset is a great licensing company to start with that cares about giving indie artists new opportunities.
The music licensing process is taken care of by the company, so you don’t have to worry about all of the legalities, allowing you to be more focused on making the music rather than selling it.
The company not only accepts your original music and tracks, but they have a wide range of networks that have already utilized their services to find music. This means that you don’t have to do any networking or submitting directly to professionals, since the consensus is that many music supervisors, filmmakers, or other creatives don’t tend to “try out” new music if they are unfamiliar.
But, when a musician is accepted and part of a bigger library of tracks that creatives already go to find their perfect fit, your chances of being noticed (even on a larger platform) are much better. Plus, when your music is chosen there is an even bigger chance that you may be contacted from that point forward to produce more music for specific projects.
Believe it or not, many music-centred blogs and websites out there want your music to be promoted. One of the main reasons for this is that a lot of times with independent musicians you want your music to be heard in any capacity. There are also no royalty fees necessary as long as your music is copyrighted.
There are multiple music blogs like Indiepulse and Emerging Indie Bands blogs and articles where you can submit to have your music featured. They tend to prefer it to be unsigned and unknown, so newer and emerging music artists should consider this route.
This may now seem almost like a very old-school way of doing things, but this is always an option as a musician. You would simply send out demos of your music to multiple record labels through the mail and/or email.
This method can be a long, uphill battle, and many times your music probably won’t even be listened to (or might be listened to by a lowly intern who doesn’t push it up the chain of command).
One thing you should keep in mind if you submit directly to a record label is that many of them do not accept any unsolicited materials. This can mean two different things: the main one being that the record label themselves is not inviting you to send – which means, unless you were asked to send a demo, don’t do it.
The second thing is almost the same as the first – you have to have had some sort of business association with the record label for them to accept your music submission.
Whether you decide to submit your music is up to you. Still, the insight you gain here points to the idea that as an independent musician, you need to be sure to network and establish relations within the industry as much as possible. There are some easier and more difficult ways to do so, depending on how hard you want to work for it.
After creating the music you’re wanting to share with the public, your next priority should be marketing that music and gaining more visibility. Once you can start establishing relations with others in the business and they start to approach you for new music demos, then you have a shot at an actual record label.
Music streaming giant Spotify is seemingly everywhere. But they are not the only ones expanding their activities in Africa, global music labels are increasingly looking to the continent for new artists and market leaders too. Some of these include Mavins Global, Empire, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Concord Records, and Roc Nation with the latter helping Nigerian artists wizkid, Burna boy, Davido and other fast-rising artists break into the US market and reach
In the past few years, Africa has emerged as a significant market for music labels.
Fueled by a growing young-people population, great musical talent, great culture, and more streaming opportunities, Africa’s music industry is booming. And the world’s major music labels are taking notice.
1. The continent’s population is young and growing fast: According to the UN, Africa has one of the youngest populations in the world. This means that there are plenty of potential consumers who can be reached through marketing campaigns targeting young people. In addition, many African countries have high birth rates which will result in more consumers entering the market over time. For instance, Nigeria was ranked as having one of the fastest-growing populations globally due to its high fertility rate (4) and increasing life expectancy at birth (5). Furthermore, recent data shows that Nigeria will have more than 200 million people by 2050 (6).
The global music industry has been undergoing some major changes recently with streaming becoming increasingly popular among consumers around the world — especially in Africa a continent Fueled by a rowing young-people population, great musical talent, great culture, and more streaming opportunities, Africa’s music industry is booming.
In 2017, Forbes reported that Nigeria was the world’s fastest-growing market for recorded music — up 20% from 2016 — and it’s not alone.
The African continent is a hotbed of musical activity. On top of the fact that it’s home to some of the world’s most well-known musicians (such as Fela Kuti, Angelique Kidjo, Youssou N’Dour) and of course the emerging wizkid, davido, Burna boy and the likes. new artists are emerging every day.
The biggest reason why major labels are so interested in Africa right now? The growth potential is huge. A study by MIDiA Research predicts that digital music revenues will reach US$2.36bn in 2022 in sub-Saharan Africa alone — representing an increase of 40% from 2018.
I hope this helps you to put your best foot forward when sending your music industry professionals a demo of your work. There is a lot of information to be gathered, but it is there for a reason if you follow the simple steps outlined in this article, you are more likely to make the strongest impression on any A&R rep that happens across your demos. Who knows? Maybe it will lead to the break you’ve been working for!
Your song is your work of art. You’ll want to share it with the right people. Normally done over email and social sites, it’s not always easy to network; you don’t know who’s listening and you certainly need A&R reps contact information. I will help you set the scene for success.
A&R is a vital role within the music industry. It is a job that involves identifying new talent, developing artists, and working with them to ensure their success. A&Rs are responsible for signing new artists, helping them develop their sound, and delivering songs to labels for release.
The responsibility of an A&R lies in finding the right artists for your label, which can be a challenging task. The only way to be successful in this role is by knowing what you are looking for and being able to identify those qualities in an artist.
When it comes to A&R, there are many things that you need to consider when making decisions on which artists will be signed by your label. This guide will give you some tips on what to prioritize as an A&R when scouting new talent.
To me, the most important thing is the music. It has to be good enough to stand on its own. If it’s not good enough, then everything else is irrelevant. The only way that you can really know if it’s good enough is by listening to it. So that’s what I do first — listen to music.
know about what makes them special as a person and an artist, as well as what their life experiences have been like up until now. What are their goals and motivations? Who inspires them? What inspires them? Who do they look up to? What do they want their legacy to be? What do they hope people will remember about them when they leave this world? I ask these questions because I want to get a sense of who they are as a person so that I can better understand why they make the music that they make and what kind of music would best represent who they are as an artist.
Another thing to look for in artists is whether or not they have a strong network of people around them who believe in them and support them unconditionally — both
Be sure the music is original. Look for songs that aren’t derivative of other artists or styles. It might just be the next big thing if it doesn’t sound like anything else!
The song has a memorable chorus or hook. A catchy melody that sticks in your head is always a good sign of potential hit material. You can tell who wrote the song by listening to it once or twice and paying attention to who wrote it (if you don’t know already). This is true of any songwriter, but especially true if they have written multiple hits and/or had their songs covered by other artists.
Collaborating with other A&R teams – You don’t have all the answers to identifying and developing great talent; other A&Rs do! So reach out to them and ask for their feedback on certain artists or projects that interest you. Let them know what kind of music you’re looking for and see if there are any names they can recommend. Also, think about ways you can help them out too! For example, if they’re working with an artist on a single release or EP release.
The most important thing to do as an A&R is to be able to identify a great artist when you hear one.
this is a broad topic, so I’m going to break it down into three parts:
Identifying a great songwriter/artist
Identifying a great producer or feature artist
Positioning (the best winning opportunities for your artists always)
In this article, we’ll go over some of the basics of digital marketing for musicians. What is digital marketing? How do you know if your page needs more followers? What kind of content should I post on my social media accounts? These questions will be answered as well as how to use each platform effectively so that your brand can grow organically and organically.
Digital marketing is the process of growing your audience through online channels such as blogs, social media platforms, and email newsletters. It’s important to note that this is not just about Facebook ads and YouTube views. Digital marketing is about building relationships with your fans, learning about them, and ultimately sharing their stories with others.
Not having a team of people to rely on can be frustrating and time-consuming, but with the right tools and techniques, it can also be fruitful and rewarding.
You’ve got a great product and you’re ready to share it with the world. But before you start your marketing campaign, you need to think about your digital presence. What are your customers looking for when they search for your type of product? How will they find you? What do they expect from your website?
You can’t just set up a website and wait for customers to come knocking—you need to put on some spandex and go out there and find them! The first step is knowing what keywords your audience is using when they search for products like yours. You can use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to get an idea of how frequently people search for each keyword, how much competition there is for those terms, and how much traffic each term gets. You’ll also want to look at the competition—the number of websites that rank well in the search results. The more people who have websites that rank on top of Google’s results page (SERP), the more competitive it will be for you to get good SERPs too. Once you know what keywords people are using when they search online, it’s time to make sure they find YOU first when they type those terms into Google or another search engine like Bing or Yahoo! The easiest
An Electronic Press Kit (EPK) is a marketing tool that helps you promote your business through a digital media kit. The EPK includes a wide range of information about your company, from the products you sell to the history of your business. The EPK is an important way for businesses to get their name out there and make sure potential customers know about them.
An electronic press kit is a collection of documents and files that provides details about a company’s product or service offerings, background information, contact information and more. The equipment can be distributed through email or on CD-ROMs.
The purpose of an EPK is to provide journalists with easy access to information when they’re writing articles or doing research on companies and industries. It should include all relevant information about the company — such as its history, location, CEO biographical information, financial data and any other pertinent facts that may help journalists write accurate articles about the company.
While we’ve seen a decline in the need for websites as a whole, artists are still building them (and they’re pretty awesome).
An artist’s website is a hub for all of your social media channels and other promotional materials. It’s where you can direct people who want to learn more about you or engage with you as fans.
If you’re putting out music at any frequency, having an artist’s website is essential. It gives you control over your brand and lets you control the conversation about yourself. It’s also important to note that having an artist website doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also have social media accounts or EPKs – it just means that these are all connected. You should treat each one as its piece of the puzzle, but they should all work together toward the same goal: getting people interested in what you do!
In the same way that social media can be a great tool for connecting with fans, it can also be a great way to promote and market your music. The key is to use social media in a way that fits your personality and style. If your brand or style is more personal, you may want to consider using Twitter or Instagram as your primary marketing platform. If you have a more professional brand or are looking for ways to remain consistent with your brand image, Facebook may be the better choice for you.
The important thing to remember is that no matter which platform you choose, it’s important that you make sure that every post has a purpose and fits into your overall marketing strategy.
The email was one of the first big revelations associated with the digital age, and as a result, it can be viewed as ‘old school’ in a rapidly evolving environment. Regardless of this, email lists can be extremely impactful for artists. Sure, tweeting or sending a direct message might seem the easiest way to communicate with fans directly, but like anyone else, music fans check their email inboxes, too. Additionally, email has the highest engagement rates per post – fans are more likely to read any email than anyone on Facebook posts or tweets, both of which exist in a virtual sea of content.
As a result of this information, many artists have turned to email marketing as a way to not only expand their reach but also build an engaged fanbase that will support them throughout their careers.
Email marketing is also an excellent way to make money from your music since most emails include an opt-in box where users can sign up for updates on new releases and tour dates. This means that every time you send out an email there’s potential for new income streams through ticket sales and merch sales!
Pitching your music is something that you should be doing regularly, no matter what stage of your career you’re in. It can be a long, tedious process but it will get easier as you become more familiar with the process.
Just because you released a great single, EP or album doesn’t mean people are magically going to know all about it. Yes, you’ve sent your emails, you’ve posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you’ve made the release available on your site, and you’ve shared links to digital stores and streaming platforms with friends and family. If you think that your digital marketing efforts are over after all of that, guess again.
The goal of pitching your music is to get people talking about it so that they eventually come across it in their daily lives — whether it be through SEO (search engine optimization) or serendipity (someone stumbling upon something they didn’t even know they were looking for).
Playlists are an important part of the music industry. As streaming continues to attract more and more music fans, platforms like Apple Music and Spotify have found ways to offer these fans curated playlists of music they may love, or, in many cases, not KNOW they love yet. That’s why streaming has laid a foundation for new music discovery levels– independent artists are not being left out of the fun!
Playlist curation is still a relatively new concept for indie artists, but it can be very rewarding for those willing to put in the time and effort. In this article, we’ll dive into how you can start building your playlists on Apple Music or Spotify and leverage them as a marketing tool for your career.
As the music industry continues to evolve, there are more and more outlets for musicians to share their work with the world. From blogs and online magazines to social media platforms, musicians have a wide variety of options when it comes to promoting themselves and their music. As mentioned above, you can get started on these efforts early in your music career without paying for a publicist – it just takes some work.
Find blogs and magazines that cover your type of music. Look at their websites and social media accounts to see if they post about upcoming events or feature artists they like. If they don’t, send them an email introducing yourself and asking if they would be interested in hearing your music (this goes double if the publication has an email address or contact form specifically for writers). You might want to include a link to one of your songs on SoundCloud or YouTube (if applicable) with your initial email so they have something to listen to right away.
Follow up with emails every couple of months after sending out your initial pitch, as well as when new releases come out from artists you have covered previously – this will help keep you at the forefront of their minds when they are looking for new artists to feature on their sites.
With this newfound confidence in your ability to market and brand yourself, start taking steps to do so properly. Building a solid online presence is the first step in marketing your music, as it gives you a virtual presence for potential listeners to discover.
There is a lot of marketing terminology thrown around in the music industry. It’s pretty confusing for musicians, and if you are trying to find information about your options, it might be hard to discern all the different types of music marketing platforms out there for musicians. Six main forms of music marketing platforms are available to musicians. And those are:
Marketing platforms of the music industry can be divided into the following types:
Social media marketing is a powerful tool for customer engagement and building brand awareness. However, to build a following on social media, you need to understand the demographics of your target audience and set goals in terms of web mentions or content engagement metrics. In the digital sharing age, your fans are the media itself, one that can sometimes be much more powerful than conventional communication channels. However, don’t forget about other channels. Social media marketing should be just a part of your overall communication strategy.
Social media has become an integral part of modern marketing strategies for small businesses. As this trend continues to grow with each passing year, social media marketers continue to refine their methods and focus on new strategies.
When you’re looking to reach out to a specific audience, digital advertising is a great way to go. Digital advertising allows you to choose not only the time and place of your communication but also the type of people you engage with. Advertising through social media (e.g. Facebook ads), search engines (e.g. Google AdWords), digital displays, or even digital audio platforms of Spotify/Pandora allows you to target people based on demographics (age, location, income, etc), musical preferences, and interests.
This is different from physical space advertising like OOH (out of home) advertising — although it remains reserved for more popular acts, targeting wider audiences — because it allows us to target people based on their interests and preferences rather than just their location or age range.
Paid advertising is a great way to get in front of the audience, but it should be approached with caution — the acquired traffic won’t stick around for long if you’re not able to spark an organic interest across other channels and platforms.
When it comes to cultivating a loyal fan base, direct-to-fan communication is crucial. First and foremost, music is a passion and part of people’s identity. Direct engagement helps to build a deeper connection with your audience — and that is something that can come a long way in the music business.
Emails, text messages, or direct messages over social media — whether manual or via bots — will help you build a tight-knit ring of fans that will stick with you (and consistently support you).
Digital Service Providers (DSPs) play a crucial role in the digital music consumption landscape. They help artists reach their fans and grow their careers, by distributing their music to the various platforms that host playlists.
Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, SoundCloud: the digital music consumption landscape is made up of dozens of DSPs. Getting in front of the audience of these platforms is key to expanding your fan base and growing your career.
One of the most prominent channels to reach the audience of the various streaming platforms are playlist placement. That’s why the playlist strategy is now at the heart of any music marketing campaign.
Playlists are a powerful tool for digital service providers to connect with their listeners, but they can also be dangerous if you’re not careful. There are five types of playlists on DSPs:
Generally, playlists on the DSPs can be divided into five types:
Today’s most successful artists are building their brands on multiple platforms. And one of the best ways to do that is through a playlist.
Playlists can offer a vast opportunity to reach new fans, but at the same time, they put the artist at risk of being reduced to just another name in a long list — so you have to build your story on other platforms first and turn the streaming audiences into fans who will go out to your shows.
In the music industry, there are few things as important as publicity. It’s a good thing, then, that there are so many ways to get your name out there:
Promotion of this kind of free advertisement — except that it never comes for free. It would help if you had a PR strategy, a network of connections across different mediums, a press event, and a solid (and preferably data-based) pitch. News doesn’t create itself, so musicians have to work with journalists and media pros to make it happen.
The world is more connected than ever. And while music was always a social phenomenon, the digital space has made the world even more connected than ever. Digital Word-of-Mouth can now travel around the globe overnight and turn an unknown artist into an international sensation.
Right now, TikTok is the user-generated content platform on top of everybody’s mind — but the fan-driven content can live on several platforms: from Twitter to YouTube to Spotify (remember those user-generated playlists?). However, you have to remember that virality doesn’t just happen — it’s always driven by a solid strategy.
No matter what kind of music marketing service you need, there’s a platform out there for you. But the world of music promotion is incredibly complex, and it can be not easy to know where to start. These six music marketing platforms offer a variety of services, so no matter what your needs are, you’ll find something that meets your criteria. click here to hire a professional
Have you ever heard of Afrobeat music? We’re guessing not. Most of us think of Afrobeats as the new generation of African pop, or a style of music that is brand spanking new. And while it certainly is all of those things, it has its roots in something much older: its big brother called Afrobeat.
When younger generations hear the term Afrobeats, they automatically associate the musical genre with artists like Wizkid, Davido, or Burna Boy. And while each of them is making waves in their own right and bringing awareness to the culture, it’s important to note that this style of music has been around long before people were screaming out “You don’t need no other body.” (Yea, it’s in our heads now, too).
Before we dive into their differences, let’s take a step back and honestly examine what Afrobeats is. You see,
The History Of Afrobeat From Africa To The World
Afrobeat is a genre of music that originated in Nigeria during the late 1960s. It was created by Fela Kuti, who used it in his band Africa 70 as a way to express his anti-colonial views and opposition against dictatorial regimes in Africa. Afrobeat uses elements from various genres including jazz, funk, highlife, traditional African music, and Nigerian folk music.
The sound that is known as Afrobeat is credited to Nigerian musical artist Fela Aníkúlápó-Kuti. Kuti, the pioneer of the genre, was heavily inspired by the emerging jazz scene during his time in London in the 1960s. While he was in London for school, he decided to drop out and return to his native land— Nigeria— to develop his musical aspirations.
To gain notoriety in Nigeria’s music scene at that time, Kuti formed a band called Africa 70 that included American saxophonists Tony Allen and Frank Collins (among others). The band quickly gained popularity within Nigeria’s underground music scene by performing at nightclubs and theatres. Soon after, Kuti was arrested on charges of currency smuggling and sentenced to five years in prison where he developed songs about his experiences during incarceration
Some of the earliest examples of Afrobeat are found in the music of Fela Kuti. As noted above, Kuti’s sound was heavily influenced by American jazz and funk music, especially that of James Brown. However, Kuti also incorporated elements of traditional African music into his compositions.
Another key distinction of Afrobeat is that it often involved a full band, including saxophones and guitars. This was very different from most other African pop songs at the time which were typically performed by a single singer backed by percussion instruments such as drums or maracas.
In addition, Afrobeat artists tended to use electronic instruments instead of acoustic ones. Fela Kuti was one of the first African musicians to use synthesizers in his songs, something that was quite unusual at the time but has since become more common in popular African music (and for that matter, popular music all over the world).
The Rise Of Afrobeats
Afrobeats have become a global phenomenon due to their unique blend of musical styles and culture that resonates with people worldwide. With the rate of consumption of afro beats alone, it’s safe to say that Afrobeats is here to stay!
Afrobeats is currently one of the biggest music genres in the world. Every time I hear it, it makes my whole body move, and so I am sure it does for you too. After all, it’s known for its infectious rhythms, powerful vocals, and meaningful lyrics. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: Afrobeats is here to stay.
As an A&R, you’re often working with new artists who are still learning the ropes of the industry. However, there are some things that you should never do when working with a new artist — it’s very easy for them to feel pressured or intimidated by your position and experience in the music industry.
Here are five studio etiquette mistakes to avoid:
It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the workplace and forget about being considerate of others. However, if you want to avoid being labeled as a bad employee, then you must think twice before doing or saying something offensive or unprofessional. In fact, according to a survey conducted by The Muse, 65 percent of employees say that when they see a coworker make an effort to be considerate at work, it makes them more likely to do the same. So even if you don’t think you have anything to prove and don’t care what other people think about you, remember that their opinions could have an impact on your career and reputation within the organization.
It’s tempting to jump in and take over when something goes wrong. But it’s better to let your team members learn from their mistakes. You can help them by offering suggestions, but don’t do the work for them.
If someone asks you a question about something you said earlier, don’t assume that they understood what you meant — explain it again if necessary! It may be frustrating at first, but it’s better than having two different interpretations of what was said last week, which can confuse the line.
even if an artist is struggling, don’t give them a damaging critique in front of other people around the studio; instead, find a private moment where you can explain what needs improvement without making them feel bad about themselves or their work ethic.
if an artist has written something that doesn’t make sense in context or doesn’t sound good when sung by another person (e.g., “I’m gonna be famous someday”), don’t dismiss it just because it isn’t perfect
Whether you’re starting a record label, running a band, or want to build a DIY music project for fun, you need to have certain team members. These “essential” team members will be there to help when all other support is gone. If you run your show and plan to release music/an album, these are the members you should find.
You’ll need someone to oversee the A&R process and make sure all your artists are signed to a record deal. The A&R manager will also negotiate contracts, check budgets, and make sure everyone’s in line with their musical direction.
These are the guys who will help you make music. They can be producers, engineers, and songwriters — they all make the world go round!
A manager handles all sorts of things for an artist, from booking shows to negotiating deals with labels and promoters. They know how to run your career like a business — which means they’ll help you make more money, too!
A booking agent books show for bands and DJs all over the world. They work closely with managers and labels to secure dates in clubs, festivals, and other venues.
A good attorney will protect your intellectual property rights and ensure that any contracts you sign are fair. An even better attorney will help you get out of bad contracts if they need it — which happens more often than most people think!
The art director designs album covers, posters, and merchandise items. They also work closely with photographers, illustrators, and graphic designers to create promotional materials that reflect the image of your artist or band.
The publicist works with journalists from local newspapers through national magazines to help generate publicity for your music releases. This includes writing press releases and pitching stories to journalists.
This is the person who will help you shape your strategy and plan for growth. The strategist is responsible for identifying what needs to be done next and making sure everyone is on board with the direction of the company.
This person will help you identify the best marketing channels and strategies to reach your target audience. They’ll also help you create compelling content that will make your business stand out from the crowd.
Design is incredibly important to any business, so having someone on staff who can design engaging visuals will help your brand stand out from competitors.
Product managers are responsible for managing all aspects of a product’s development process, including testing, releasing new features, and updating existing ones based on user feedback or analytics data.
This person is responsible for making sure everyone gets to where they need to be when they need to be there. They’re essentially an assistant tour manager who plans everything down to the last detail (and sometimes beyond).
These people make sure that everything runs smoothly on tour — from making sure hotels have extra towels for when you arrive late at night, to arranging for sound checks and transport between venues.
Tour Accountant/Bookkeeper/Business Manager (or however many titles this person has).
Someone who keeps track of all your money — from revenue streams like ticket sales and merchandise sales to expenses like flights and hotels. They also handle taxes and other financial matters related