Gear Reviews
10 Ways to Ruin Your Music Career
There is no shortage of people who can give you great advice on what to do to further your music career, including me. That’s what this magazine and these columns are all about, really. Whether it’s improving your live bookings, increasing your sync opportunities,...
Beats Marketplace Basics 101: From Leasing to Recording
In many ways, there’s never been a better time to be an up-and-coming singer, rapper, or producer. The DIY scene is thriving in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Options for self-recording and production are better and more available than...
Seven Essential Moves For Keeping Your Act On The Road
Out On Tour? Get Insured! [editor's note -- this guest article is brought to us by our friends at MusicPro Insurance] Ensuring success as a musician requires a whole host initiatives and precautions. You’ve got to protect your rights, make sure you’re working with...
How To
Split Sheets, Getting Paid and You
An Interview with SongSplits CEO Todd Wright If you read this fine magazine, you have read about split sheets. As a songwriter/producer and someone who does music licensing for a living, I just can’t impress upon you enough how important this tool is for your...
Indie Data: You Don’t Have to be Big to Reap the Benefits of Good Metadata
Artists who are self-managed, or working with smaller teams or labels, often hear about the data we provide to labels and distributors and ask some variation on the question, “Why do I have to worry about this?” on top of all the other concerns of a working musician....
Iron Maiden Live in Oakland
w/The Raven AgeOakland Arena -- September 10th 2019 One of the best tours this summer was The Legacy of the Beast tour from UK metal legends Iron Maiden. They solidified their legacy in Oakland, CA at the Oakland Arena - former home of the Golden State Warriors,...
Buying Guide
REVIEW: sE Electronics DM3 Ultra Hi-Z Active DI
When it comes to reliable, well-made audio gear, sE Electronics have been providing great products for years -- and their new active, inline DI (the DM3) is keeping up its end on that reputation. The form factor is impressive; it’s not that much bigger than a 1/4” to...
REVIEW: PreSonus Revelator io24 USB-C Audio Interface
Small format interfaces usually fall into three categories: A device meant for musicians, a device that’s meant for a podcaster, and one that does both, but not all that well. PreSonus has bridged the gap with a DAW interface that works across the board as a practical...
Audio-Technica Launches AT2020USB-X Cardioid Condenser Microphone
Audio-Technica announced today the release of its AT2020USB-X cardioid condenser USB microphone. A reimagining of the popular AT2020USB+, the AT2020USB-X microphone is specially designed to meet the needs of musicians, streamers, podcasters and other content creators,...
Industry News
Session Player Royalties: Making Harmony out of Discord
On June 29, 2022, a declaration was filed in federal district court in New York confirming that $45 million had been paid to nearly 60,000 session musicians and background singers as part of a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit had been brought by six Texas session...
5 Rules for Modern Songwriters to Get Noticed
Secure More Licensing Opps Anyone in the music business will tell you that teaching songwriting is a difficult—if not impossible—task. There are some who do it well. For instance, Judy Stakee at Berklee is excellent. Whenever I am asked to teach songwriting, it...
Get Schooled at the ASCAP Experience
Learn new skills & career-boosting tips from the pros Just wanted to share some exciting news from our friends at the ASCAP Experience: "Shake off the lazy days of summer and kick back into gear with ASCAP Experience! We’ve got tons of sessions to help you set...