Bypass: Music Industry News for Independent Artists

Wednesday edition - 3 min read

Story 1: Coda Promises What Spotify Won’t

What's Up

Move out of the way Spotify, there’s a new kid on the block. MassiveMusic’s Coda Music just launched with a big claim: you can earn up to 100x what other streaming platforms pay you now. The deal’s so good that even Eric Clapton and Evanescence signed up.

So What

It’s pretty rare for a streaming platform to put artists first, let alone indies. But since it’s backed by Merlin, the major digital rights agency for independent artists, this isn’t your typical startup BS. Here’s how it works: you get a custom link, and every time fans sign up using that link, you get a percentage of their monthly subscription.

Now What

Check if Coda is accepting new artists in your region. If you haven’t already, start building your email list to recruit fans for when you have access. You will be leagues ahead of other artists who are still making pennies per stream on other platforms.

[Full story at Digital Media News]

Story 2: How RADAR Launched Teen Jesus

Who Did It

Searching, searching… found. Let’s be honest, Spotify has barely done anything to help indie artists, but once in a while, they get it right. Their RADAR program took Australian indie rock band Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers from being indie unknowns to opening for Pearl Jam.

How They Did It

After just six months of joining RADAR, Teen Jesus witnessed a 224% jump in monthly listeners and 54% follower growth. They didn’t start with RADAR, though – they worked their way up through other programs like Fresh Finds and GLOW to get to where they are.

How You Can Too

If you want to open for Pearl Jam (I mean, who doesn’t), take a page out of Teen Jesus’ book. Focus on building genuine early listeners who might just be Spotify’s tastemakers. Release tracks consistently, promote authentically and track your growth. You can’t game the system here – it’s all organic growth.

[Read more on MusicBusiness Worldwide]

Story 3: The Amazon Music Opportunity You're Missing

What's Up

Another week, another new AI feature. It’s getting hard to keep up. Amazon Music just launched its new Monday playlist generator with the most corporate-sounding name ever, “Weekly Vibe”. If you can look past the cheesy name, though, there’s a real opportunity to promote your music.

So What

Unlike Spotify’s editorial-heavy approach, being featured on the Weekly Vibe playlist is entirely up to Amazon’s algorithm, which might not be a bad thing. We don’t know how Amazon’s algorithm works, but it definitely beats waiting around for playlist editors to finish sipping their coffee.

Now What

Start uploading your tracks to Amazon Music if you haven’t already. Keep an eye out for the songs that perform the best and double down on similar styles. The real opportunity here is having your music in front of listeners who might not have found you on oversaturated Spotify.

[Full Story at TechCrunch]