Bypass: Music Industry News for Independent Artists

Thursday edition - 2 min read

TikTok Launches Location-Based Discovery

What’s Up

Your fans can stalk you now. Relax, you want this.

TikTok’s new opt-in Local Feed allows users to view content based on their real-time location. It's designed for local events, businesses, restaurants, and creators.

So What

Do we have to spell out how massive this is for promoting local shows? Local Feed is like having your own corner of TikTok. You don’t have to rely on the algorithm to push your content to the right city.

Timing matters here, too. The fresher the posts, the better.

Now What

Post announcements the night before or the day of a show. TikTok didn’t say whether geotagging works, but test it out anyway. Make sure you’re there when someone opens up the app looking for something to do.

[Full story at DMN]

Can't Afford Ableton? Use This Instead

What’s Up

A new day, a new DAW. And this one runs in your browser.

Audiotool rolled out a new version of its browser-based DAW with some pretty cool features: real-time collaboration and, the coolest part, an open API called NEXUS. It's completely free, runs in any browser, and already has 300,000 monthly users.

So What

Want to build your own instruments? NEXUS lets devs (or you with vibe coding) build custom instruments and effects that’ll work directly in the DAW. Plus, with the multiplayer feature, you can collaborate on beats in real time with anyone, anywhere. Like Google Docs, but for music.

Bonus: Spitfire Audio's LABS plugin is already integrated, with more tools coming.

Now What

Try it out at new.audiotool.com. For anyone just starting out who can't afford Logic, here's your entry point.

[Read more on Music Ally]

Viral Doesn’t Build Careers

What's Up

Out of 6 million tracks, only 1.14% of indie songs went viral. That’s a report from Duetti, and it’s brutal. Want more brutal stats? Just 0.17% stayed viral after three months. Those were the hare. Songs with slow growth were like the tortoise. They were actually 60% more likely to outlive the hype cycle.

So What

Social media is all about chasing trends and moments. You know, appeasing the almighty algorithm and such. But for 99% of artists, chasing trends ends the same way: a fast rise, but an even faster fall-off. It’s like hitting the gym. Steady growth builds something you can stand on.

Now What

Play the long game. You'll see people pop off and disappear just as fast. Chances are, those viral moments won’t be popular next year. Focus on building something real and building a loyal fanbase. Be the tortoise, my friend.

[Full story at Music Ally]