Bypass: Music Industry News for Independent Artists

New Years Edition - 2 min read

Spamming Hashtags Is Officially Dead

What’s Up

Instagram is cutting the hashtag limit all the way from 30 down to five. They announced the change early last week. Zuck probably hated seeing that huge block of text at the bottom of your caption like the rest of us. You can still paste them in the comments, sure. But they won't help.

So What

Let’s be real for a sec. Pasting #typebeat #singer #unsignedhype #songwriter #beatmaker #youtube and 20 other hashtags never actually made you famous. Instagram has been saying this for years: hashtags are for categorization, so stop using them for reach.

Now What

You’ve got five slots. Use them or don’t - just don’t go thinking they’ll make you blow up. Focus on great content first, then you can think about tags after. A bunch of tags won’t save a Reel that’s boring.

[Full story at RouteNote]

3GB of Free Samples (Plus a $100 Pack)

What’s Up

Black Octopus Sound dropped something special, and by special, I mean heavy. We’re talking about 3 GB of samples (1,212 sounds) for free. Plus, they threw in a code for a full Starter Deck pack. That’s crazy because they’re literally giving away a pack that’s worth $100.

So What

Sample packs are expensive. Good sample packs are really expensive. You’re getting the same vocal chops, bass loops, and FX for genres like Deep House, DnB, Trap, Techno that big producers use. 

Now What

Download the samples right now. Then, use the code to grab a full pack that fits your genre. Getting a $100 pack for free is the best ROI you'll get all month.

[Read more on Bedroom Producer Blog]

Spotify Pays Like an Intern

What's Up

We love it when artists cut through the BS and show us the numbers. Welsh indie vets Los Campesinos! recently dropped the receipts on their self-released album. They showed exactly what 9.3 million streams is worth: £32k (roughly $40k). And as it turns out Apple Music pays 62% more per stream than Spotify (who would have guessed).

So What

We treat Spotify like the main character, when it’s not even a player. The math checks out: compared to Spotify, Apple Music is super generous. Basically, one fan on Apple Music is worth almost two on Spotify.

Now What

This is your cue to stop prioritizing Spotify. Push your fans toward Apple Music and Tidal where you’re not being paid like an intern. But let’s be real: if you want to eat (and finally pay rent), sell t-shirts. £32k is nice, but merch still pays faster.


[Read more on Digital Music News]

While You Were Making Music...

😮 Former KISS guitarist lists single for $225 [for that price, he better come to my house and play it live]

🇺🇸 TikTok finalized the Oracle deal [we get to keep scrolling, and Oracle gets to keep the data; everyone wins, right?] 

✌️ Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota exits [dropping the mic right before the industry gets really weird] 

One thing to do today: 2025’s basically over. Look at your streaming stats one last time, then forget them. Because tomorrow, the scoreboard is gonna reset to zero. It doesn't matter if you had 10 streams or 10 million in 2025; in 2026, everyone starts at the same starting line. Go for the win this new year.

Today's edition by Jordan F.

For indies who ship music, not excuses.