Bypass: Music Industry News for Independent Artists

Friday edition • 3 min read

Nina Protocol Did Everything Right. It Closed Anyway

What's Up

Nina Protocol is shutting down. A moment of silence… For those who don't know, Nina was a platform that did right by indies. They started with a dream: 100% revenue for artists, real people picking real music. Five years later, that dream's dead.

So What

The platforms that treat you the worst are the ones raking in billions. And there's a reason for that. People don't pay for something because it's fair to artists. They pay for something that benefits them. Nina wasn't built for fans, and that's what killed it. Bandcamp exists because fans want to collect music. Qobuz is for audiophiles. These platforms are fair to artists, too, but that's just icing.

Now What

If you're on Nina, you've got six weeks to pull your releases and earnings.

Everything's rented. Platforms die; rights get revoked. The one thing you truly own is your relationship with your fans.

[Full story at Music Ally]

A Bankruptcy Just Cost 2 Live Crew Their Masters

What's Up

2 Live Crew almost pulled off the rarest trick in music: getting their masters back. They were so close. After years of fighting, they finally got their catalog back in 2024. Then the whole thing collapsed, and it didn't have anything to do with music. One member's personal bankruptcy cost them everything.

So What

We're not lawyers, so we'll skip the legal stuff. But we'll say this: in a group, you're only as strong as your weakest link. The second you own something together, you're tied to everyone else's mess. 2 Live Crew got blindsided because the weak spot was somewhere they weren't even looking.

Now What

There's no real fix for this one, so consider this a heads-up. When you work with other people, their problems can be your problem.

[Full story at DMN]

Getting Your ISRCs Just Got Easier. No Excuses

What's Up

OK, let's get to the "boring" stuff. But stick with this one; it's about money. SoundExchange and the IFPI just made it way easier to grab an ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) online, instantly.

So What

Think of ISRCs as your songs' fingerprints. That's how platforms track your music and make sure royalties find their way back to you. Starting to get interesting, right?

Now What

If you're self-releasing and haven't checked whether your songs have ISRCs, what are you waiting for? Check now. And if you need to, register directly at isrc.ifpi.org.

That's it, that's your chore for the day.

[Full story at Music Ally]

While You Were Making Music…

🤫 Udio joined Suno's legal fight to keep their AI training data size a secret [they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Now they're trying to hide the jar]

🤦 Ticketmaster paused Celine Dion's Paris ticket sales due to bot activity [because Celine Dion fans haven't been through enough already]

🤘 Boards of Canada hit out at the White House for using their music in a military reel [the White House social media intern is going way too deep on Spotify]

Today's edition by Jordan F.

For indies who ship music, not excuses.