What is a Blog? What is a Blogger? What is Blogging? part 1

Do you remember the first time you heard the word “blog”? What was your original thought? How did you respond? Well, as familiar as you might be to what a “blog” is, there are people who hear it for the first time every single day and have no idea what it really is. They are having that first encounter like you did right now!

Neat, right? In any case, I thought it would be profitable to start from square one and revisit some blogging basics that many take for granted. So, let’s start from the very beginning and answer that very basic question:

You can find about 2.6 million answers (and counting) to that specific question via Google but I wanted to present the answer in a few different ways so that you, as the new guy or gal, can get it, or if you know someone who wants to know then you can pass them this post.

Let’s start simply, shall we?

Simple Definitions:

Blog?

Here are a few very simple definitions that can get you started. If you find these to be good enough for you then you’re done reading this post!

• A blog originally came from the word “weblog” or a “web log”.
• You can think of it as an online journal or diary, although blogs are used for much more now, like online journalism.
• A blogger is someone who blogs, or writes content for a blog.
• Blogging is the act of writing a post for a blog.

Got it? That was easy, and that’s all you might need to know to get started.

Intermediate Definitions:

Blogger?

Want a little more “meat” on your blogging-knowledge bones? Try these definitions on for size:

• A blog is a type of website which has posts (or entries) appearing in reverse chronological order.
• Blog posts typically appear with the most recent blog post (or entry, post) first, just like a diary or journal.
• A blog is typically updated frequently and regularly, although there are some who are considered “slow bloggers”.
• Blogs typically have an area for people to comment or respond to the blog post.
• Blogs may also have other areas of content and links to other websites.
• Blogs can have individual authors or be a collection of authors.
• Blogs have a history or an archive of previous blog posts.

Not too bad, right? We’re beginning to describe some of the features of a typically blog.

Advanced Definitions:

Blogging?

If you’d like to complete your education of what a blog is then you can read some of the following “advanced” definitions:

• A blog is a collection of content that is organized repetitively. This content can take the form of basic words (copy) as well as rich media (audio, video, and embeddable objects).
• A blog typically focuses on a particular subject matter for clarity, focus, and
• A blog can be built by hand, manually through writing the post, uploading to a website via FTP, and then publishing.
• A blog can also be managed by software, sometimes called a CMS (Content Management System), where a lot of the features are automatically created and populated.
• A blog typically can be read in a number of different formats including the homepage, single post page, categories, tags, and also via RSS and other such syndication technologies.
• Readers and visitors can subscribe to the blog so that they can consume the content in a variety of different means, tools, devices, and applications.
• A blog today could take the form of microblogging (like Twitter, Posterous, Tumblr), vblogging (video blogging), and more which can focus on a particular type of content or technology.

Whew. Done yet?

Super Geek Definitions:

Bloggerific?

 Finally, if you’re just bored, have too much time, or are exceptionally curious, here are a few super geeky definitions that I came up with:

• A blog can be whatever you want it to be; it’s not about the what but the why.
• A blog is a collection of strategically-placed 1’s and 0’s typically called software.
• Everything is a blog and nothing is a blog, at the same time.
• Blogging is what you do, what you do not do, and what you wish you had done when you did it.

Finally, one person in particular puts it this way when asked to define a blog:

I don’t care.

There is no need to define ‘blog.’ I doubt there ever was such a call to define ‘newspaper’ or ‘television’ or ‘radio’ or ‘book’ — or, for that matter, ‘telephone’ or ‘instant messenger.’

A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list. People will use it however they wish. And it is way too soon in the invention of uses for this tool to limit it with a set definition.

That’s why I resist even calling it a medium; it is a means of sharing information and also of interacting: It’s more about conversation than content … so far. I think it is equally tiresome and useless to argue about whether blogs are journalism, for journalism is not limited by the tool or medium or person used in the act.

Blogs are whatever they want to be. Blogs are whatever we make them. Defining ‘blog’ is a fool’s errand.

Ah, got it!

I don’t care.

There is no need to define ‘blog.’ I doubt there ever was such a call to define ‘newspaper’ or ‘television’ or ‘radio’ or ‘book’ — or, for that matter, ‘telephone’ or ‘instant messenger.’

A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list. People will use it however they wish. And it is way too soon in the invention of uses for this tool to limit it with a set definition.

That’s why I resist even calling it a medium; it is a means of sharing information and also of interacting: It’s more about conversation than content … so far. I think it is equally tiresome and useless to argue about whether blogs are journalism, for journalism is not limited by the tool or medium or person used in the act.

And if that wasn’t enough for you, check out this video, from https://www.commoncraft.com/video/blogs

[tentblogger-vimeo 15314924]

And even another great one here too!

[tentblogger-youtube WwcW5AKcfl4]

I hope this extensive overview was helpful!

Everything You Need To Know About Getting Paid In The Music Industry

The music industry relies on royalties as a form of payment from licensed copyrighted songs and recordings. However, recording artists earn their royalties on the sale of their music while songwriters earn them mainly on public performances.

Licensing and their specific royalties fall into four categories:

1. Mechanical Licensing and Royalties is permission to reproduce music on some type of media
2. Performance Rights allows music to be performed live
3. Print Rights is the sale of printed sheet music
4. Synchronization rights is when you need a license to reproduce a song into television program, film, video, or commercial

Being a musician is not as simple as writing a song, recording an album, selling it, and getting money from your sales. It’s vital that you understand what kinds of royalty streams are out there as an independent musician trying to earn a living off of making music.

We’ve put together everything you need to know about the various types of music royalties!

The first thing to understand is that in the most general sense, there are 2 parts or sides of music.

1) Master

The master is the sound recording. It’s the thing you hear when you play an mp3, vinyl, CD, YouTube video, etc.

2) Publishing

The publishing side has to do with the underlying musical composition, which is embedded within a sound recording. The “publishing side” refers to the notes, melodies, chords, rhythms, lyrics, etc. to the piece of music. The “publishing side” is the musical composition.

Various usages of each part to a piece of music generate their own royalties.

If you write your own song, record it, and release it to the public, you will then generate both master-related royalties and publishing-related royalties.

There are so many different ways in which music is used these days, and new royalty streams are being created as the music industry and technology continue to evolve.

Even though the general population can listen to music for “free” these days, every time you double click a track on Spotify or click play on YouTube, you’re still generating a royalty for the music’s master rights owners and publishing rights owners…it’s just not so blatantly obvious. There’s a complex royalty system going on behind it all, and we’re here to tell you now all the different master-generated royalties and publishing-generated royalties that exist out there.

Master-generated Royalties

Recording Royalties (from download sales & streams)

WHAT are they?

There’s no formal name for this kind of royalty, though they are mostly called recording royalties. What we’re talking about is the most basic royalty artists and labels get every time your master recording is downloaded (on iTunes, Beatport, etc.) or streamed (on Spotify, Rhapsody, etc.).

WHO collects them?

A distributor collects royalties on behalf of labels directly from stores/streaming platforms, and an artist’s label will collect the recording royalties and distribute them to the artist. If an artist is not with a label, the artist will collect the recording royalties directly from their distributor.

HOW do I know if I’m earning them?

You’re definitely earning recording royalties if your music is actually selling or being streamed on any basic retailer platform – iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play, Rhapsody, Beatport, the list goes on.

HOW can I collect them?

An artist collects sales and recording royalties from the artist’s distributor or from the label. If you’re on a label though, always stick with the label – never go directly to the distributor. This is basic etiquette that is usually also laid out in distributor-label contracts.

Symphonic Distribution has tailored distribution solutions for both the independent artist and record label. For artists, our distribution options are the best deals in the industry, with 100% of all recording royalties going straight to you and no yearly fees whatsoever. For labels, our distribution options offer unique pricing tailored to your unique business model.

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YouTube Recording Royalties

WHAT are they?

YouTube has become the world’s largest and most oft-used platform for listening to music. These are the royalties master rights holders (label or performing artist) earn every time their recording is streamed on YouTube within a video. But the only way you can earn them is if your video has an advertisement attached to it; YouTube earns its revenue from its advertising partners, and it shares this revenue with the amazing musicians and music rights owners who help the site generate billions of views and traffic to the site.

It’s very important to clarify that publishing rights owners (publishers & songwriters) also receive money from YouTube, but YouTube sends their portion of the royalty pie to Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) which you’ll read more about below.

The YouTube recording royalties we are talking about here are for master rights holders (labels & performing artists).

YouTube collects these royalties using incredible technology called Content ID, which creates an audio fingerprint of your recording, ingests that into YouTube’s massive database, and tracks every single time someone uploads and streams your recording on YouTube. That means that whenever someone you don’t know uploads a video with your song to YouTube without getting your permission, YouTube tracks that, throws an advertisement on the video, and monetizes it on your behalf.

WHO collects them?

YouTube allocates the royalties to master rights holders.

HOW do I know if I’m earning them?

If you’re a master-rights holder (a.k.a. label or performing artist on a recording), and your recordings are on YouTube, whether on your own channel, your label channel, or any one else’s channel, you have the ability to earn YouTube royalties via Content ID. The more views videos using your music get, the more revenue you generate.

HOW can I collect them?
You can go to YouTube directly to get these royalties, but there is a massively long waiting list and most applications go unanswered. There are certain companies out there that collect YouTube recording royalties on behalf of labels, saving them all the time and energy that goes into this matter. Symphonic is one of them! In order to collect these royalties, Symphonic’s YouTube Monetization & Content ID program allows us to attach an audio fingerprint to your recordings and attach an advertisement to any video using your recordings. We monetize those views for you so that you’re rightfully compensated for usages on YouTube of your recordings.

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Neighboring Rights Royalties

WHAT are they?

“Neighboring rights,” sometimes called “related rights,” is a term in copyright law used to describe the rights of performers and master recording owners (record labels). Neighboring rights refer to the right to publicly perform, or broadcast, a sound recording. The owners of the sound recording get to collect royalties for these broadcasts. They are called neighboring rights because they are said to be “related to” performance rights in the field of music publishing, or the right to publicly perform a musical composition.

The concept of neighboring rights is similar to that of performance rights in the field of music publishing, because both kinds of royalties are earned through public performances/broadcasts of music. Except that performance rights refer to the right to publicly perform the musical composition. Neighboring rights refer to the right to publicly perform the sound recording.

WHO collects them?

Neighboring rights royalties are collected by neighboring rights collection societies. In order to collect the neighboring rights royalties you are owed, registering your individual master recordings directly with each collection society in the territories you are getting radio play in is absolutely essential.
HOW do I know if I’m earning them?

If you’re a record label manager, and your master recordings are being publicly performed and broadcasted on the following media, you – and the artists performing on those recordings – are earning neighboring rights royalties! You’re earning neighboring rights royalties if your music is being played on:

• Pandora (or any internet radio platform)
• BBC Radio
Sirius XM (or any satellite radio platform)
• Cable TV music channels
• Terrestrial radio outside of the USA
• Businesses and retailers as background music (I.e. Restaurants, retailers, hotels, etc.)
• Live in clubs / live performance venues
• Various new online medias as digital music technology changes and develops evermore!

Sound recording owners (record labels and performing artists) collect neighboring rights royalties whenever their sound recordings are publicly performed on any of the above media.

The important thing to realize is that just because your recordings are selling well in any given territory does not mean you are earning neighboring rights royalties. Neighboring rights royalties are earned when your master recordings are publicly performed and broadcasted, not sold. With that said, if there is a large rise in sales in any particular territory, this might be an indicator that radio play has occurred, so any neighboring rights administrator should take note of significant increases in sales!

HOW can I collect them?
If you’re a performing artist and know your recordings are getting radio airplay, talk to your record label that released your EP/LP/album. See if the label is already collecting these royalties for you… or if they themselves need to get on board with this so that you and your label can collect these royalties!

The aim of Symphonic’s Neighboring Rights Administration service is to help our eligible distributed label partners – who are the master rights controllers of their distributed music with us, and who have proven to have radio airplay – collect their neighboring rights royalties. With a few clicks of a button, our labels give us their recording data that we then export simultaneously to key neighboring rights collection societies in the world.

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Publishing Generated Royalties

Performance Royalties

WHAT are they?

Performance Royalties are earned when a song is broadcasted or performed publicly in some way.

WHO collects them?

Performance Rights Organizations (PROs). Each major world territory has a PRO.

HOW do I know if I’m earning performance royalties?

You are earning performance royalties when your songs are being broadcasted and publicly performed. You’re definitely earning performance royalties if your song is:

• Played on internet radio (like Pandora)
• Played on “terrestrial radio” (i.e. 93.3 FM, 100.7 FM, etc.)
Played on online streaming services like Spotify
Performed at live venues Played in clubs (whether by you as a performer on your tour, by a well-known DJ in a club in Sweden, or by a cover band in a pub in Nashville)
• Played in businesses and retailers of all kinds (hotels, restaurants, retail stores, big offices, etc.) as background music
Broadcasted on TV (whether on an episode of a TV show, on a sports channel in passing, or in an advertisement for another brand)
• Performance royalties are definitely a special royalty type. Just because you’re distributing your music with a digital distributor like Symphonic doesn’t necessarily mean you’re earning performance royalties. But you can increase your chances of earning them in many different ways.

HOW can I collect these royalties?

In order to collect the maximum performance royalties you deserve from the PROs, you’d need to affiliate yourself as a writer and register your compositions with every single PRO in the territories you’re generating performance royalties.

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Mechanical Royalties

WHAT are they?
Mechanical royalties are earned per-unit when a song is sold on a “mechanically reproduced” physical medium (think vinyl, physical CDs), and nowadays, this includes digital downloads and internet streaming as well.

“Mechanical” can sound like a confusing word to us in the digital age. The word “mechanical” stems from the fact that back in the early days of the music industry, compositions were physically, or mechanically, manufactured and reproduced onto physical products for public consumption.

WHO collects them?
Mechanical royalties are collected from mechanical collection societies. Each major world territory has a mechanical collection society.

HOW do I know if I’m earning mechanical royalties?
You’re earning mechanical royalties when your song is:

• Manufactured and sold on physical CD/vinyl products
• Reproduced into ringtones and sold as a ringtone
• Streamed through interactive streaming services (on Spotify, Rdio, Beats, etc.)
• Sold in digital retailers for digital downloads (on iTunes, Beatport, Amazon, etc.) outside of the USA.
  **This is the key fact here. In the USA, the mechanical royalty share goes straight from iTunes to the distributor to the label. But in countries outside of the USA, your mechanical royalty is getting picked up from iTunes and thrown elsewhere.

If you are distributing your music to stores and streaming platforms worldwide using a digital music distributor like Symphonic Distribution, and if you are seeing sales and streams result, then you are definitely earning mechanical royalties.

HOW can I collect these royalties?

Mechanical collection societies make it unreasonably difficult for independent songwriters who are not signed with a publisher to collect their mechanical royalties. Many of these agencies, including the Harry Fox Agency in the USA, don’t let unsigned songwriters collect their mechanical royalties. Yep. And again, in order to collect the maximum mechanical royalties you deserve from these agencies, you’d need to affiliate yourself as a writer and register your compositions with every single mechanical collection agency in the territories you’re generating high download sales and streams. But to give our writers a voice to the picky mechanical collection agencies, Symphonic represents our writers’ compositions to mechanical collection agencies worldwide. On behalf of our writer clients, we register your compositions with all these agencies.

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Print Royalties

Print royalties are earned when a composition is transcribed onto sheet paper, printed in songbooks, and published for the general population to purchase and play your music at home on their personal instruments for fun. Print royalties are really only applicable to a songwriter if he/she has a Top 40 Radio Hit – think little pre-teens taking piano lessons and buying Taylor Swift sheet music online, or purchasing a Guns N’Roses hit on sheet music to sight read through on your guitar.

As you can see, the royalty landscape in the music energy is one rich with possibility. You just have to know where to go. At Symphonic, we’re committed to directing our labels and artists in the right direction, maximizing their royalties, and maximizing their opportunities.

The Art Of The Press Kit For Artist

If every artist, band or group represents it’s own brand, and must be sold as such to the public and to the music industry, then every brand needs to be packaged in a way that will effectively showcase it’s strengths and marketability. By now, most musicians understand the importance of a press kit- it is your brand, your image, it is you in a package and is the key to selling venues and a&r reps from both major and indie labels on the fact that you WILL make them money. But just making a press kit isn’t enough. In an industry with such a low barrier of entry, anyone can make and submit a press kit, decreasing your chance of actually getting recognized by those who matter. So what will you do to make your press kit more remarkable than the rest? 


There are right ways of making a press kit, and of course there are also wrong ways- but with every artist out there making one, you need more than just a ‘proper’ press kit. There are many different things that can be added in and certain techniques that can be used, that will make your press kit shine much brighter than the rest of the pile.
Basic Types Of Press Kits

Traditional, physical press kit
Electronic press kit (EPK)
While you may be tempted to just use one or the other, it is very important that you always create a physical press kit. Not only are these more likely to be received by booking agents and a&r reps from record labels, but they can be customized in a way that the EPKs cannot, which is essential to making your press kit as attractive as possible. Not to say that EPKs are bad, because they are still a very helpful tool for promoting your music to bloggers and other online publications. But if you do decide to make one, make sure that it does not completely replace your use of physical press kits.
Currently, the most popular EPK service is SonicBids.


Gathering The Essentials

Besides being a sales pitch for booking agents and A&R reps, a press kit also needs to contain enough factual information about the artist/ band/ group to be able to base an article or review on:

Biography: Although a bio is just that, a Biography of the band (or artist), it is still a place to get creative. An interesting back story, if you have one, is a very marketable thing. All the same though, make it short and sweet- no one wants to read 5 pages of your musical history. If you have nothing special to say, get the bio over as quickly as possible.

CD demo: Bands should include their most recent music, or music that may be recognizable or has become a fan favorite. MAKE SURE IT IS A HIGH QUALITY RECORDING. No one wants to hear a low-fi demo made in a basement. Just remember, you get 30 seconds to make your case. If the person listening doesn’t find what they are looking for in your music after 30 seconds, they will most likely pass.

High Resolution Photo of the Band: An obvious must for every press kit. Not only is it very important to give press a high quality image to be reproduced in magazines, newspapers, blogs etc. but it is also a good way to showcase the look and feel of your band. Remember that no matter what you wear when you are in ‘artist’ mode, whether it’s for a photo shoot or on stage, you are making a statement.
Tour Dates (when applicable): Obviously, the more dates you have, the better it looks. By showing that others find you marketable, and are willing to book you, you will become instantly more appealing to the reps of bigger and better venues- to these people ticket sales are everything.

Past Shows (when applicable): Do yourself a favor, and leave this off the list if all you can say is ‘I played a backyard BBQ for my friends’. This is a good place to show off previous shows of importance, whether it be venues with a large capacity or sold out gigs.

Press Reviews/ Interviews (when applicable): Again, the more high-profile reviews and/or interviews you can include in your press kit, the better off you will be. This is physical proof to booking agents and A&R reps that your brand is worth something, and there is more money to be made by marketing it on a larger scale.

Contact Info: VERY IMPORTANT! Make sure you have multiple ways to be reached by those who are looking to get in touch with you. Give what ever info you would like, but make sure you leave the phone number, address and email address of the one person who represents the band, even if it is a band member. Also, to show that you are serious, create an email that is professional (i.e. my.band@yahoo.com or gmail.com).

Whether you use a physical press kit or an electronic press kit, the information used should remain fairly similar. However, an electronic press kit does give you some additional options such as videos and website links that may be difficult (though not impossible)  to include in a physical press kit. Here is the basic info that is typically seen within an EPK:

Biography
Music clips (with accompanying lyrics)
High resolution press photos
Tour dates
Promotional videos
Website or website links
Press reviews and interviews, etc.
“RIYL” or “Recommended If You Like” list: a listing of artists of similar styles or genres
High resolution photos or images of the band logo, products, etc.
Contact information

The Competitive Advantage

Once you have all of these elements ready to go, there are some techniques that can and should be employed in order to make your press kit more appealing then all the others:

Take off the shrink wrap from the CD: This may seem insignificant, but you must look at it through the eyes of those who do look at press kit after press kit. By removing the shrink wrap, you are saving all of those looking at the press kit the headache of having to remove it themselves, keeping them in a good mindset as they listen to the first few seconds of your CD. Do you really think you will stand a chance if the person puts the disk into the player after struggling with the shrink wrapping? No… you wont.

Cover Letter: Just like with a resume, there should be a cover letter in your press kit. A cover letter is a formal and personal introduction to the band and the music. Click here if you don’t know how to create a cover letter.

NOTE: THERE IS A CORRECT WAY TO MAKE A COVER LETTER. A POORLY DONE COVER LETTER CAN HURT YOU MORE THAN NOT INCLUDING ONE!

Put Your Contact Info On Anything and Everything: Just remember, your press kit will most likely be one of many in a pile. Just as school teachers give constant reminders to put your name on all of your work, make sure you put your contact info on everything you can. Pictures get separated, CDs get removed and misplaced from their cases, cover letters get separated from the rest of the press kit, you get my drift? PUT IT ON EVERYTHING!


Proper Packaging

All of the contents of your press kit needs to be put together into one clean and professional package, as it not only reflects how serious you are about the opportunity at hand, but is a sign of respect to those receiving it. A manila folder is most likely the best option, but no matter what kind of folder you do use, make sure you get the band name printed on to it, not drawn, but printed. Again, professionalism is important and will go along way when trying to make a first impression. Also, make sure that everything stays nicely inside the folder- your press kit will be in a pile with others, if something important from your press kit falls out, such as your demo CD, you can kiss that opportunity good-bye.
At this point you have everything you need for creating an effective press kit. Just keep in mind that you represent a brand, and an overall image, and you are attempting to convince a professional that your music is marketable and WILL be profitable if given the opportunity.

How Felabration Is a Timeless Moment to Honor What Fela Kuti Stood For(Legendary )

Fela Anikulapo Kuti, born in Abeokuta, Nigeria in 1938, was a singer-composer, trumpet, sax and keyboard player, bandleader, and politician. Kuti was one of Africa's most controversial musicians and throughout his life he continued to fight for the rights of the common man (and woman) despite vilification, harassment, and even imprisonment by the government of Nigeria. Born to Yoruban parents, Kuti was strongly influenced by both parents, his mother being Funmilayo, a leading figure in the nationalist struggle. Practically all of his records are dominated by political events and discussions from the approach of Pan-Africanism.

In 1954, Kuti joined the Cool Cats as a singer in that highlife band (highlife being the rage of the Lagos music scene at the time). During this period Kuti developed his own unusual sound which he described as highlife-jazz. In 1968 Kuti announced the arrival of Afro-beat, within the year was promoting his sound all over the USA on a 10-month tour where he became influenced by American jazz. When he returned to his homeland he opened a nightclub, the Shrine, and changed the name of his band to Africa 70 (and later to Egypt 80). His bands traditionally included the typical huge line-up consisting of many singers and dancers, numerous saxophonists, trumpeteers, drummers, percussionists, and of course, many guitarists blending African rhythms and jazz horn lines with politicized song lyrics. His music was intricate, rather than calling it Afro-beat you might more arguably consider it Afro-jazz. Entire recordings often consisted of just a few songs and this propensity for jamming set up a roadblock for Fela to attain commercial acceptance in the United States. He also abhored performing a song after recording it, and this led to audience disinterest in the U.S. where the people wanted their music to be recognizable hits.

Few people in history of Nigeria have had the power to expose the innate, unrelenting and abiding corruption in the marrow of Nigerian leaders as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Fela—who needs no introduction, no reference, no subtext—lives on in the psyche of the people, in their fashion, in their musical aspirations, in their poetry, in their anger, in their hope. This week, Felabration begins, marking its 20th year celebrating the life, legacy, and significance of Fela since his death on August 2, 1997.

In 1998, Felabration was conceived by Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti—a radiant figure with a hair full of colored beads and the soul of her father. Her idea was to create a week of festivities in which people would celebrate Fela. It holds once a year in October, during the week of Fela's birthday. Felabration activities are often centered around a theme, and this year's is called, 'The Prophecy: Fela Lives!'

Felabration has shown itself to be more than just a festival of music and art; it has proven to be a powerful voice in uplifting Africa, encouraging black pride and proclaiming that black lives matter. When we look at the essence of Fela—his defiance, his energy, his love for the people, his disdain for corruption and its fatal effects on a nation grappling with post colonial daze—we see how deeply he sensed the desire of few to enrich themselves, the sorrow, tears and blood of the masses.

Fela saw the gamut of Nigerians; Nigerians who may or may not be from Cameroon. Nigerians who are Cameroonians because of arbitrary borderlines; Nigerians with Lebanese names. Nigerians with Indian grandmothers. Nigerians who speak Arabic. Nigerians with British accents; so well read, they couldn't understand the common man. Nigerians whose ancestors have always sold dry fish at Opobo market. Nigerians who never saw a book in their lives; who live in arid land, rear cattle and do not bother with raiment. Nigerians without limbs amputated for stealing bread. Nigerians who live in Ikoyi, blind to their fellow Nigerians. Nigerians who were born with melanin but are now plagued with Yellow Fever. Nigerians who love religion so much, they deny themselves and Follow-follow their pastor or imam. Nigerians who are hungry. Who are slick. Nigerians who believe in jungle justice, whose lives depend on oil reserves, who have never known a day without power cuts, who are sick and tired. Nigerians who love Expensive Shit, who are VIPs, who love to Open and Close their eyes to corruption, who are nothing but beasts of No Nation. Fela saw them all and made music for and about them all.

Celebrating Fela is akin to breathing. It is the hope and significance of truth that is amaranthine, even after the body dies. We were told that Fela's body died on August 2, 1997. But truth does not die. This knowledge is not exclusive to anyone who has ever been privy to truth. However, it takes on a powerful significance for Nigerians, who, for decades, have endured the same issues Fela sang about. It has powerful significance for Nigerians who continue to live with Authority stealing, whose leaders still lose billions of dollars in oil money (this magical oil money that has disappeared consistently over decades of recycled leaders), whose brother was given a necklace of rubber and set ablaze by the misplaced anger of a hungry market square. Corruption is not this abstract thing, this nepotism, this 'na turn by turn' life; one day you sef go hammer. This corruption is the virus that has our youth stark raving mad in the streets because the elders have made off in private jets with their inheritance. It is the 18-year-old girl coerced into sexual relationships with professors too dumb to teach, only brilliant in selling grades for sex and money. It is your 87-year-old grandfather, who worked dutifully as a civil servant for 52 years, who served colonial masters, who loves twilight, who sits on his verandah night after night wondering when his pension will come in. It is your cousin, who has applied for 726 jobs to be precise, who has received 0 calls for interviews, who has no godfather, no connection, no source of livelihood.

Fela was both a prince and a prophet. A timeless voice, often persecuted, never silenced. Fela Lives! You can hear his music everywhere in the world; in Soweto, in Harlem, in Kyoto, in Birmingham, in Brazil, in Korea, in Ikeja, in your heart. He knew that truth was the only thing he had and he yelled it from the rooftops. The rancor of his voice, the gleam in his eyes, the fervor in his music, the unquenchable fire in his essence has ensured he never died. Fela is African, Nigeria was like his village while the entire Africa was his country all what africa continent is facing today Fela resonate it in his music. , his tenacity, his resilience. He is an ephemeral being, one we will never fully know; yet he lives in the depths of our psyche, his voice a clarion call. He is a collective metaphor for the average Nigerian—beaten, cheated, betrayed, deceived yet still standing. Always standing.

Felabration has become a premier festival for artists and musicians worldwide who look forward to paying homage as well as carrying on Fela's legacy. If you have never made it to any Felabration, it's imperative you attend any of the events slated for the rest of the week at New Africa Shrine, Freedom Park, Radisson Blue, Kalakuta Museum and several others. A full list of events is available on the official Felabration website.

DO LOCAL MUSICIANS RESPECT THEIR FANS?

From my experience working with artists, these are some of the things I've identified and think local Musicians around Africa  should take into consideration. As a  Music Industry consultant , I just have my own views and opinions that come from a good place with good intentions:

* As a Musician, after identifying your target audience, you need to know how many they are in numbers&come up with methods to attract them

* The market is open for local Hip Hop, afrobeat and dancehall to shine, they must stop fighting for accolades and start making good music for their fans

* Being a Musician is not only about Fame and having a hit song….Treat it like a job and your work will speak for itself

* Fans are people that buy cds,download and stream music your music online  and go to your shows,buy your merchandise  the rest are just selling you dreams

* Not every follower on Twitter is a fan, you can have 100k followers but still sell less than 5000 copies of your album…

* You can have the biggest hit in the country, but it doesn’t mean everyone knows about you…always strive to reach out to more people

* The quality of your brand is showcased in your:
1. Music
2. Music Videos & album artwork
3. Online Presence
4. Live Performances
5. Image

* As a musician you need to be relevant on the streets and the mass media….Positive word-of-mouth does wonders for your brand

* As a Musician your fans are more important than the media, rather kiss your fans’ asses than the media’s cause the media can destroy you

* Never refuse to take a picture with your fans, no matter how busy you maybe. I’ve seen many local musicians refuse to take pictures with their fans.

* Never take fans for granted when they ask for autographs, it might look stupid to you but it means a lot to them.

* Make it easily accessible for your fans to communicate with you, employing someone to run your Twitter page doesn’t give you that complete interaction with your fans. Be genuine!!

* The concept of PR for music is not defined by books, you can use your brain to be innovative

– In a nutshell, your fans are the most important people in the music career and always find innovative ways to make your brand relevant and have longevity.

7 Ways Streaming Music Will Change in 2018, After Another Crazy Year

The music industry continued to adapt to the digital world in 2017. And there’s much more chaos and innovation to come.

Last year was another eventful one in the history of music. And that was no surprise.

In 2016, the music industry saw its first signs of true growth since the internet started ravaging it a decade and a half ago. By mid-year, labels saw revenue grow 8.1% over the same period in 2015, fueled mostly by an explosion in subscribers flocking to services like Spotify (40 million subscribers) and Apple Music (20 million). Indeed, in early 2016, we learned that streaming had officially become the industry’s biggest source of income in 2015. While revenue from downloads and physical album sales both continued their years-long decline (by 14% and 17%, respectively), streaming revenue grew 57% during the first half of 2016, and since then, all signs have pointed to continued growth. This is good news for record execs, but what it means for artists and streaming platforms—which each have their own contractual relationships with labels—remains to be seen. As the pie grows, expect to see intensified battles over how it all gets divvied up.

There were also big changes within the streaming landscape itself. Amazon and SoundCloud launched Spotify competitors. Apple polished up its existing service with a new interface. Pandora also unveiled its premium subscription service, expected to launch in the first quarter of 2017. For those keeping count at home, that’s three new subscription services in one year, on top of the three that launched the year before (Tidal, Apple Music, and YouTube Red). Despite all the new competition, Spotify has held onto its dominant role, growing its listenership and flexing its playlisting muscle with more in-house curation and data-powered personalized playlists like Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and Your Daily Mix.

With so much change in the last few years, what could 2018 possibly hold? Plenty. Here are  predictions.

THE MUSIC SUBSCRIPTION BOOM WILL CONTINUE
The number of people willing to pay $10 a month for music skyrocketed in 2016, but it’s still pretty small. All told, about 100 million people are believed to subscribe to music services. (This doesn’t include free streaming from SoundCloud, YouTube, or Spotify’s free tier.) But considering that there are 319 million people in the United States alone, there’s plenty of room for growth. Just look at Apple Music. The service, which is available in 113 countries and comes pre-installed on every iOS device, only took a year and a half to reach half of Spotify’s size in terms of paying subscribers. And they both keep expanding. Now we have Amazon Music Unlimited, which is well positioned to reel in new subscribers at $8 per month for Prime members. When Pandora finally launches its subscription service, it will have 78 million listeners to potentially convert into paying subscribers—not to mention a newfound possibility of expansion beyond the U.S., New Zealand, and Australia (although those plans are still being hammered out).

Streaming music is also breaking free from the confines of our smartphones and laptops. Thanks to the rise of smart speakers like Amazon Echo, Sonos, and Google Home, more listening is happening at home, making the prospect of treating music like a monthly utility an even more sensible one. Cheaper family subscription plans don’t hurt, either.

AT LEAST ONE MUSIC SERVICE WILL DISAPPEAR
We’ve seen five new music subscription services arrive in the last two years (and one more coming from Pandora early next year), but that doesn’t mean music streaming has become a lucrative successful business. Quite the opposite: None of these services has made an enduring profit, although Spotify is working aggressively toward that goal as it gets ready to go public next year. Big tech companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon can afford to run their music services at a loss indefinitely. This landscape makes it tricky for smaller players like Tidal, SoundCloud, Deezer, and Napster (formerly Rhapsody). Both Tidal and SoundCloud were the subject of acquisition rumors in 2016, and rumors continue to swirl around the prospect of Pandora selling itself off. Bandcamp would make a very attractive acquisition for Pandora or Spotify, but the artist-centric music and merch marketplace is well positioned to stay independent if it prefers: The company has been profitable since 2012 and its cultural influence is only growing.

The bottom line: Expect to see fewer music services this time next year. At least one of these companies is bound to get acquired or go under altogether.

STREAMING EEXCLUSIVES WON’T DIE
Frank Ocean may have put a damper on the industry’s enthusiasm about platform-exclusive album releases, but don’t expect to see the trend die off just yet. Universal (owner of Def Jam) may have sworn them off, but the other major labels have remained silent on the issue. Besides, in an age when many artists have an unprecedented capacity to chart their own course, does it really matter what the labels think?

Apple and Tidal are apparently willing to shell out a ton of money for these exclusive deals. And as long as they remain an effective tool for driving subscriptions amid intensifying competition, the streaming platforms aren’t likely to stop offering them. Despite some controversy, the exclusivity approach seems to work for most artists: Drake was the most-streamed artist on Spotify this year, despite Views only being available on Apple Music when it debuted. Like Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Ocean’s Blond, Drake’s latest album was a massive success overall.

That said, we should expect to see fewer of these deals next year. Streaming platforms, labels, and artists will use the tactic much more selectively to minimize fallout while still extracting whatever competitive value they can.

MUSICIANS WILL SQUIRM AS AI GETS BETTER AT MAKING MUSIC
Have you ever seen a computer write a song? It’s nuts. Give IBM’s Watson a simple melody and define a mood, and the multi-talented artificial intelligence platform will churn out an original song that sounds like it was made by a person—albeit not an especially talented one. But it’s now possible to teach machines enough about the rules of music theory to let them compose their own music, complete with multiple instrumental layers and changes in key and tempo. The result isn’t something you’ll want to listen to on your daily commute, but it’s still early in the quest to teach computers how to make art. And it’s not just IBM that’s focused on this. Google’s Magenta project, announced in April 2016, is in the beginning stages of stretching the limits of machine learning to help computers understand—and eventually mimic—creative thinking. Like Watson, Magenta has already produced a rudimentary song of its own.

Machines aren’t about to put artists out of work, but advances in artificial intelligence could make certain types of music easier and cheaper to create—video-game soundtracks or background music for a retail store, for instance—that would not require licensing or paying royalties. AI could also augment the creative process for flesh-and-blood songwriters. An artist stuck on writing the chorus of a song could tap into tools based on Watson or Magenta to auto-generate a few ideas.

Next year, expect the technology to improve slightly and for more artists to catch wind of it. Some will see an exciting new creative opportunity. Others will cringe at the mere idea of it.

NEW ANSWERS (AND DOLLAR SIGNS) FOR ARTISTS
The brief history of streaming’s rise has been accompanied by an often awkward question: How will artists fare? It’s a natural concern given the minuscule per-stream royalty rates offered under a model that’s still scaling to its full potential. There won’t be a silver bullet in 2017, but artists will see more reasons to be hopeful about the future because catering to artists has increasingly become a priority for streaming services.


Apple Music and Tidal have famously made artist-friendliness a key tenet of their offerings—or at least of their marketing. In June 2016, Spotify hired former Lady Gaga manager Troy Carter to oversee its expanding artist relations initiatives. Middle-class artists might not be getting huge checks from Spotify, but many are finding new promotional value in landing on the service’s most popular playlists, whether they be hand-curated in-house or data-powered. Discover Weekly alone drove more than half of all listening for 8,000 artists in less than a year. Spotify is also building out more tools and services for artists and finding ways to tap into the passion—and disposable income—of super-fans. Meanwhile, Pandora is busy reshaping itself into a service that caters more directly to artists’ needs, be it with data, marketing tools for artists, or the ability to sell concert tickets directly to fans from within the app.

We’re also seeing promising signs outside of the all-you-can-stream model. In 2016 Bandcamp announced that it had paid out $100 million to artists since being founded in 2008. As 2017winds down, that number is already up to $190 million, a number that suggests Band camp is booming. That’s not just good news for Bandcamp and the artists who use it to sell music and merchandise. It’s also a clear sign that music fans are perfectly happy to pay for music and support artists directly in the digital age.

AMAZON WILL BECOME A MAJOR PLAYER IN MUSIC

In 2016, the streaming battle was primarily framed as a competitive struggle between Apple and Spotify. That will continue in 2017, but while latecomers to the subscription game like Pandora and SoundCloud fight to amass bigger numbers, one company will have a relatively easy time: Amazon. Like Apple, Amazon has the advantage of being a giant tech company with a massive customer base to which it can market its music service. Its wildly successful Echo smart speaker is also a natural vehicle for a full-fledged music subscription service, and Alexa offers more voice control functionality to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers than it does to users of other services like Spotify and Pandora.

NEXT WAVE OF INNOVATION: VIRTUAL REALITY

Music execs might have been caught off guard by file-sharing and other technological innovations, but the resulting wounds have taught the industry a valuable defensive tactic: Sleep—to paraphrase Napster’s one-time archnemesis Metallica—with one eye open, lest it get blindsided by change yet again.

If virtual reality is going to be as explosive as the experts predict (ballooning to nearly $30 billion in revenue by 2020), the music industry will be ready. Big names like Paul McCartney, U2, Björk, Coldplay, and Deadmau5 are just a few of the artists who have already embraced VR in the form of immersive music videos or live concerts that invite fans onstage. But since consumers are just starting to get acquainted with VR, the music industry has pumped the breaks as it waits for the market for hardware and software (and thus demand for immersive content) to catch up with its ambitions. It’s pretty unusual for the music industry to be aheadof the next wave of innovation, but that’s what’s happening with VR.

There are already signs that VR will yield exciting developments for fans and the music industry. Immersive live streams of concerts, for instance, could evolve into a real source of revenue beyond the standard catalogs of recorded music. Music videos, music documentaries, and music-oriented video games can also take on new life in a world where virtual reality headsets are common. There are also interactive music visualizers, which turn songs—or even your own voice—into responsive animations that unfold in front of you. Then there’s the audio itself. For the best experience, immersive music environments will require engineers to mix songs in more spatially complex manners than standard stereo or even surround sound, which could pave the way for innovations in the way music is composed and produced.

There could also be money in VR. It’s still early enough that artists and labels can start crafting business models around a simple but familiar logic: Give fans something meaningful and entertaining that they can’t get anywhere else (or easily pirate) and they just might give you their money. Sounds crazy, I know.

THE FUTURE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY & HOW IT MIGHT AFFECT THE MUSIC WE LISTEN TO

Late last year, famous major record label EMI was sold to both Universal and Sony, with Universal taking over the recorded music division and Sony taking over the publishing.

So what does this mean for the music industry?

In my opinion, this means record companies will create new types of business models, these divisions will emerge: Artist Management, Publishing, Marketing Consultation, Agency & Events.
The typical or rather traditional record label model will seize to exist because of the change in the industry. This in return will enhance the state of independent labels; Indies unlike majors make their music easily available for consumers, from the digital space on their own websites to physical albums.
The major concern would obviously be distribution, most Indies don’t have the resources for warehousing and direct links to music retailers, it’s mostly Majors who have such advantages because they have enough money to do so.
If there were to be more independent music retailers, unlike your typical Musica, Look&Listen, etc then that would work to an Indies’ advantage.
Majority of retailers only sell chart albums and other stock is ordered through a controlled system, your album can be in demand at a certain store in your area, but unfortunately it has to be distributed to main stores first before it can reach out to a larger scale.
Consumers then easily lose interest in buying your album because of it’s unavailability.

The global recording industry is seeing modest growth after more thana decade of significant decline.
Years of investment and innovation have begun to reward an industry that has
shifted from adapting to the digital age, to driving it. The story of the recorded music industry over the last two decades is one of transformation: from physical to digital;downloads to  streaming;ownership to access.The industry is now working with its partners on another, ongoing transformation:from years of decline to sustainable growth.

Record labels are now forced to rethink their entire business model in order to maintain relevance, technology is also a major factor. It has now become easier for people to acquire music freely on the net, there are thousands of free download websites that are taking a huge chunk of musicians and record label’s profits.
There has since been a rapid decline in sales, which is a major factor in the trimming down of major record labels. Other major sales factors are: the audience is now spoiled for choice in terms of avenues for entertainment, quality of mainstream music has declined, album contents are mediocre.
Artists themselves have now become a threat to record labels; what normally happens is that once artists become popular (cash cows) and their contracts come to an end, because they have built a sizable fan base (usually thanks to the label), they now open up their own labels, which in return becomes their former label’s competitor.

The music industry is now at a stage where independent record labels go to majors just for distribution, because majors already have resources for warehousing and direct links with retailers.
Artist have become more skeptical about signing direct deals with majors.
Labels make money from selling records and that has taken the biggest decline, so they now need to look at other ways to make money:
* Publishing
* Merchandise
* Booking Agency
* Artist Management
* Studio Hire
* Retail
* Digital Stores
* Mobile Downloads
* etc
While physical sales remain significant in certain territories and for certain artists, there is no doubt that streaming is the key driver of growth, with the number of users of paid subscriptions having broken the 100 million mark and continuing to rise. Fans are engaged with music in an amazing variety of formats, from the vinyl revival to the phenomenon of musical.ly, but the
growth story is centred on services which are widening streaming’s demographic appeal. Record companies and their distribution partners have been instrumental in this, licensing more than 40 million tracks to hundreds of digital services worldwide and developing the high performance systems that allow music to be accessed around the world. Their approach has been global in scope and yet local in execution, adapting their practices to open up legal digital markets for music.