analysis of TikTok hits

 "If you’re looking to achieve TikTok fame, we’d recommend your song conform to the following standard: have a catchy, danceable, electronic beat; exude a happy, party mood; use simplistic, relatable profanity-free lyrics; have a familiar-sounding melody; and employ repetitive, flowy rhymes that lend themselves to easy memorization and interpretive dance moves. Simple, right? Well, even Steve jobs once said: that “Simple can be harder than complex”. And he didn’t have to compete with the likes of Drake and The Weeknd!"

https://musically.com/2021/11/11/magic-formula-tiktok-song-success-ai-analysis/

The Music Industry Is Built on Artists, but Shuns Creators

"Currently, more time is spent watching others play video games on YouTube and Twitch than total viewing hours of Netflix, ESPN, HBO, and Hulu combined."

https://future.a16z.com/music-copyright-ugc/?curator=MusicREDEF

Merck Mercuriadis on Kanye West: 'I'll help him whenever he needs my help'

Plus some bold predictions about the likes of Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, Bieber etc.

https://www.musicweek.com/publishing/read/merck-mercuriadis-on-kanye-west-i-ll-help-him-whenever-he-needs-my-help/084087

Are We at the Dawn of A&R Data Wars?

https://music-tomorrow.com/2021/07/are-we-at-the-dawn-of-ar-data-wars/

TikTok Royalties : How are they calculated?

https://www.horusmusic.global/tiktok-royalties-how-are-they-calculated/

How YouTube Serves 2B Monthly Music Users Without Human-Curated Playlists

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/streaming/9588627/youtube-music-algorithm-curation-explained/

What is Spotify popularity index?

https://help.chartmetric.com/en/articles/1560578-what-is-spotify-popularity-index

How a 22-year-old CEO built a TikTok empire with Gen Z media brand Flighthouse

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/flighthouse-ceo-tiktok-empire-create-music-group-2021-5

How TikTok Chooses Which Songs Go Viral

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-22/how-to-go-viral-on-tiktok-like-megan-thee-stallion-play-the-app-s-game

Glass Animals: How Heat Waves became the ultimate sleeper hit

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56667366

Anonymous Songwriters Group Calls for Artists to Stop Demanding Royalties for Songs They Didn’t Write

https://variety.com/2021/music/news/songwriters-group-artists-stop-taking-royalties-pact-1234939379/

24kGoldn Became a Pandemic Pop Star. Now Comes the Real-World Test.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/23/arts/music/24kgoldn-el-dorado.html

Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding on the move away from traditional verse chorus structure in songwriting

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/14/opinion/pop-music-songwriting.html

HOW MANY ARTISTS ARE GENERATING $50K+ A YEAR ON SPOTIFY? OVER 13,000. Loud & Clear.

https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/how-many-artists-are-generating-more-than-50k-a-year-on-spotify-over-13000/

Which Artists Have Earned the Most From Spotify?

 https://www.accrediteddebtrelief.com/blog/which-artists-have-earned-the-most-from-spotify/

how TikTok turned into a viral pop star factory

https://www.vice.com/en/article/akdpb5/tiktok-viral-musicians

How much do I earn per stream on Spotify?

https://www.igroovemusic.com/blog/wie-viel-erhalte-ich-pro-stream-auf-spotify.html?lang=en

WTF is an NFT? Allow Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda to explain

https://www.inputmag.com/culture/linkin-park-mike-shinoda-happy-endings-nft-interview

How much TikTok influencers can earn from song promotions, according to 2 music marketers

https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-music-marketers-explain-pay-rates-for-influencer-campaigns-2020-12

Wolfgang Boss interview

https://variety.com/2021/music/news/hvme-goosebumps-travis-scott-flip-wolfgang-boss-1234908312/

MERCK MERCURIADIS FACES THE FUTURE… AND STARES DOWN HIS CRITICS

https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/merck-mercuriadis-faces-the-future-and-stares-down-his-critics/

What You Can Learn From Russ Sharing His Income Statements

https://www.rootnote.co/what-you-can-learn-from-russ-sharing-his-income-statements/

The Dark Side Of Spotify

https://youtu.be/whQ8UBoz-To

Equitable streaming payments and unintended consequences on artist income

https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2021/02/equitable-streaming-payments-and-unintended-consequences-on-artist-income-mark-mulligan.html

The Weeknd on the Crew That Boosted Him From 'Basically Homeless' to the Super Bowl

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/9516909/the-weeknd-xo-records-billboard-cover-story-interview-2021/

music industry terms by Kindness

https://www.notion.so/MUSIC-INDUSTRY-TERMS-by-Kindness-8b7a605239b44067ba371531aeff34a8

good stuff on the economics of streaming from Bob Lefsetz and one of the Presidents of the United States of America

https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2021/01/14/streaming-2/

https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2021/01/19/mailbag-21/

'We've Never Seen Anything Like This': Spotify Reacts to Olivia Rodrigo's Record-Breaking 'Drivers License'

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9511182/olivia-rodrigo-spotify-hit-success/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily&utm_term=daily_digest


https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/olivia-rodrigo-drivers-license-song-drama-sabrina-carpenter-joshua-bassett?fbclid=IwAR2Aq0ceWH2_N3Zv5EkXE2JudOczu2p2y9rQu3kt6H0UO908VDsvAyU5uAs

The 2021 State Of Pop Address by Chris DeVille

https://www.stereogum.com/2112006/the-2021-state-of-pop-address/columns/the-week-in-pop/