Features

A collection of 63 posts

Music

Why Your Band's Origin Story Is Marketing, Not Just Trivia

In 1981, a young drummer named Lars Ulrich placed an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper looking for musicians who shared his enthusiasm for heavy metal. James Hetfield responded, and the two began playing together. What started with a classified ad eventually became Metallica, one of the biggest bands in

Music

The Distributor Fine Print And What You're Actually Agreeing to When You Upload Your Music

You've spent months recording your new single. The vocals are finished, the mix sounds incredible, the artwork is ready and you've finally settled on a release date. All that's left is uploading the song to your digital distributor, selecting Spotify, Apple Music and the

Music

The Slow Release: Why Some Bands Are Dripping Singles Over 18 Months Instead of Dropping an Album

An album used to arrive like a birthday party. You told everybody the date, spent months getting ready, invited the entire world and hoped people showed up. Now imagine throwing a smaller party every six weeks for a year and a half. That's the thinking behind the slow-

Music

Why Releasing On A Thursday Might Be Costing You Chart Position

A song released at midnight Thursday and a song released 24 hours later can enter the world with the same marketing budget, the same fan base and the same playlist ambitions. By the following Thursday night, however, one has had eight days in public and the other seven. On the

Music

What Does It Take to Stand Out!

The Biggest question for emerging artists has shifted dramatically from  “How do I get the attention of the industry?” to “How do I get the attention of the right audience?” The so called music industry  ‘gatekeepers’ once carefully controlled who got signed, what songs were recorded and released, whose song

Music

Physical Albums, or Digital Downloads?

Two burning questions have confounded the human race since the beginning of known existence: -       Why are we here? -       Should I print CDs or just offer a digital download of my new album? To stay within the word count of this column, we’ll only try to tackle the second question.

Music

Why You Should Consider AI A Collaborator

There has never been a better time in history to do what you love and attract your ideal audience but let’s be honest, it’s not easy. The world has changed. The path to success isn’t a straight line anymore. There are no gatekeepers to go through, no

Music

Using Ticket Data to Plan Tours Before You Book Them

Somewhere between city four and city five on a badly planned tour, a band realizes the room they just played had 30 people in it and the room they're driving to next has even fewer reasons to fill up. For decades, routing a tour meant working off gut

Music

Stage to Studio 101 for Guitarists

Congratulations! You’ve put together a killer band, written the next Sgt. Pepper’s, played fulfilling gigs to packed houses and now you’re ready for the next step; recording your music. You’re comfortable playing in rehearsal and live settings but haven’t been in a Recording Studio before

Music

What Makes You Successful

When you think of someone super successful, you may think of someone who has millions of fans, has made millions of dollars, has won awards, has worked with the best people, has done exceptional things, has seen spectacular places and have unquestionably achieved their goals and then some. From the

Music

A Journey Back to What Made Us Fall in Love with Music

In the heart of every musician, there’s a spark — a profound, almost mystical connection to music that once ignited our passion, compelling us to not just listen, but to create, to express, and to live through melodies and harmonies. As we journey through the complex landscape of the music

Music

The Art Of Taking A Compliment

It has come to my attention over the past few years that I’m not very good at taking compliments. Just last night we played an in-store performance at the lovely Kops Records in my home town of Oshawa. I always do my best to support my friends and

Music

If You Don’t Die, Get Management: The Modern Artist-Entrepreneur Question

First of all, I’m deeply thankful for being able to be back at sharing with you all following the double-graft cardiac surgery I had to undergo in a life-threatening procedure this February. It’s been quite a challenging journey for me, a voyage that is far from

Music

Independent Artists And Radio

“So you better do as you are told, You better listen to the radio” (Elvis Costello “Radio, Radio”) Contrary to popular opinion, radio is not dying and is still a viable medium for artists. Despite the number of streaming services available today, surveys have shown the majority of people list

Music

We Wrote Our First Song… Let’s Buy a Church

Every band or collaborative artist will eventually come to the point where their dreams need to be a little more organized and structured. That pivotal moment usually comes with questions to which we already have all the answers — or so we want to believe. What else could we look at

Music

The Unsigned Artist and Radio Airplay. Part Two: An Interview with Country Broadcaster Pete Walker

It’s cool. I’m the first to admit I’m not a country bumpkin by any stretch, but I will say this… country is absolutely kicking ass. Yeah, I’ve even penned my fair share of songs that I’d be over the moon to have any Luke, Kenny

Music

Recording Great Vocals

Consider a ‘great’ song sung by a mediocre singer, will be heard by the audience, as just mediocre. Whereas, a ‘mediocre’ song sung by a great singer has a much better chance of becoming a smash hit!  With well over one hundred thousand songs being uploaded on music platforms every

Music

The Passion-Prudence Paradox

In the ever-shifting landscape of the music industry, a paradox exists that, while often overlooked, goes straight to the core of what it means to be a musician today. Picture yourself at a crossroads: to your left, a path ablaze with the brilliant hues of creativity, passion, and unbound

Music

How Streaming Actually Pays Artists in 2026

The numbers are bigger than ever - and understanding them is a genuine adventure. The Headline Number Is Remarkable In March 2026, Spotify released its annual Loud & Clear report with a genuinely exciting figure: the platform paid out a record $11 billion to the music industry in 2025, bringing its

Music

What to Do First as a New Songwriter

So you’ve decided to explore the art of songwriting. First of all — congratulations. You’re stepping into something powerful. Frustrating. Magical. Humbling. Exhilarating. Here’s the truth: anyone can call themselves a songwriter. Write one song and — technically — you qualify. There’s no degree required. No minimum output. No

Music

What Made Us Fall in Love with Music

In the heart of every musician, there’s a spark—a profound, almost mystical connection to music that once ignited our passion, compelling us to not just listen, but to create, to express, and to live through melodies and harmonies. As we journey through the complex landscape of the music

Music

The Tyranny of The Top Ten By Les Stroud

“We will finally be rid of the tyranny of the top ten”, so paraphrased, was almost a throw away comment by my good friend, the immensely talented media personality Laurie Brown. Steeped in all aspects of the music industry, or especially the Canadian Music industry, Laurie Brown has been on

Music

Before, During and After Each Show

As so much of the Canadian music industry prepares for Canadian Music Week, North by NorthWest, summer music festivals, and tours, it is really smart to take some quality time to ensure your next show is a success. Not to mention, the compounding success that is possible when you apply

Music

Home Recording (On a Budget)

Thank you for asking me to write this article. Recording and producing from home is something that I have been passionate about my entire career. It is something I know a lot about, as I have made hundreds of recordings from within the walls of my home. It is my

Music

“Children’s Music” Can be Not for Kids Only

We are a family that makes music for families. The Oot n’ Oots is my three brothers, my daughter, and me. At a certain point we sat down to put some thought into what we do. It wasn’t until we were clear on those intentions that we agreed to