Posts

Growing Your Social Media Presence as an Electronic Music Artist

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We have always stressed here how important social media is for an artist to succeed in the music industry today. This is especially true in electronic music, where many artists, especially independent artists, have come to rely on social media to get their music released and be heard far and wide, not to mention using it to interact with their fans and the public in general on a more personal level.

But if you are a new artist or someone getting into social media for the first time, all this may seem overwhelming. You may also find yourself needing to catch up a lot considering that many artists have a more established social media presence than you have. Nevertheless, the potential is there for you to be successful with your social media efforts, and getting going now is always better than never starting. All it takes is to remember and follow the tips we will be sharing here.

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Your Track Has Been Added to a Spotify Playlist…Now What?

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Spotify has become one of the best places to go to for a new artist to showcase their music. For many new artists, nothing can be more fulfilling than having at least one of their tracks be featured on a popular Spotify playlist. After all, millions around the world explore Spotify and its diverse playlists and having an your track included in a playlist is enough to boost your profile, gaining more fans and exposure in the process.

Because of this, many artists tend to focus on having their music available on the popular music streaming platform, and with good reason. For these artists, seeing their music on a playlist is a milestone in itself, a milestone that pushes them to put in a lot of effort to showcase their music in any way they can until they achieve that goal.

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What a DJ/Producer Should Do in Case of Theft

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For a DJ or producer who has spent blood, sweat and tears to have enough money to purchase equipment and other items needed for their music, theft of such equipment can be a hard loss to bear. The fact that it can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone should be a cause for great concern. Of course being alert at all times is helpful in preventing such incidences, but it does not hurt to know what steps to take if the worst does happen.

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How to Discover the Track the DJ is Playing

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Imagine you are at a club or festival and the DJ suddenly drops a real belter of a track that immediately catches your attention.  You want to find out what the track is, perhaps because you’re a DJ yourself or maybe because you are simply that passionate about electronic music.

It is something that happens quite often, and finding out such information can actually be more tricky than it seems. With that said, however, we have listed the different ways (traditional and modern) to discover the music a DJ is playing.

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5 Money Tips for Music Artists

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Guest post by Nick Garcia, label manager of Sharam’s Yoshitoshi Recordings.

For all it’s chocked up to be, the DJ/producer lifestyle is usually not as glamorous as it sounds, especially when it comes to money.  For every uber-successful artist with a Porsche and a villa in Ibiza, there are countless more who don’t know where their next rent check will come from.  Performance, remix, and licensing fees don’t just fall from the sky, and chances are those streaming statements can barely pay for a cup of coffee.  Therefore, I’ve compiled five tips for artists who find themselves struggling financially to maximize what their money can do, both now and in the future.

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Keeping Your DJ Gear and Music Files Safe

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You can never be too sure these days, with incidences of theft and robbery occurring even in places you thought would be the most secure. That happens more often than not now that some thieves are knowledgeable enough to know the type of equipment to target.

As many will tell you, in some cases it’s not just the value of the equipment that makes victims sob, instead it’s the thought that the data contained in the equipment is now lost forever that makes one cry in frustration. This is true especially for artists and others who are dependent on technology for their work. Losing such equipment, and the data stored inside them, is a dreaded possibility that they cannot afford to let happen.

Being aware of the dangers lurking around makes it all the more important to be prepared at all times. Being prepared is not just about preventing theft though, it is also about preparing contingencies in case such an event does happen. The first step in all this is to ensure the security of the most important part: the data.

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Is Music Sampling Just Cultural Appropriation?

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Music sampling has long been quite a contentious issue in the music industry, primarily due to copyright concerns. Until now, there is still debate whether it is allowable to use a certain part of a song as a “sample” in another song. In recent years years another question being raised regarding music sampling, making the issue more sensitive than ever to tackle. In an era when there is a growing awareness on cultural representation while plenty of steps have been taken to promote multiculturalism (in some cases, to the point of political correctness), the question is now being raised: is music sampling a form of cultural representation?

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21 Great Free Sample Packs for the Budget-Conscious Producer

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Electronic music producers have long used sampling in the studio, with the practice dating back to some of the early years of house and techno. While there are some contentious issues related to sampling (notably copyright matters) that are still being debated, there has been a growing number of less contentious options made available in recent years that allow for sampling without concern.

Some services such as Beatport, Juno, Irrupt, Sample Magic and Loopmasters provide licensed samples for a fee. But if you are on a limited budget, don’t worry, there are also many great, royalty-free samples that are available for free, ranging from promotional freebies by online services to homemade files from artists and synth enthusiasts.

Fact Magazine recently compiled 21 noteworthy free sample packs that you can find available on the web. Encompassing a variety of genres from house to hip-hop, we hope these sample packs prove useful in your next studio session:

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Joel Mull: “The Most Important Thing Is To Never Forget Where You Come From”

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With a career spanning almost 25 years, Joel Mull has made a name for himself as a producer and globe-trotting DJ. After all, he was one of the pioneering Swedish techno producers, in good part responsible for introducing the “Swedish techno sound” to the world.

An active and consummate professional, he has produced over 100 releases on various labels such as Dystopian, Drumcode, Truesoul, Audiomatique, Kanzleramt and Music Man. Recently in 2015, he embarked on a new venture by establishing his own label, Parabel, through which he has of course released some of his most recent tracks.

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Software and Accessories for the Budget-Conscious Producer/DJ

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Are you interested in being a producer/DJ? Prepare to buy software and equipment which will help you learn and hone your skills in being one. Admittedly, these software and equipment can be very expensive, and at times incredibly so.

If you’re on a tight budget, do not fret. There are actually a number of great alternatives available at a lower price. In some cases, you can even get them for free. Today, we shall looking at some of these affordable alternatives that will help you get started as a producer or DJ.

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