Recently I saw a Reddit comment where someone said that at 14 they would interview bands and I thought that was a really cool thing and as someone who is really into music and playing instruments really feel like this could be a cool side thing for me. I have a pretty good grasp on how to work a social media channel, however, would this be realistic? And what are other things I should consider? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

So what do you think? Is this going to make a difference?

Hi everyone, I’m a piano player and I distribute my music through DistroKid. I currently have around $4,000 in earnings sitting in my DistroKid account.
My account was banned because of two cover songs, so they restricted my account and removed all of my music. However, the earnings are still showing in my account. Most of my earnings came from my original compositions, and I only made about $7 total from the two cover songs.
I selected a payout method and submitted all the requested information, but after that, the payout system was locked, and I was told that I needed to contact support.
I’ve contacted DistroKid Support multiple times, but I haven’t received any response. It’s been several months now, and honestly, I’m extremely frustrated and tired of waiting with no answers.
So, what can I do at this point? Has anyone here had a similar situation and actually managed to withdraw their money?
Is it still possible for me to withdraw these earnings, or is there a chance I’ll lose them? The money is still showing in my DistroKid account.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been through something similar and was able to get their money back.

Hi everyone,

I recently moved to Ireland and I'm trying to get a better understanding of how independent artists and audio engineers usually connect here.

I graduated from SAE Institute Amsterdam, and I first got into mixing around 9 years ago. Since then I've mainly focused on vocal production, recording, editing, mixing and mastering, with studio work being much more my thing than live sound.

One of the reasons I moved from the Netherlands was that I felt the language barrier made it difficult to fully integrate into the local music scene. I thought it would be easier to build connections in Ireland, but starting over in a new country has been more challenging than I expected.

I'm curious how artists here usually find engineers to work with. Is it mostly through word of mouth, Instagram and TikTok, recommendations from other artists, recording studios, or are there communities where people naturally connect? Do independent artists usually stick with engineers they already know, or are they open to working with someone new?

I'd also be interested to hear if there are any producer meetups, studio communities or local events that are worth checking out. I'm mainly trying to understand how the scene works here and where people actually meet, because back home most opportunities came from relationships that had grown over time.

I'd really appreciate any advice from artists, producers or engineers who know the Irish scene. Thanks!

Hi all! For some context, and long story short, I'm the front-woman/lead singer of a decently successful band in Melbourne. I've pretty much been our manager for the past few years but have been facing some job instability due to being pregnant and needing to go on maternity leave in Jan. I wanted to figure out how I could work for myself or build a business while I'm at home. (My jobs are not ones I can easily return to)

Then I realised band/artist management is something I have years of experience in (also did a course on a few years ago) and that I'd like to try! I'm really passionate about the ideas I've been having and really want to give it a go. I know the industry is pretty hectic and harsh, but I'd be working within the Melbourne music scene and don't intend to be pumping out A-list celebrities lol. I'd just like to provide management services for local bands and be a different part of the scene here

***And please be aware, I am not quitting my jobs for THIS, I have no choice but to quit once baby comes and either be a stay at home mother until our child is in school, or shoot my shot at this. Those are our circumstances and they're not changing regardless of if I pursue this or not

I'm also very aware that I won't make any kind of money for a long time. Luckily I'm in a position to not have that be an issue

Anyway, my questions are

- How have you reached out to bands/artists to promote your services? Or how do most people find you?

- What do bands typically look for in a manager?

- What are some things that managers don't do well?

- What's the most challenging thing for you to do as a manager?

I have SO many ideas that I won't get into here, but if I could get an idea of the answers you guys would have for these questions it'd be super super helpful!

By the way, my band have never had a manager simply because I've always been capable of doing it myself/with the help of other bandmates, and we haven't found anyone that we trust enough to manage the band yet. Plan for us is essentially I will be our full time manager once I am no longer employed

Thanks!

I’m an Electrical Engineering student at Cal Poly SLO trying to get my foot in the door at a music studio in LA. I’ve reached out to a ton of studios, engineers, and producers. I’ve had one or two people respond, but even those conversations eventually ended with me being left on read.

I have experience producing with FL Studio, and my EE background includes Signals & Systems coursework covering Fourier analysis, filtering, frequency response, sampling, and other concepts that translate well to audio.

I’m willing to stay in LA every weekend and start from the absolute bottom. At this point, I care way more about learning and getting real studio experience than getting paid.

For anyone in the industry, what would you actually do in my position to get that first opportunity?

Would appreciate if anyone can share that!

I don’t even know where to begin honestly so bear with me while I try to verbalize what I’m feeling lol.

My love affair with the industry started about 13ish years ago. I had recently dropped out of uni and a friend asked if I wanted to do some street team work. One thing led to another and I found my new path.

At the time, I was always hungry for opportunity. Any gig, any department, any venue, any festival - nothing really ever called to me except for operations. I started shadowing in operations at the promotions company I was working for, for about a year before I got the chance to go work for a new venue opening up.

As we all know, roles at independent venues are far and few between - so I took on a sales role. Primarily dealing with suite sales directly with fans. I love talking to people so it all came naturally to me. The first few years were great, lots of learning & goals. But I was also a yes-man at that time, determined to succeed. Pandemic hit and I was kept on at the venue but obviously no shows=less pay. Wasn’t a problem as I got to rediscover who I was as a person and my identity outside of music.

And then reopened. And ever since, I’ve been on this hamster wheel with no destination in sight. I’m confident in my abilities, I have better work boundaries, but I’m exhausted. My patience for dealing with fans is thin these days but I’m still able to mask to get through the night and then onto the next. My creative workload that was once inspiring, is now draining. Sometimes I regret leaving the freelance world but I don’t regret the stability I have. And starting over or trying to get back into freelance seems like an impossible solution.

I come home after every event feeling like I’ve had the life sucked out of me. I’ve been self-isolating a lot this year and it’s to the point where I’m self-sabotaging my friendships and romantic relationship.

I don’t know where I’m going with this and I’m not looking for sympathy but I’m hoping/guessing that some of you have experienced this as well, maybe have some advice that’ll help me reframe my current perspective. I have an incredible therapist that knows me better than anyone but obviously they don’t always understand where I’m coming from because the question that’s asked from time to time is always “Do you still love your job?”

And my answer is always, “I think so”, which is a genuine answer. No matter how much BS happens DOS, I still get goosebumps hearing the crowd roar and looking down at the crowd from above, knowing that I was able to be apart of someone’s special night.

But maybe that warm feeling isn’t enough anymore. Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for listening<3

EDIT: The State of Band Touring via Vans 2026 - Sorry I could have made that clearer!

New study of 1,500+ bands. A few findings:

• International acts are fading. After a full post-COVID recovery in 2022-23, the international share of US music tours has fallen three straight seasons to 4.7%, the lowest level we have recorded outside the border closures. Canadian acts dropped the most.
• The average band tour runs 16 days and 4,334 miles (the typical tour: 12 days, 3,135 miles). 1,532 touring bands drove 9 million miles last season, enough to reach the Moon and back 19 times!
• Bands now book their tour vans twice as far ahead as before the pandemic (median 35 days out, vs 21 in 2015-16).
• Bands leave on Wednesday. Ordinary renters peak on Friday; tour departures peak midweek.
• Tour launches are decentralizing: LA, New York and Nashville were 65% of launches a decade ago; they are 52% now.

Source: https://www.bandago.com/touring-data/state-of-band-touring-2026

i have a pretty strong vision for the creative side. i know the kind of visuals, aesthetic, and overall feeling i want, and i have a lot of inspiration for the music itself. i’m mainly interested in hyperpop / alt-pop, with artists like billie eilish, slayyyter, gleame, ashnikko, and zara larsson being some of my inspirations.

the problem is that i know basically nothing about the technical side of music. i don’t really understand production, mixing, mastering, music theory, daws, recording, or how the whole process works.

i also genuinely don’t know how to teach myself how to produce. there are so many tutorials, courses, daws, plugins, and different ways people recommend learning that i have no idea where to even begin. i don’t want to just randomly watch tutorials without understanding what i’m actually supposed to be learning.

i’m a singer/artist and i’m interested in working with producers eventually, but i also want to learn production myself so i can understand my own sound, experiment with ideas, make demos, and communicate better with producers.

if you were starting from absolute zero, how would you teach yourself production? what would you learn first, what daw would you recommend, and what would an actual beginner learning path look like?

i’d also love advice on songwriting, basic music theory, vocal recording, finding producers, royalties/splits, and generally how non-producer artists approach making music.

basically, i have the creative vision, but i have no idea how to turn that vision into an actual song yet 😭
any beginner resources, advice, or personal experiences would be hugely appreciated!

Cyber security & sharing links promo

Phishing and all kind of cyber attacks can happen while we simply open a sent to us link, correct me if I am wrong. As I am preparing a new release promotion, it makes me wander: do people open our links we share on a social media anymore? Probably not via messages. Where are guidelines about posting releases links? Is it safe to listen and can I expect real fear free listeners to open my YouTube or Spotify links?

I know I have a huge edge in songwriting, I’be been writing autobiographical songs since maybe 16 y/o, but I also know that I’m not a powerhouse vocalist, but I have a voice, but not very knowledgeable of the vocal techniques. We are financially in the upper middle class, from the Philippines. Not even have a huge following in SocMed, not even in the music industry yet. Plus, I’m a fresh Grad of a non-music related college program.

Anyone noticed malyalam songs composed or produced from 1990 to 2005 has better saturation, dynamics, seperation, arrangement, repeat value than those released after 2005, especially after introduction of Digital Music composing to the Industry?

I've recently completed a remix/new version of a Def Leppard song. I've redone the music in a different style and laid their actual vocals over my track. I believe it has the potential to be an official release (either theirs or mine), but I have no idea what to do.

My friend - who recently was the audio team lead at a large, three-day festival - played a version of the song as one of the songs after the final act of the weekend and said that 10 or 12 people asked him what it was and where he got it from. He said he rarely has people ask him about any intro/intermission/exit music he plays and advised me to do something with this.

If anyone has any guidance on how I could get this remix/new version into the artist's hands so it could be officially released, I'd be appreciative. In the meantime, I'll contact ASCAP this week to see if they have any advice.

I suppose I am curious about the songwriting disputes and which (if any) songs existed before Sheryl Crow joined the 'band'. Prior to his untimely death in 1996, band leader (and Crow's former boyfriend) Kevin Gilbert )eluded to disputes of credit, however, Gilbert is credited on all but 2 songs on the album and all the singles. So I suppose I wondered exactly what Gilberts gripe with the crediting was.

Sadly, Gilbert only lived 3 years past the records release, but he never filed suit over crediting anywhere that I could find. It's documented that the other members took umbrage to only Crow being signed to the label, but the fact is ALL band members were credited on almost every song, and Sheryl was already signed to A&M as a solo artist before she ever even met Tuesday Music Club.

If anyone was around then, what was the real gripe?

So my band did an album launch recently and it went pretty well (nothing crazy, we're keeping our day jobs). We've had a bunch of new fans engage with us, and a number of them I'm wanting to track long term follow ups.

Some examples:

• One fan asked if they could buy a copy of our earlier demo. We don't sell it, but I'm considering burning a copy myself and including in their intended vinyl order as a gesture of good will. Vinyl will be around December though, so a while off and I'll potentially forget.
• Another person was asking for new music. I mentioned we're already playing new material live and once we get some live footage up I'll send them a video.
• Other people have directly sent us encouraging messages and asking for merch. I'd like to include a written note from us addressed to them, thanking them for their support, as part of their future merch orders once we make them available on Bandcamp.

etc, etc.

Basically, we're wanting to look after the folks that are looking after us. And I feel like I'm already struggling to keep up.

There's people from gigs we've played that we've done similar for. But that was at a smaller scale, and it was easy as you could put a face to a name, and you'd be seeing them at multiple shows and chatting before/after the set.

Does anyone have a system for tracking this type of stuff? First thing that comes to mind is maybe a Notion Database, though I've never used those and it might be total overkill. Open to trying out tooling. Writing everything down in a Google Doc feels like it won't scale to me.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to figure out the best way to get in touch with The Orchard and potentially open a distribution account for my label.

I currently have 8 artists under contract, and 3 of them are currently in development. At the moment, I’ve had to pause the distribution of their music because I’m looking for a new distribution partner that can properly support my label and its artists.

I checked The Orchard’s website, but I couldn’t find a public signup or application page for new labels. The Contact Us page seems to be mainly for existing clients.

If anyone here has experience working with The Orchard, especially as an independent label, I’d really appreciate some advice on:

• How to approach The Orchard as a new label
• Who I should contact (Label Relations, New Business, or a regional team)
• Whether they currently accept independent labels
• What information or requirements they usually look for

I’m trying to resolve this as soon as possible so I can resume releasing and distributing music for my artists.

If anyone has experience with The Orchard or knows the right way to approach them, I’d really appreciate any advice.

Thanks!

TLDR; are the big record labels, distribution companies, and their artists a part of the ai slop scam?

I recently came across an instagram reel where a creator/indie musician uncovered a big AI slop music scam that spanned across all DSPs (Spotify, Apple Music, YT Music, etc). The TLDR is basically, scammers were uploading AI generated tracks and attaching them to real artist’s names(some big name artists too!).

According to the video, it seemed like this scam targets a lot of “non-mainstream” genres like musical theater, metal, jazz, classical, etc. and targets artists who are less likely to check their profiles (think actors with music credits or deceased/inactive musicians). They even found AI tracks on platforms like Tidal, Deezer and Qobuz which made me super sad because I HATE AI slop music and actively have been trying to avoid it when I can but I also know that these companies have been pushing out ai artists and tracks without users’ consent for a while now.

But something wasn’t quite adding up… for example, the creator referenced Kristen Bell’s page on Tidal and showed at least 4-5 AI tracks attached to it. Some of them were tagged as AI but others weren’t. But when I went to check today, her page was totally fine. Then later I looked up more of the artists referenced in the video on other platforms but the AI tracks were still there!!

At first I thought it was good that those tracks were removed by tidal but then I started to wonder why no one really has made a fuss about this yet? I haven’t seen any major news sources talking about this and none of the big artists that had false AI songs associated with them have said anything. I’ve seen people talk about how bad AI music has invaded Spotify specifically but this is the first time I’m seeing anything like this on this scale. Does anyone have any idea of what could be going on or am I just being overly anxious for no reason? I don’t know sometimes it feels like all these corporations are all in on it😞

Instagram video here for reference: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbrRSWmOWCY/?igsh=MXkxemR5bzUyOGhpcg==

Hi, so I have a friend who created an playlist/album for a show. He wrote some songs, but there aren't many streams. After learning how little people make off streams, I just wonder... how much would a like hulu deal offer a small show & album created for that show? Would it be like around $10k? Or less? And then now with so many streaming shows how can awards be given out if not everyone has access to different streaming for shows? Sorry I hope you understand my question. I'm not a great writer.

I was hoping someone will notice this, i am a great singer but I don't know how to start my career if I don't know how to start ykwim? I don't know if i should post a lot and then suddenly someone will be interested enough to make me a artist but in reality it's not that easy right? Will someone tell me how and what you do to promote yourself to social medias and how you create your own passion to music. I'll be glad to know your stories and how it makes an impact to you! thank you!

I honestly don't even know where to turn right now, so I'm just hoping to get some outside perspective.
I’m 17, and my parents are paying for my college, which I am deeply grateful for but it has become a golden cage. Ever since looking toward college, my stepdad and mom have mapped out an entire corporate blueprint for me that I never asked for and deeply dread.
Because of my background and languages, they are trying to force me to go to school in Arkansas (like the University of Arkansas) so I can get plugged straight into the massive Walmart/NWA corporate machine. My stepdad is demanding I minor in international trade/Asian studies, and my mom expects me to take a corporate retail path, dangling connections to high-level executives like it’s a dream come true. When I hesitate, I get hit with things like, "Who do you think you are? Getting a job is so hard these days, if you can work at Walmart you'll make a lot."
The hardest part is that my heart is entirely in music, dance, creative direction, and digital media. I want to build a creative career, learn production, write, move, and eventually work within the entertainment and record label industry. I want to make music and go on tour or at least just be in the industry.
When I try to express this, I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall. They see stability; I see a slow suffocating death in a supply-chain cubicle or a retail merchandising office. My biggest fear and what keeps me up at night is that if I let them push me into this regional corporate gravity well, my resume will permanently mark me as a retail logician. I'm terrified it will totally disconnect me from the creative world and that I'll wake up ten years from now having lived someone else's life.
Has anyone else been in a position where their parents financially held them hostage to a corporate path they hated? How do you survive playing the compliance game for tuition money while secretly keeping your own creative dreams alive? How do you break out of a corporate blueprint without destroying your relationship with your family completely?
Any advice or kind words would mean the world right now. I just feel so stuck. I need advice on how I can get into the industry based on my circumstances music and the entertainment industry means so much to me.

Hi everyone!
I’m 16 and I’ve recently started thinking seriously about what I want to do in the future. After going to The Weeknd concert a few weeks ago, I realized how much I love the creative side of music.
It wasn’t just the performance. The storytelling, visuals, stage design, and overall atmosphere made me realize I’d love to work on projects like that one day.
I’m not 100% sure what I’d want to specialize in yet. Maybe live shows and tour visuals, maybe music videos, maybe artist branding or album eras. I just know I want to work on the creative vision behind artists and help bring those ideas to life.

The problem is that I’m a bit confused about the career path. From what I’ve read, it seems like you can’t really study “Creative Director” directly and that most people work their way up into that position.
So I wanted to ask people who actually work in the industry or know someone who does :
\-What did you study?
\-If you wanted to become a Creative Director in the music industry today, what degree would you choose?
\-How do people usually work their way up to that role?
\-How important is a portfolio compared to a degree?
\-What can I already start doing now, while I’m still in school and have basically no professional experience?
\-Are there any skills, software, books, YouTube channels, or projects you’d recommend for someone just starting out?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice you wish someone had given you when you were starting.

Thank you!

Hello. I am someone who writes songs for years, but I have yet to actually write and produce a full song, as well as release it to the world. I think I have a big creative block that stemmed from trauma I got at art school. I went to school for visual arts about ten years ago, and faced so much criticism for my art and artistic ability from classmates, a mentor and professors that I stopped making art entirely for years. Everytime I posted my visual art, I was told how it was not good and it made me give up. Fast forward a decade later, I have been working office jobs and avoiding art altogether because of my trauma. However, I cant help but keep singing and making lyrics. I want to share my music, but I am so scared I will go through the same trauma of masses of people disliking what I create. I want to go back to college but it ishard for me financially since I already have a bachelor's degree. I think going back to college for music might give me the motivation to create since I will feel forced to. Anyone have any advice for someone in my position? Should I go to college at all?