Instrumental Intel - Ep 129 Getting Covered on Music Blogs & Podcasts [Tips from a Host & Artist] (10-17-26)

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Achickwitbeatz presents ⁠the Instrumental Intel podcast⁠, bringing you information instrumental to your artistic career including music industry news & tips, insights & interviews, and beats for your inspiration. Listen on Saturdays at 7 pm EST on ⁠⁠⁠Grander Radio⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Achickwitbeatz.com⁠⁠⁠.
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Instrumental Intel - Ep 129 Getting Covered on Music Blogs & Podcasts [Tips from a Host & Artist]

Achickwitbeatz

Instrumental Intel Podcast

Achickwitbeatz brings you information instrumental to your artistic career including music industry news, insights, interviews, and beats for your inspiration. Listen on Saturdays at 7 pm ET on ⁠⁠⁠Grander Radio,⁠⁠⁠ Achickwitbeatz.com⁠⁠⁠, and your favorite podcast platform.

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Transcript Generated by Riverside

00:00

Hey, thank you so much for tuning in to Instrumental Intel. I'm your host, music producer, Achickwitbeatz, and I'm glad that you're here with me. Today's episode has music industry news, beats by me for your inspiration, and later I'll be sharing some tips for getting coverage on music blogs and podcasts coming from myself as a host and also as an artist. So yeah, I'm excited to be bringing this episode to you. And much like last week, this episode is in line of, you know,

00:29

It being Q4, and this is about the time that a lot of businesses, artists, and whatnot begin to strategize about steps for next year. So hoping this helps. And before I go ahead and drop that first beat, I've got to give a shoutout to my home station, Grander Radio out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. And with that, let's go!

[BEAT BREAK]

15:05

Hey, I'm Achickwitbeatz, multi-genre music producer and strategist to indie artists and labels. Visit achickwitbeatz.com for resources for artists and instrumentals in various genres available for songs, vlogs, blogs, podcasts, themes, TV, film, commercials, and more. Once again, that's achickwitbeatz.com. That's A-C-H-I-C-K-W-I-T-B-E-A-T-Z.com. Let's make something happen.

15:35

Music producer Achickwitbeatz back with the Music Biz Brief as promised. First up, DistroKid confirmed it removed multiple songs from streaming services without notice in response to a lawsuit from Universal Music Group. The music distribution service disputes Universal's AI slop and infringement allegations and says it's working to minimize that disruption while protecting artists' ability to release their music.

15:59

Several artists have spoken out about their original music and properly licensed music being mistakenly flagged and removed and having to go through lengthy bot feedback loops to even speak to a human. DistroKid's guidance says that once an artist submits a DMCA-compliant counter notice, they must wait 10 business days before reinstating content or allowing users to re-upload it.

16:26

I’ll try to make sure to keep you posted with information about that as it's available. Black Lives in Music released the Race Equality and Music Event Licensing Report, or REMEL for short, based on a two-year investigation which revealed that Black and South Asian music events in London received disproportionate “high-risk” labels, cancellations, and restrictions without a viable reason to do so.

16:51

It estimates this racial inequality costs London between £127 million and £141 million in potential revenue annually, projected to exceed £650 million over five years. Deezer will let its users toggle an on-off switch to keep fully AI-generated music from appearing in search results.

17:12

The French music streaming platform says the feature responds to a clear user demand for the ability to filter out AI-generated music and will be available internationally by the end of the year.  Universal Music Group's most recent round of layoffs in its $270 million cost-cutting plan includes multiple executives:Toonji Balogun, Chairman and CEO of Def Jam Recordings, Nicole Wyskoarko and Sam Riback, both Presidents of A&R at Interscope, Geffen A&M, Ben Mortimer,

17:42

President of Polydor Label Group, Hannah Neaves, President of UMRecordings UK, Rebecca Allen,Chief Artist and Strategy Officer at Universal Music Group UK, and more. The program was announced in February of 2024 and is scheduled to wrap up in 2027. If you've been hearing about some of the legal issues with Summer Walker, she opted to leave Universal Music Group's Interscope Records on August 27th

18:07

under California law, which prevents personal service contracts from binding people for more than seven years. The next day she filed suit against the label and management company that signed her in 2017, LVRN for Love Renaissance, alleging fraud and seeking to avoid the agreement and receive compensatory and punitive damages. Then on October 9th, Interscope filed suit against her under an amendment to the same law she used to leave,

18:36

which lets labels claim damages when artists use it before fulfilling album requirements, as she only completed three out of the five owed. Her attorney says she plans to counter-sue the label.  So yeah, it’ll just be kind of interesting to watch how it unfolds and what kind of precedents it may set, if any. YouTube will label AI-generated music, starting with YouTube music, and then its main website. It'll use its own tools and partner tools to identify those mostly made with generative AI.

19:03

The platform says it's in response to listeners' requests for transparency. And finally, for Phonorecords V, Spotify, Apple, Pandora, and Google proposed keeping the current mechanical royalty headline rate at 15.3% of the service revenue, while Amazon proposed lowering it to 13.4%, representing publishers and songwriters, the National Music Publishers Association and Nashville Songwriters Association International.

19:31

want either a 20% headline rate or 40% of what services pay labels, which would be $2.40 per subscriber or $0.004 per play, whichever is higher. Record labels negotiate directly with streaming platforms to license music, while publishers must receive the rates set by the Copyright Royalty Board. Involved parties have until December 21st to file amended written direct statements, with responses due by February 1st of 2027.

20:01

If there's no settlement reached by February 15th of 2027, the hearing will take place from March 22nd to April 15th of 2027. Alright, that's a wrap for the Music Biz Brief. I'm going to take a quick pause for the cause and then I'll be back with tips for getting covered on music blogs and podcasts for myself as a host and an artist.Keep it locked!

[BEAT BREAK]

29:08

Hey, this is music producer Achickwitbeatz, and you're listening to my podcast Instrumental Intel.

[BEAT BREAK]

33:56

Hey, I'm Achickwitbeatz, multi-genre music producer and strategist to indie artists and labels. Visit achickwitbeatz.com for resources for artists and instrumentals in various genres available for songs, vlogs, blogs, podcasts, themes, TV, film, commercials, and more. Once again, that's achickwitbeatz.com. That's A-C-H-I-C-K-W-I-T-B-E-A-T-Z.com. 

34:24

Let's make something happen. Alright, I am music producer Achickwitbeatz, back with tips for getting covered on music blogs and podcasts from myself as a host and an artist. So I've seen both ends of the feature requests. I know what it's like to send out pitches and get silenced. I know what it's like to wake up to an inbox full of copy-paste requests that basically make me want to hit the block button, like with a swiftness.

34:53

But if you're an independent artist trying to get featured on music blogs and podcasts, it's kinda important that you realize that there's more to it than just sending your link and hoping for the best.  And especially from where I sit, the difference between an ignored email and a feature pretty much boils down to how well you understand the person on the receiving end.  Social media is now one of the best or more dominant ways that fans discover music.  So some people question whether blog or podcast coverage is even really worth it anymore.

35:22

The answer is definitely yes, especially if you're playing the long game. A well-placed blog write-up or podcast interview gives you searchable content about you and your music, context and narrative so that way it's not just a link or a viral clip. Social proof, so when you're reaching out to venues, collaborators, or press,  you have that there. And it also provides a niche audience exposure, which usually converts better than just trying to reach everybody.

35:49

Streaming numbers matter, but third-party validation still holds a whole lot of weight in the industry whenever you're building a foundation. So what I look for when I'm choosing who to feature, basically, time is of the essence for most creatives who multitask. So what doesn't work is mass emails or like, generic DMs that just say, “check me out,” or, you know, even pitches that don't even acknowledge what my platform actually covers.

36:15

I don't expect everyone to know the full history of my blog or podcast, but pictures that are so off base, they kind of let me know that the person's never read a post or even listened to an episode. So those automatically get rerouted to the trash because I don't really have time for it. And most people who run blogs or podcasts are basically putting in a lot more labor than they receive in return. So yeah, time's valuable. So people who make these types of mistakes eliminate themselves from consideration.

36:43

Just making it easier for us to choose from those who will actually appreciate it. So basically here's what grabs my attention whenever somebody reaches out.  So if it's a clear alignment with the platform, it saves me time when I can see easily how featuring them fits with my format. So before pitching, just take like 10 minutes to look at the type of music covered or the themes that are explored. For example, sending a generic mainstream-mimicking music to a podcast that focuses on independent creatives kind of wastes everyone's time.

37:14

You won't be happy with the response that you get from an unrelated audience and the audience won't be happy receiving content they didn't ask for.  A second thing I look for is context. Don't just send a link. I can make a decision much more quickly when I know the why behind what the feature is doing. So introduce yourself briefly. Tell me what makes the project unique or why it fits with what I'm covering.

37:38

There's no need to share your whole life story, but if you've been influenced by a specific era or you're experimenting with a certain underrepresented sound or something like that, just make sure you make it known.  Third thing,  a useful press asset. If I have to search to see if a feature is a good fit, then it drops lower on my list of priorities. Not that I'm not interested, but as I stated, I'm already multitasking. So yeah, if I have to kind of dig deep for it, then it falls lower to the list and

38:06

is more likely to continue to get pushed down as responsibilities kind of pile up for me. So at a bare minimum, include a clean link to stream your music, a one sheet or EPK with your bio, a press photo, and your social media links. Bonus points if I don't have to download 10 attachments or sign in to Dropbox just to hear your song. Make it easy. Uh, fourth thing, the human touch. There are many writing tools that kind of help.

38:34

streamline the pitching process and there's nothing wrong with using them. However, you should make sure that it represents your voice and is tailored to the person receiving it. So I can tell when you've taken the time to reach out directly and so can every other blog or podcast host. So a real message is 10 times more likely to actually get a response than just a generic mass pitch. Alright. And what I've learned from being featured,  um,

39:01

On the flip side, I've had the privilege of being featured on some of the most dope music blogs, indie radio stations, TV and creator-led web and podcast series, and what I've learned from that side.  Features multiply  Oh, one blog feature or podcast feature can lead to another, especially when outlets start to notice your name popping up more frequently.  Um.

39:26

Another thing is your attitude matters. Being easy to work with goes a long way. If you're responsive,  appreciative, and respectful of someone's platform,  people tend to remember that. And also repurpose everything. Every feature you land can basically be turned into a social post, a quote for your website, talking points in your newsletter, whatever it is. Yeah, don't just let it sit there, but use it as much as you possibly can.

39:54

And it's also worth noting that sometimes features don't necessarily change numbers right away, but they do help build credibility. And that opens doors for you that you might not see yet, but that'll be beneficial to you later.  Alright, and how to reach out without burning bridges is an important one. So if you're just starting out, basically what I suggest based on what I've seen work and what I personally respond to.

40:21

Kind of think of the phase less like promoting and more like relationship building.

40:28

The artists who reach out, I guess, with a little more curiosity than urgency or pressure, kind of stand out over time. So yeah, it's not even that you need a polished PR strategy, but just when you reach out, make sure that you understand how it can be mutually beneficial and that you're willing to work with them, whatever their requirements might be. So yeah, start local or niche.

40:57

You don't have to shoot for like major coverage right out the gate, but just search to find blogs and podcasts that kind of align with your genre, your location, or your story. So indie doesn't always mean small, but it does kind of mean community. So these platforms tend to have stronger engagement and more responsive audiences. So they're more ideal places to kind of build actual relationships and momentum.

41:24

Next thing is to respect the platform's format. If it's a podcast, listen to an episode. If it's a blog, read a recent post. Mention something specific. So that alone kind of puts you ahead of 90% of the people pitching.  Because it shows that you're not just looking for exposure, but that you're actually looking to connect with the platform and its voice, kind of making your pitch more meaningful than it would be without referencing it. And make it easy to say yes.

41:51

Include everything they need to say yes. Your streaming link, a short pitch, an EPK, your contact info. Don't make them dig. A straight-to-the-point, organized email shows that you respect their time and also that you take your own work seriously, which immediately kind of lets them know that you're professional and you'll stand out among the crowd. Alright, and then the final one is to be patient, not pushy.

42:17

Follow up once, maybe twice, but definitely not every three days. I mean, if it's a fit, they'll reach out. If not, it wasn't the right platform at this time. So persistence is cool, but yeah, if you want to build trust that comes from consistency and being professional, not pressuring them, especially in a relationship-based industry.  So yeah, basically getting featured on blogs and podcasts is, you know, great for exposure, but

42:43

more so for building relationships. Some of the artists that I've featured have become collaborators. Some of the features I've received have led to unexpected opportunities. So yeah, you never know who's listening, who's watching or reading. So if you're serious about building your presence, make sure that every interaction you have is pretty much a part of a broader strategy. Make sure you respect the platforms that you're pitching, bring your real story and make it easy for us to help you get that exposure that you're looking for.

43:12

Alright, I'm going to get back to the beats and then I'll be back to close out the episode. Keep it locked!

[BEAT BREAK]

51:18

Hey, this is music producer Achickwitbeatz, and you're listening to my podcast Instrumental Intel.

[BEAT BREAK]

59:22

Alright, that's a wrap for this episode. I've been your host, music producer at Achickwitbeatz, and once again I want to thank you for tuning in. I'd also like to thank my home station, Grander Radio out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. I do hope that you found this information helpful. You can always find out more on my blog. Check out my website at AChickWitBeatz.com for Resources for Artists. You'll find some of the information that I covered here and some more that I'll be sharing with you in the future.

59:51

Make sure you come back next week. I've got more goodness lined up for you so till next time you know where to find me. Tune in, tell a friend and I'll see you then, peace.