How Jay-Z, Dr. Dre Focus Group Their Releases

Both hugely accomplished music and entertainment moguls, Jay-Z and Dr. Dre’s success has been propelled by their ability to understand music as a business, and effectively market it to their fans thanks, in part, to focus groups. ________________________ Guest post by Martin Connor of Soundfly’s Flypaper So much of why…

How To Sell Out A Show [Kosha Dillz]

Indie rapper Kosha Dillz does it all pretty much himself. There’s no agent, no label and only occasional help with marketing. Despite those obstacles he’s carved out a touring career thanks to his impressive hustle and some tips he shares here. _____________________________________ Guest post by Kosha Dillz To be honest…

Hip-Hop Dominates U.S. Streaming, But Not Physical Sales

Here we look at some fascinating new data from market analyst BuzzAngle, revealing some interesting trends in America’s music consumption habits. One thing at least is clear: hip hop reigns supreme when it comes to streaming, this year accounting for a quarter of all plays. _________________________ Guest post by Bobby…

The Liberation of Music Sampling

While many music creators are eager to draw on elements of music from the past, actually legally sampling tracks is typically a slow and expensive project. In this op-ed, Pär Almqvist discusses an emerging platform aimed at streamlining the sampling process. ____________________ Guest post by Pär Almqvist, Co-Founder and CEO…

B2K Sets 2000’s Inspired Fan Dress Code For Reunion Shows

Early 2000’s pop group B2K surprised their fans just before the holidays when the group announced that they would be hitting the road on a reunion tour. Shortly after the announcement, frontman Omarion shared a post via Instagram outlining a series of dress code rules for all those in attendance….

PB Recommends #59 (21 Savage, Overmono, Mike Slott, Falcons & More)

Welcome back to our PB Recommends series where we share a selection of handpicked earworms that we can’t get enough of. This month’s edition of the playlist features a diverse blend of tracks including some of our favourite cuts from rapper 21 Savage’s new album, i am > i was, the experimental breakbeat sounds of Overmono, some woozy hip-hop from Falcons and B. Lewis, some lo-fi […]

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PB Recommends #58 (Murlo, KAYTRANADA, Fracture, Flohio & More)

Welcome back to our PB Recommends series where we share a selection of handpicked earworms that we can’t get enough of. This month’s edition of the playlist features a hefty blend of tracks. It includes vintage sounding new cuts from Anderson .Paak, ASAP Rocky and Earl Sweatshirt, the first track from Murlo’s recently announced debut album, […]

The post PB Recommends #58 (Murlo, KAYTRANADA, Fracture, Flohio & More) appeared first on Point Blank’s Online Magazine.

DJ Khaled Charged With Cryptocurrency Fraud

Rapper and producer DJ Khaled and boxer Floyd Mayweather were each charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for not telling investors that they had been paid to promote an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) for cryptocurrency startup Centra. These are the first charges filed for promoting ICOs, a new…

Chance The Rapper’s Manager Offers Tutorial In Reinventing The Music Business

Chance The Rapper and Pat "The Manager" Corcoran, two self-taught kids from Chicago, have set the bar for what independent artists can achieve. Chance achieved his success, which includes three Grammys as a completely independent, streaming only artist. In this Complex video interview, Corcoran shares their origin story, the philosophies…

Viral Rapper Wynne Talks Lemur Doodles, Espionage, Tierra Whack [INTERVIEW]

In this installment of the #nofilter interview series, AWAL talks with viral rapper and social media sensation Wynne about some of her more off-the-beaten path thoughts and opinions. ______________________________ Guest post from AWAL Welcome to #nofilter, a recurring interview series that gives standout artists room to breathe. Meet the real…