Mason Allport

An oft-lodged complaint at mainstream, Top 40 pop music is that it lacks musical diversity, following a consistent “formula” of sorts. Indeed, a cursory listen to the radio reveals countless songs that follow the same structure, (ABABCB - “Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus”), the same chord progression (I-V-vi-IV or any combination thereof), and the same tempo, usually … [Read more...] about The Music Industrialist: Pop Song Formula

Following last week’s exploration of the music industry in Europe, today’s feature will cover the benefits, challenges, and logistics of touring Europe as an independent American musician or band. For an unsigned artist, planning a tour means acting as one’s own booking agent, manager, travel agent, accountant, and publicist. Managing these disparate skill sets for a domestic … [Read more...] about The Music Industrialist: Touring Europe

In previous posts, we’ve examined the impact of streaming, which over the past ten years has become the dominant medium for music consumption, on artists. Simply put, one can now stream billions of songs on any number of streaming services for just $9.99 a month — what consumers used to spend on one CD or album download. At those rates, a severe drop in revenue is inevitable … [Read more...] about The Music Industrialist: New Nielsen Study

Last Thursday, President Trump signed the Music Modernization Act into law, marking the end of a nearly year-long struggle in which songwriters and musicians rights groups repeatedly clashed with PROs and streaming services over the Act’s details. The Music Modernization Act is notable for its unanimous bipartisan support, and for many (including this writer), its signing will … [Read more...] about The Music Industrialist: Trump Signs MMA

A decision every aspiring musician faces as they build their career and brand is whether to publicly express or promote their personal political views. Commercially, it makes financial sense to refrain from doing so, as endorsing one political party or candidate may alienate fans who support another. A few recent and historic examples of politically active celebrity musicians … [Read more...] about The Music Industrialist: Political Expression in Music