This week, our tips and advice for those seeking to independently navigate the music industry's choppy waters covered how to gain more followers on Instagram, how to create professional songs for literally no money, the five steps to building an effective music marketing plan, and much more!

This week on MusicThinkTank, our contributors shared articles on what indie bands need to know before they embark on a tour, how artists on the road can maintain their personal health, some tricks for calming stage nerves before a show, and more.

Before moving on to what will surely be another full week of music industry events, we look back on why Spotify and others should be worried about a recession, new record news from T Swift, the Dept. of Justice's backing of Led Zeppelin in their ongoing copyright dispute, and more.

This week on Hypebot, some of our most frequently perused articles covered the roll of the music publisher in your artist development team, some of music's biggest execs in a Q&A, how streams are manipulated and why it's harmful, and more!

Spotify, Netflix and a select group of streaming services have experienced meteoric growth. But that growth - already slowing in some sectors - could be reversed if there is the global recession that many economists predict, says MIDiA analyst Mark Mulligan, and it's not for the reasons you might think.

How much artists actually earn from streaming has been a popular topic of debate in the music industry for some time. Here, we look at a slightly different perspective on basic income forecasting, and exactly how the economics of streaming affect artists.

Once you've poured the necessary blood, sweat, and tears into your event required to ensure your attendees will have a good time, how do you guarantee anyone will actually show up? Here we look at five key ways in which you can boost your next event to encourage maximum turnout.

PledgeMusic's official Winding Up petition is now public and it shares little new information, including which assets are still available to be sold to pay off the failed crowd funders substantial debt to artists, labels and other creditors.

Friday is the last day to cast your vote using the SXSW PanelPicker to help choose which panels should be presented at SXSW 2020. Check out all the great panels and consider giving our own SMART TOURING: GUIDE BOOKING + MARKETING WITH DATA a thumbs up.

In this second part of a breakdown on how to improve your odds for success when producing tracks for licensing, we look at what you need in order to ensure you have your organizational ducks in a row with respect to your digital audio workstation, your paperwork, and your network.

While consumers often focus on an artist's ability to perform and their technical expertise, there is significant evidence suggesting that having a unique, authentic creative voice is in fact more important than ability.

Warner Music Group has entered into a licensing deal with fast-growing music discover app Audiomack. The partnership marks Audiomack’s first with a major label.

of "the latest must-hear songs."  According to Apple, "When the most important artists—from across the world and across genres—have something new to drop, this will be the place to find it first."

Established as one of the biggest online distributors in the game, CD Baby has consistently provided a number of online features, including the option for artists to host their website through a company called HostBaby. No more, however, with the parent company recently announcing their plan to transfer all artist site accounts to Bandzoogle.

UPDATED: Hasbro has acquired Entertainment One in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $4 billion. The multi-platform entertainment company is home to the popular children's franchises Peppa Pig and PJ Masks, as well as one of the largest independent music companies in North America.