As we all know, Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” feature is a personalized playlist that is created specifically for each user based on their listening history and preferences. It is updated every Monday and consists of 30 songs that the algorithm thinks you will enjoy.
And that works scary well.
One of the key features of Discover Weekly is its ability to discover new artists and tracks that you may not have come across before. This is made possible using machine learning algorithms that analyze your listening history, as well as the listening habits of similar users, to identify patterns and make recommendations.
In addition to discovering new music, Discover Weekly also helps you rediscover old favorites and tracks that you may have missed the first time around. This is especially useful for people who have large music libraries, as it can be easy to overlook certain tracks when there is so much to choose from.
One of the benefits of Discover Weekly is that it helps you to find new music that is tailored specifically to their tastes. This can be especially useful for those who are looking to branch out and discover new genres or artists, as the playlist is constantly evolving and changing to reflect your changing tastes.
Discover Weekly is a valuable tool for music fans looking to discover new music and rediscover old favorites. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of a particular genre or just looking to broaden your musical horizons, Discover Weekly is a fantastic way to find new tracks and artists that you’ll love.
“But I want new recommendations on a daily basis”
…I hear you say. I get it.
It is possible that Spotify could offer a “Discover Daily” feature in the future. This feature would work similarly to Discover Weekly, but instead of being updated once a week, it would be updated every day with a new selection of personalized tracks.
There are a few great benefits to a “Discover Daily” feature. For one, it would allow users to discover new music more frequently, which could be especially appealing for those who are always on the lookout for new tunes. Additionally, a daily update could allow for more flexibility and customization, as the playlist could be tailored to the user’s mood and activities on a given day.
There could also be some challenges to implementing a “Discover Daily” feature. One potential issue is that it could be more resource-intensive for Spotify’s algorithms to create a new playlist for each user every day. Additionally, users may find it overwhelming to have to sift through a new playlist every day, especially if they have a large music library and are already struggling to keep up with the tracks they already have.
What if I told you, it’s already there?
Those guys do offer a “Discover Daily” feature, which is similar to “Discover Weekly” but is updated daily with a new selection of personalized tracks.
Listen to the real good stuff one day, then the next day listen to more of that good stuff which was previously unknown to you. Do that every day. Effort: zero.
Every day discoverifymusic.com washes new great music into a playlist in your Spotify. It curates automatically for you, based on your listening history. It couldn’t get any easier to find great new music … you don’t even “find” it, it gets served to you.
In this article, I’ll look at the two biggest music streaming providers, we’ll look at a good distribution service, and we’ll look at if and how you can or should pursue a music career.
The two big boys in the music streaming business
As an artist, it is important to choose the right streaming platform to showcase and distribute your music. There are many options available, but two of the most popular are Spotify and Apple Music. While both platforms have their pros and cons, it is important to weigh the options and consider which one is the best fit for your needs as an artist.
First, let’s take a look at Spotify. With over 345 million monthly active users, Spotify is the largest streaming platform in the world. It offers a wide range of features for both artists and listeners, including personalized playlists, podcasts, and live audio. For artists, Spotify provides a variety of tools to help promote and monetize their music, including the ability to create artist profiles, upload music, and track streams and listeners.
One of the biggest benefits of Spotify for artists is the potential to reach a large audience. With millions of users, there is a good chance that your music will be discovered by new listeners. Additionally, Spotify offers a program called Spotify for Artists, which provides resources and insights for artists to help them grow their careers.
However, there are some downsides to consider as well. For one, the royalty rates on Spotify can be relatively low, with artists earning around $0.004 to $0.0084 per stream. This can make it difficult for independent artists to earn a significant amount of money from their music on the platform. Additionally, Spotify’s algorithm can make it difficult for new artists to get their music in front of listeners, as the platform tends to prioritize established artists.
Now let’s take a look at Apple Music. With over 60 million paid subscribers, Apple Music is the second largest streaming platform behind Spotify. Like Spotify, it offers a wide range of features for both artists and listeners, including personalized playlists, podcasts, and live radio. For artists, Apple Music provides tools to help promote and monetize their music, including the ability to upload music and track streams and listeners.
One of the biggest benefits of Apple Music for artists is the higher royalty rates. Apple Music pays artists a slightly higher rate than Spotify, with artists earning around $0.0064 to $0.0125 per stream. This can be a significant advantage for independent artists looking to earn more from their music. Additionally, Apple Music’s algorithm tends to be more favorable to new artists, making it easier for them to get their music in front of listeners.
However, there are also some downsides to consider with Apple Music. One of the main drawbacks is the smaller user base compared to Spotify. With fewer users, it can be harder for artists to reach a large audience on the platform. Additionally, Apple Music does not offer as many resources and insights for artists as Spotify’s Spotify for Artists program.
Both Spotify and Apple Music have their pros and cons for artists. It is important to consider the size of the audience, royalty rates, and available resources when deciding which platform is the best fit for your needs. While Spotify may offer a larger audience and a variety of resources, Apple Music may be a better option for artists looking to earn more from their music. Ultimately, the decision will depend on your specific goals and needs as an artist.
What about distribution?
DistroKid is a popular digital distribution service that allows artists to upload and distribute their music to a variety of streaming platforms and music stores. It is a convenient and cost-effective option for independent artists who want to get their music out to a wider audience. However, like any service, there are both pros and cons to consider when deciding whether or not to use DistroKid.
One of the main pros of DistroKid is its affordability. DistroKid charges a flat fee of $19.99 per year for unlimited music uploads and distribution to a variety of platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. This is significantly cheaper than many other digital distribution services, which often charge a percentage of sales or a per-track fee.
Another pro of DistroKid is the convenience it offers. With a simple online interface, it is easy for artists to upload and distribute their music to multiple platforms with just a few clicks. Additionally, DistroKid offers a variety of tools and resources to help artists promote and monetize their music, including customizable artist profiles, track and album pre-order options, and tools to track streams and sales.
However, there are also some cons to consider when using DistroKid. One potential downside is the lack of human curation. Unlike some other distribution services that offer playlist curation and other personalized recommendations, DistroKid relies solely on algorithms to decide which tracks to feature. This can make it harder for new artists to get their music in front of listeners.
Another potential con is the lack of support for physical releases. While DistroKid does allow artists to distribute digital music, it does not offer distribution for physical CDs or vinyl. This may be a drawback for artists who want to release physical copies of their music.
DistroKid is a convenient and cost-effective option for independent artists looking to distribute their music to a variety of streaming platforms. While there are some potential downsides to consider, its affordability and convenience make it a good choice for many artists.
With those tips at hand, do I become a successful music artist now?
Becoming a popular music artist is a challenging and competitive process that requires a lot of hard work, talent, and dedication. There are many factors that can contribute to an artist’s success, and the path to fame and recognition is often unpredictable. Here are a few of the main challenges that artists may face on their journey to becoming popular:
Competition: There are a lot of aspiring musicians out there, and it can be difficult to stand out in such a crowded field. It takes a unique sound, strong talent, and a lot of hard work to rise above the competition and get noticed by industry professionals and fans.
Marketing and promotion: Even if an artist has great talent and a unique sound, it can be difficult to get their music heard without proper marketing and promotion. This requires a lot of time, energy, and often a budget to promote the artist and their music through social media, live performances, and other channels.
Funding: The music industry can be expensive, and it takes money to produce, distribute, and promote music. Many aspiring artists struggle to find the funding they need to take their careers to the next level, and may have to rely on crowdfunding, grants, or other sources of financial support.
Industry gatekeepers: The music industry is often controlled by a small group of industry professionals, such as record labels, managers, and agents. It can be difficult for artists to get noticed by these gatekeepers, who often have their own agendas and may not be interested in supporting new or unknown artists.
Rejections and setbacks: Becoming a popular artist requires resilience and determination. Artists will likely face many rejections and setbacks along the way, and it can be tough to stay motivated and keep going when things don’t go as planned.
Overall, becoming a popular music artist is a challenging and competitive process that requires a lot of hard work, talent, and dedication. While it is not easy, the rewards of a successful music career can be well worth the effort.
Would I recommend you to walk this rocky and hard path? Neither nor. It all depends on how much you want to achieve that goal, how much you are willing to work and sacrifice for it and last but not least: how much talent you have, and by that I don’t just mean musical talent.
Are you ready for that? What’s your goal, and what are you willing to to put in?
The Ultimate Harmonic Mixing & Composing Chart is a visual aid for musicians, producers, composers and DJs to easily create music that always has harmonic chord progressions. This sheet is now widely used worldwide as a teaching and practical tool in music and DJ schools and has been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times.
The situation
As both a DJ and composer, the Circle of Fifth or the Camelot Key Wheel system — amongst others — have always been handy tools for me to write and mix music harmonically. There are just too many options in chord progressions than I could ever have in my memory (maybe you can, but I don’t).
So yes, I could always have a look at above mentioned helpers to orientate myself through the notes and chords jungle, in case needed, which is not always the case. I have the most common chords in my head. Just not always.
As a composer I’m fine with the musical key/chord system, i.e. “A minor“, but as a DJ it isn’t very likely (for me, again) to remember all the musical chords to know what to mix into what. So, Mark Davis came up with Camelot Keys (used in Mixed in Key, which I prefer, because of its accuracy) and then there are the Open Keys (Traktor). Which is basically a range of 12 keys for each gender, major and minor chords. “A minor” is 8A (Camelot Key) or 1m (Open Key).
In a nutshell: if you mix 1A into 2A (and so forth, up until 12A and then into 1A again) you’re generally fine. Your mixing transitions will always be harmonic, no key clashes. This example is the very basic part of harmonic mixing or composing. And also, a bit boring if you do that all the time. It becomes really good and interesting when you use all the options within the world of chord progressions.
What I was missing in all those years of composing and mixing was ONE chart (to rule them all) that shows me ALL key/chord systems and their equivalents, their piano keys (very useful for composing) and their harmonic keys/chords. I searched the interwebs in order to find out if someone did this, but no one did.
The solution
So, I did it myself. 8 hours work and I had what I was looking for. And since I guess this could be useful for every musician/DJ, I want to share it here with you. This is how it looks like (click to open the full resolution file):
Click to open large version, right-click to save
You can download the high-res PNG image above, print it out and use it for yourself, if you like. Here’s a PDF and the original EXCEL version of it, in case you want to edit/modify something for your needs (let me know when you find mistakes or when you improved it!):
Let’s take an example for a composing or mixing situation:
The chord we’re working with at the moment is A minor (or 8A, or 1m). What shall be next? Everything in the table below — around the 8A — is possible, it will be harmonic. The closer to the 8A it is the more harmonic it’ll be.
Composing Keys
DJ Keys
Harmonic Keys
Western Music Scale
Piano Chord Keys
Camelot Key
Open Key
Scale Degree
DJ Keys up/down
D minor
D + F + A
7A
12m
Fourth (Sub-Dominant)
-1
C major
C + E + G
8B
1d
Relative major
A minor
A + C + E
8A
1m
Same key (tonic)
E minor
E + G + B
9A
2m
Fifth (Dominant)
1
B-flat/â™ minor
A# + C# + F
3A
8m
Low energy boost
7
B minor
B + D + F#
10A
3m
High energy boost (supertonic)
2
A-flat/â™ minor
G + B + D#
1A
6m
Low energy drain
-7
G minor
G + A# + D
6A
11m
High energy drain (leading tone)
-2
But your decision what to do next is depending on the purpose. What kind of “feel” do you want to give your mix or composition?
Examples
Here are some possible chord progression scenarios, working with the Camelot Keys (which I prefer, at least for DJing), starting with 8A:
The “River”
That’s how I call it, it’s kind of a “secure standard”, nothing special, it’s just flowing along:
8A > 9A > 10A … 12A > 1A > 2A and so forth, until you’re at 7AÂ and back into 8A again
You can’t go wrong with this one, you just rock “around the clock”. Depending on the energy level of actual music/sequence used, transitions changes can be very energetic, though.
The “Little Ocean Wave”
The energy of this chord progression has the shape of an ocean wave or a sawtooth:
8A > 9A > 11A (+2 DJ keys, high energy boost) > 12A > 1a and so forth
Here you have a longer and progressive wave of energy rising, until it falls back to normal at 7A again, just like an ocean wave crashing and the next one building up again.
The “Wild Ocean”
It’s a bit stormy, and the waters stirred up, but everything is still harmonic and in place. This is the most “interesting” way of mixing, things shouldn’t become boring:
8A > 8B (relative major) >Â 9A > 4A (+7 DJ keys, low energy boost) > 4B (relative major) >Â 6BÂ (+2 DJ keys, high energy boost) > 7B > 2B (+7 DJ keys, low energy boost)Â >Â 4BÂ (+2 DJ keys, high energy boost) > 5B and so forth
I could make up a hell of a lot more examples now (with even sillier names), but you most probably already get the idea. The options are really endless, and you’ll always be composing or DJing harmonic. The above scenarios are just examples. Find out what works for yourself, I’m sure you’ll have fun experimenting with chord progressions, using this nifty chart. Oh, and don’t mind the silly names … it’s just about giving things a name. 😉
It’s free! Download, share, modify, re-publish and generally do with it whatever you want. But please, don’t pretend you did this. Credit would be nice (and fair) but is no condition.
