Issue Nº 35Live · August 27, 2026Weekly · Tuesdays

The Brief.

A weekly dispatch on streaming, royalties, marketing and the music industry — written from real campaign data, not theory.

In the archive

333 dispatches

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5,000+ artists

All Streaming121 Marketing73 Business59 Touring16 Money44 Career20

An independent artist in a teal sweater and studio headphones works at a home setup, editing a track on a laptop showing a music library, with electric guitars, a bass, and a keyboard on the wall behind them.

★ Cover Story

01 / 12Issue Nº 35·Streaming

From Demo to Release: The Full Independent Artist Workflow (2026)

The complete independent artist workflow for 2026, from first demo to release day and beyond. Every phase covered: writing, production, mixing, mastering, distribution, and marketing.

Chartlex EditorialAugust 21, 2026

13 min readRead the story

This Week

More dispatches

A musician's cluttered desk at night: a printed playlist promotion pricing sheet with handwritten dollar figures, one row circled and another crossed out in blue ballpoint, a phone propped against a coffee-stained mug showing a blurred playlist grid, a notepad with tally marks beside service names, a chewed pencil, an audio interface with worn knobs, and a guitar headstock at the frame edge under a single warm desk lamp.

Streaming

In Depth

The long reads

A spare-room record label office: a whiteboard release schedule with artist rows and quarter columns, two laptops on a worn desk, white-sleeved test pressings leaning against the desk, a framed debut album poster on the floor and a hand-made label sign on the wall.

Business

How to Start a Record Label in 2026: Complete Guide

How to start a record label in 2026: LLC setup from $35, the 50/50 indie deal standard, label distribution options, and a realistic startup budget.

Daniel BrooksAugust 9, 2026 · 16 min read

A musician's desk with a laptop showing a blurred three-tier pricing page, a printed comparison sheet annotated in blue pen with one column circled and one crossed out, a Casio calculator, a bank card, receipts on a spike, and a half-finished coffee.

Business

TuneCore Pricing 2026: Every Plan, Fee & Hidden Cost

TuneCore pricing in 2026 explained: unlimited plans from $24.99/year, the 20% social platform fee, new publishing admin costs, and when it beats DistroKid.

Daniel BrooksAugust 9, 2026 · 13 min read

A bedroom studio corner at dusk: a phone on a MIDI keyboard showing a blurred royalty dashboard, headphones on a mic arm, a notebook open to a handwritten pros and cons list, a basketball on the floor and sneakers on a shoebox by the wall.

Business

UnitedMasters Review 2026: Pricing, Payouts & Verdict

An honest UnitedMasters review for 2026: the free tier's 10% cut, $19.99 Debut+ and $59.99 Select plans, the brand deal reality, and who should skip it.

Daniel BrooksAugust 9, 2026 · 14 min read

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