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Issue Nº 42Live · October 12, 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
358 dispatches
Read by
5,000+ artists
AllStreaming123Marketing89Business62Touring16Money48Career20
All dispatches

Page 3

Money

Music Merch Margins 2026: What Artists Actually Keep

Daniel Brooks15 min read
Money

Session Musician and Producer Rates 2026: Real Numbers

Daniel Brooks17 min read
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.
Streaming

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

Chartlex Editorial13 min read
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

8 Best Playlist Push Alternatives 2026 (Cheaper Options)

Marcus Vale15 min read
A DJ desk at night: a Pioneer controller with headphones resting on it, a laptop showing a DJ library with waveforms, a phone propped against a studio monitor playing a music app, a handwritten gig setlist with two tracks crossed out and a sparkling water can.
Streaming

SoundCloud vs Spotify 2026: Which Is Better? Our Verdict

Marcus Vale13 min read
A phone on a small desk tripod showing a colorful year-in-review card mockup, ring light switched off beside it, an August wall calendar with an arrow drawn toward December and a launch-prep sticky note, and a content plan notebook with items half checked.
Streaming

Spotify Wrapped 2026: Expected Dec 2, Artist Video Due Nov 6

Marcus Vale18 min read
A merch table at a small venue: a laminated sign with a large QR code hand-lettered TEXT FOR THE UNRELEASED TRACK, a phone showing a text thread, a metal cash box, folded shirts, festival wristbands and a crumpled napkin under warm string lights.
Marketing

SMS Marketing for Musicians: Own Your Fan List (2026)

Lena Kova13 min read
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

Daniel Brooks16 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

Daniel Brooks13 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

Daniel Brooks14 min read
An empty festival field under gray sky: a half-built main stage with loose banner corners, stacked crowd barriers on a flatbed trailer, a row of shrink-wrapped portable toilets, a printed notice zip-tied to the fence and muddy tire tracks across trampled grass.
Touring

Music Festival Cancellations 2026: Tracker + The Why

Daniel Brooks12 min read
A kitchen table covered in visa paperwork: four passports from different countries fanned in a stack, a printed petition with sticky flags, a hand-labeled folder, a laptop showing a government form, and an October tour month circled on the wall calendar behind.
Touring

US Touring Visa Guide for Musicians 2026: Costs + Rules

Daniel Brooks13 min read
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