Music Business Newsletter w/ Matthew Rix

In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from an independent artist wrestling with one of the most talked-about issues in the music business right now: What is Spotify actually doing for musicians and is it still worth the energy we put into it? This artist has listened to the Mattrix Minute for years, appreciates the realistic guidance, and now wants to go deeper on a topic almost every creator finds confusing and frustrating: • Spotify pays very little

this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from a female independent artist who’s starting to notice something most artists eventually run into: There’s the public version of the music industry… And then there’s what actually happens behind the scenes. She’s been doing the right things: * releasing music * building an audience * growing locally But now she’s being approached with “opportunities” in management conversations, label interest, and industry connec

In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from a singer-songwriter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin who’s being offered a record deal and something about it doesn’t feel right. Here’s what the label is asking for: • 50% of all royalties • 50% of publishing • Rights to re-release his already completed album • No upfront money • A 5-album deal (all company options, no artist control) • And recoupment on future recordings In other words… the artist takes on most of t

In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from an independent artist who thought Bandcamp was the answer and ended up feeling burned. After committing to the platform for over a year, building out a full catalog, pushing fans toward direct purchases, and even launching merch drops… the results didn’t match the expectations. What went wrong? This artist shares real frustrations: • Lack of discoverability on the platform • The hidden costs of merch, shippin

In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from an independent artist in Wellington, New Zealand who believes he might be getting scammed by a music promotion company based in the United States. For the past two years, he’s been paying for services that promised: • Spotify playlist placements • US radio airplay • blog features and media exposure • industry connections in the American market But the results don’t seem to match the promises. Some playlists d

In this episode of the Music Business Newsletter with Matthew Rix, I read an email from an artist who realized something uncomfortable: For years, they treated music emotionally seriously but operationally casually. They waited for inspiration. They released inconsistently. They aimed for perfection. And nothing really moved. Then they made one shift: They started treating their music like a real project with structure, deadlines, and weekly execution. No overnight success. No viral moment. But