Spotify Singles tops 5B streams.

Who came out on top? Harry Styles’ “Girl Crush” with over 145M streams

The most added to playlists? “Creep” by R3HAB, GATTÜSO, “All Night Long” by Benjamin Ingrosso, and “when the party’s over” by Lewis Capaldi which is my favorite.

The most popular artists to cover have been Post Malone and Bob Dylan.

Senior Producer William Garrett says, “As a producer, it’s so exciting to work with these exceptional artists in the studio and be part of their most intimate creative process. From the first contact with the artist, we create an atmosphere that combines seasoned production and recording experience, professionalism and a mix of vintage gear and the newest tech. All of this plus a healthy dose of vibe sparks the space to create the unique tracks that have become a hallmark of Spotify Singles.”

Watch out for the London-based quintet Unknown Chapters and the new single release Ink. I like it a lot. Think Vampire Weekend meets Jack Jackson.

The alternative pop-rock act self-released their debut EP “The Age of Dying Radio” in winter 2021, and will roll out a new single every month this year.

“Ink is about seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses. Skies look pink. Problems seem a little smaller. Life seems a little lighter. And nothing can sink your mood” shares the band. Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders playlist.

Now that TikTok has moved into the mainstream expect a major shaking on the music landscape.

Many professionals will leave the business because of the massive change. It was find an act, develop the act, find some good songs, build some hype, and push it to radio. That has vanished.  The blueprint of breaking an artist has completely changed.  You may find yourself asking if there is a blue print at all?

The artists who built a instagram following will have to learn a new skill if they want to succeed in the new music biz framework. Instagram was rather effortless. It was a platform that was used for photo dumping and captions. Emojis replaced engagement.

TikTok forces artists to perform. This will cull the herd, especially for artists who can’t perform or entertain of some sort. TikTok is an amazing introspective tool. It tells you who can act, sing, and dance. It shines the light on Who Can and Who Can’t.

With TikTok, the music biz has become a totally barrier-free market. Anyone who can act, sing, and dance can find themselves riding the algorithmic wave. The idea of mastering performance has increasingly gone by the wayside.

The TikTok platform has deplatformed the artist which makes it harder for the manager to turn to the artist into brand. More streaming users say song matters more to them than the artist who performed it.

TikTok rewards content and not the creator. An artist must constantly push out high quality content. It’s not for the lazy or the blockhead. Instagram rewarded the top tier artists with premier shelf space despite the content they rolled out. Sure, TikTok rewards their app stars, but it’s a fairer game. A better game than Instagram. Everybody must work for fame. Whether you’re a mom, a janitor, or Jennifer Aniston.

Look out for Liv Ritchie and the track Wake Up.  Fans of Zara Larsson and Selena Gomez will love, especially if you like those angelic voices.

“I wrote this song after waking up from a visceral dream where my ex was back in my life. I wrote down the dream in my notes. The last line “It wasn’t a nightmare until I woke up” turned into WAKE UP” shares Liv. Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

Summerfest is set for the weekends of September 2-4, 9-11, and 16-18.

Hundreds will perform such as Wilco, ZZ Top, Pixies, Rise Against, Black Pumas, and Diplo.

Headliners include Miley Cyrus, Chance the Rapper, Chris Stapleton, and the Jonas Brothers.  Luke Bryan, Dave Matthews Band, and Zac Brown Band will headline the last day.

Masks will be enforced according to health department. Summerfest execs said proof of vaccination is not a requirement but things could change from May to September.