In publishing news, Lindsey Buckingham sold his song catalog to Merck Mercuriadis’s Hipgnosis Songs for an unknown amount.

‘Go Your Own Way’ is the kingpin track of the song collection and Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hit. “Go Your Own Way” has been licensed in several commercials and is a timeless track that we will hear for the rest of our lives on earth. I’m sure Lindsey made a lot of money from the deal.
Selling your songs is like selling your soul, so why did Lindsey sell?
He was fired from Fleetwood Mac and could not make money from touring. Moreover, he’s 71, and looking out for his family. Instead of his family managing the affairs, many artists choose to take the cash.

The 18 year old singer Siena Bella shares the indie pop song Walking On the Moon. Writing songs in her bedroom, the Cleveland based artist has opened for Machine Gun Kelly. Moreover, she’s the daughter of FOX 8’s own Stefani Schaefer. She released her previous song “Skin” in April which clocked nearly 500k Spotify streams. Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

Robin Stjernberg drops the pop ballad Pretty, the first release of the new year. It’s a fantastic song, radio ready and everything else in between. When creating Pretty, he drew inspiration from both the Americans’ way of writing music and classical Swedish pop.  The song is about missing something you once had. “For me, it’s all about music. I live and breathe music. It’s my life and my sustenance. I feel that I have finally found my sound and I cannot wait to show everything I have worked on”, says Robin.  The Swedish artist, producer, and songwriter has written for Estraden, Meghan Thee Stallion, The Voice USA, Mamas. Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

Check out the song Three Years from Brighton, UK based artist Howard Kaye. The song was written in memory of the loss of his father. I always say the best songs are written when the artist is in pain. Look no further than the late Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang and the track Distance that struck a cord with listeners. In his previous life, Howard Kaye spent time fronting the popular British band CROOX, yet even in his solo career, he’s finding support from BBC Radio 6 Music, Tom Robinson; BBC Introducing in the South, Melita Dennett.  Give it a stream on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

What does music look like in 2021? Live streaming will be a dominant force as live rooms are still closed. The pandemic will wind down in the spring and the talks between bookers, promoters, and artists will become serious again. How do we get the artists back in the venues in the fall of 2021?  And what are the regulations? That’s the big unknown.

TikTok made an impact on the music business. Everybody from agents, artists and managers want in on the game hoping they have the next viral TikTok track, but the platform may have peaked. Most of the streaming platforms now have short video versions and the competition is at an all time high. Also, TikTok was built on 13 and 15 year olds, the most fickle demographic that could be move on.
As far as songwriting, there will be less writers on a song. It got to the point that a song consisted of 20 songwriters and the guy who was cleaning the windows got credit too for adding extra vibe to the room.
Will podcasting explode as predicted? I don’t think so. There are too many voices and it’s tough to come up with interesting topics that interest people. If it’s not political or biblical, then it’s not listenable.
I think artists will take more risks in 2021. People tend to take more risks in times of unpredictability. Plus, competition is fierce. The music and the story – everything needs to stand out.

The question we all need to ask it what’s next and how do we become part of it?