music tech
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Recording songs is just one step in the music-making process. Next, emerging artists need to distribute their album, EP or singles on music streaming platforms in order to reach listeners.
Sources like YouTube and TikTok have become a popular method for exposure, but if you’re looking to reach a wider audience, DistroKid can instantly get your music on Spotify — and for as little as $2 a month.
What differentiates the platform from the rest isn’t just its simplicity, but its artist-first mind-set and ability to eliminate having to count tracks and pay royalty fees. In three easy steps, you can get your music quickly released on Spotify in addition to a slew of other benefits. You’ll need to sign up for DistroKid in order to take advantage of everything the service has to offer, but the platform offers a variety of affordable plans to choose from, starting at $1.92 a month (billed annually at $22.99).
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Make the most of your DistroKid access when you pick from the Musician, Musician Plus or Ultimate plan. The Musician plan is the base package for one artist that’s $22.99 a year and includes unlimited song uploads, your lyrics in Google, a Spotify verified checkmark, the ability to create royalty splits and access to the mobile app.
For more creative freedom, you can get Musician Plus for $39.99 a year ($3.33 a month) and utilize it for up to two artists while receiving everything in the Musician plan in addition to synced lyrics in Apple Music and daily streaming stats. You can flex your creativity further when you take advantage of the customizable features for a label name, release date, preorder date and iTunes pricing.
To save up to 40% off, you can go for the Ultimate subscription that’s $89.99 a year and includes everything in the Musician Plus plan in addition to 1 TB of storage, contact info for thousands of playlists and free iPhone app access.
Beyond receiving verification on Spotify, a DistroKid subscription gives you control over your artist profile, allowing you to update your photo, bio and links. You can help your music reach more listeners by pitching songs directly to Spotify playlist curators and even track streaming statistics, including number of streams, saves and engagements. The deep insight into your audience can assist in developing marketing plans — especially since DistroKid lets you view Spotify’s streaming charts.
In terms of getting paid, the platform handles all of that for you with payments distributed twice a week — and you get to keep 100% of the royalties.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Corbyn Besson has entered his solo career with the release of his first single “Love Me Better,” which offers just a hint of what’s to come. Getting those crisp, quality sounds don’t require a professional studio though. According to the former Why Don’t We member, an at-home studio can capture professional-quality audio if you have the right equipment like studio headphones and tech similar to podcast equipment.
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“You can go jot [songs] down professionally and kind of get the hardest part of creating your idea out of the way very quickly, which is really nice and you have access to it 24 hours a day,” Besson tells Billboard.
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Plus, he adds if you have a spur-of-the-moment idea, then you can go straight to your in-house studio and put it down rather than have to wait until you can get into a professional studio.
To help you create your own quality at-home studio, the “What Am I” singer broke down how to set up your own home studio, tips on getting started and what to expect from this new chapter in his music career.
What Are the Best At-Home Studio Equipment?
Building your own at-home studio will most likely be different for everyone, Besson says.
“Music equipment is expensive,” he says. “It’s crazy, I’ve been discovering that a lot more lately after building our home studio and me and my boys have been just really trying to budget and make sure that we need these pieces.”
If you’re looking for the absolute necessities, the pop singer recommends six pieces of at-home recording equipment that he deems are absolutely essential below.
Amazon
Shure SM7B Dynamic Vocal Microphone
$399
$399.99
The Shure SM7B microphone has gained not only Besson’s stamp of approval, but pop singer LÉON as well for its quality, versatility and handheld design that allows you to take it basically anywhere. “People use it for podcasting, live streaming, but it’s also a really amazing demo microphone — and it’s handheld, so you can walk around with it,” he explains. “You can be super casual with it, so if you do need to record a finished vocal or even a guitar or really anything, the SM7B is very processable. I’ve gotten some really great recordings out of that microphone.”
Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor
$398.99
$572.00
30% off
$398.99
The singer also believes a good pair of monitors to be “super important because you want to be able to hear what you’re doing.”He personally uses the Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitors, which is eight inches and comes with an eight inch cone woofer to help prevent sound distortion and has a power consumption of 60 watts. It’s also been labeled as an Amazon Choice for studio audio monitors by Yamaha.
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen Audio Interface
An absolute non-negotiator is to include an audio interface. If you’re new, then the Scarlett interface is very entry level, according to Besson. “The interface is super important because you plug the microphone, the computer and the monitor speakers into it, and it becomes the hub for all of your audio controlling,” he explains. “Without it, you have nothing to plug the microphone into or the speakers into, so you can’t do anything.”
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)
$199
$249
20% off
$199
$249
20% off
Not looking to splurge on speakers? Besson suggests investing in a pair of quality headphones as it’s important for listening to any audio your record. He personally uses AirPods, but also advises you should playback your audio on a variety of listening devices like computer speakers, headphones and monitor speakers to get a fell for how it sounds out of various music players. “When I finish a song, I listen on my AirPods, I listen on my [AirPod Max], I listen to my car, I listen on my regular phone speakers, I do a listen on just my computer speakers and then I listen on my monitor speakers,” he says. “It just gives you a lot of perspective on how your song is going to sound to a wide variety of listeners. And if it sounds good on all of those, then you’re in business.”
Fender Squier Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Sunburst Bundle
Aspiring singers, according to the “Let Me Down Easy” singer should also consider picking up an instrument. Besson has been playing the acoustic guitar as well as dabbling in a nylon string guitar to test out sounds and melodies. Beginners can take advantage of this guitar bundle by Fender that includes a guitar, carrying strap, guitar picks and a tuner to kickstart their instrument learning. “I start most of my tracks on the guitar, I like playing acoustic, but I’ve just started experimenting a little bit more with nylon string guitars because they have a little bit of a different flavor, and they’re pretty cool.”
Apple 2023 MacBook Pro
$1,399
$1,599
13% off
Investing in a computer is also a must-have for Besson as that’s where song files and mixing lives. In his opinion, a MacBook is easier for iPhone users to send and transfer files with ease. “I think the MacBooks are just super powerful and super easy, especially if you have an iPhone,” he says. “My favorite thing about working on a Mac with the iPhone is how easy it is to sync files and final bounces and final masters of stuff. I save all of my songs in my files app, and it’s all synced to my iCloud, so if I save something on my computer I can leave, go get in my car, and it’s already on my phone. I can go listen to my car, and I don’t have to do anything else. I think with PCs sometimes it gets dicey because you got to email yourself links.”
What At-Home Recording Equipment Is Worth the Splurge?
If you’re looking to really spend money on one piece of equipment, the “Fallin’” singer has two tech essentials he would recommend picking from.
“Having a powerful computer really makes it easy to create without having to worry about your computer exploding,” says Besson. “The second, for singers, is investing in a great microphone. A great microphone can make all the difference in the world for a singer, because recording is all about confidence, and if your microphone sounds great, and if you think you sound great coming through that microphone, it makes your performance so much easier.”
Where Is the Best Place to Set Up An At-Home Studio?
Besson emphasizes that anyone can set up their own studio even if you live in a small space. The
“I’ve set up studio equipment on kitchen tables, I’ve set up studio equipment on the kitchen island, I’ve set up on an outdoor pool table,” he explains. “Really anywhere that your laptop can fit because nowadays, what’s really cool about just music creation software and just technology in general is companies are doing their best to make creating music easy. We live in a time where, as musicians, we’re very lucky to have the technology that we do because a long time ago, it was not possible and it was very expensive. Nowadays, you can make really great music for pretty cheap, which is really cool.”
Any Tips for Beginners Just Starting Out?
The biggest piece of advice the singer has for both aspiring and more experienced artists is to not take your in-studio moments too seriously.
“I think the more that I create, and especially now as I create from a much more personal place than I had in [Why Don’t We], is it can be very easy to get lost in the moment,” he says. “And if lyrics aren’t coming to your mind or if you’re singing a bunch of melodies, but none of them really feel good, it can be really easy to kind of fall into this, like, ‘oh my gosh, am I even good at music? Should I keep doing this? Do I suck?’ I’ve had this kind of philosophy for a long time, and it’s that no idea is a bad idea. In my experience, some of the objectively worst ideas have turned into some of the best ideas, because you just never know what you might say or think or sing into the room.”
Who Are Your Biggest Music Inspirations Right Now?
As a pop singer, Besson has a mix of current and classic artists that continue to influence and inspire his music.
“I’ve always listened to Justin Bieber. He was, like, my biggest inspiration growing up,” he says. It’s like, how do I be that guy? I listen to a lot of Post Malone — huge influence, he’s amazing. Then I’ve been listening to some more R&B music to kind of find what’s popping these days and what people are making that’s new. The new Justin Timberlake records are really cool. Been listening to some Ne-Yo classics, even some Troye Sivon — and then SZA is one of my favorites forever. She’s just so incredibly good, it’s ridiculous.”
How Does It Feel to Have Your First Solo Single Out & What Can Fans Expect Next?
“I’ve had [‘Love Me Better’] in my vault for almost two years, so it’s just been sitting there and I’ve been waiting for the people to hear it,” Besson says. “It’s been a little nerve wracking because the project I’m building now is much more personal to me than really any of the Why Don’t We stuff was. When you’re in a group, you’re storytelling from a different perspective. It’s very tailored to be like, you’re the boy band and you’re writing love songs for your girlfriends. Although we did write from personal experience a lot, it’s just a different perspective. Now being solo and writing from a place that’s 100% just me, my opinion, my stories, my words, there’s a vulnerability to it that I hadn’t experienced in music before.”
And in terms of new music, the “Just Friends” singer teases fans can expect his songs to express his maturity as an artist and person as he shares his real-life experiences.
“There will be some love stories, there will be some stuff about feeling the pressure of the world,” he says. “I really want people to feel good when they listen to my music. A lot of this stuff is pretty positive and happy and just fun. It’s going to feel a little more mature than some of the stuff that the group had done in the past. I’m working on a couple of moments to tug on the heartstrings and also just tell the truth about growing up and feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders and trying to figure it out. I think a lot of my fans, and even the group’s fans, have gone through a lot in the last seven, eight years.”
For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best portable recording booths, best speakers and the best over-ear headphones.
If rock and roll were dead, it would be bad news for the Marshall Group, the Swedish company that manufactures its namesake guitar amplifier. But the company behind the amp doesn’t think rock is anywhere close to expiring — and its most recent earnings result backs that up.
In fact, the Marshall Group doesn’t believe rock is confined to a music genre. “We think Marshall represents the rock and roll attitude,” says CEO Jeremy de Maillard. “We don’t think this is about the music genre, we think this is about attitude.”
Since last year, Marshall, which was founded in the United Kingdom, has been running out of a country better known for Spotify and pop music: Sweden. In 2023, Stockholm-based Zound Industries, a maker of headphones and wireless speakers, acquired Marshall Amplification and took the name The Marshall Group. The Marshall family retained a 24% stake in the company and family heirs Terry and Victoria Marshall each have a seat on the board of directors. Altor Funds came aboard in September as a minority investor.
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De Maillard calls it “a very complimentary acquisition” that retained “almost everyone” from both companies other than “a couple changes at the very top,” as the two companies’ management structures were integrated into one group. And Zound and Marshall had a history well before the acquisition: Zound had collaborated with Marshall for 14 years and put the Marshall brand on its headphones and speakers. “It’s kind of like we were dating, and now we’re married,” de Maillard adds.
The marriage appears to be off to a good start. Last year, the Marshall Group’s revenue increased 29% to 4 billion kroner ($380 million) and its adjusted operating profit improved 77% to 757 million kroner ($72 million), the company announced Thursday (Feb. 14). Pro-forma revenue — which includes Marshall Amplification and its subsidiaries for the full year — grew 18% year over year. Although the company is privately held, it releases select financial information to the public: “We believe that having the right rigor and financial reporting that is expected of a public company is good behavior and makes us a stronger company,” explains de Maillard.
A quarter of the Marshall Group’s sales come from headphones while 70% is derived from speakers and 5% come from amplifiers, according to de Maillard. The Marshall brand accounts for 98% of the Marshall Group’s revenue, with the remaining 2% coming from Urbanears and adidas headphones.
With the merger behind him, de Maillard’s plan is to invest in the Marshall brand and launch new products to increase its share of the $100 billion music technology market that currently stands at less than 1%. In the last six months, the Marshall Group has invested in Marshall’s U.K. manufacturing facility, which produces hand-made valve amps and houses a recording studio. This year, the Marshall Group will begin to offer its entire portfolio at a revamped Marshall website to build a stronger direct-to-consumer sales channel.
The company will continue to push its iconic hand-made valve amplifiers but will step up its strategy with its digital amplifiers and digital tools, says de Maillard. Digital amps have a variety of uses, he explains; the smaller amps are good for practicing and rehearsing in small spaces, for example, and don’t require the muscle or energy requirements of a larger valve amplifier. Last year, the Marshall Group launched the Studio JTM Amplifier and the Middleton, a portable speaker, while also debuting wireless noise-canceling headphones called the Motif II A.N.C. More products are set to launch in 2024, de Maillard says.
“It’s one of the most known and loved brands in that space that has over 60 years of incredible legacy,” says de Maillard. “We see our responsibility now as the Marshall Group to write the next chapter of that and to build the next 60 years.”
The annual Music Tectonics Conference has unveiled the schedule for its 2023 edition, which is slated to take place in Santa Monica Oct. 24-26.
As always, this year’s sessions will explore a broad range of music business trends, including the most buzzworthy topic of all — artificial intelligence — with the panel “Music Meets AI: Navigating a Positive Future” featuring Angela Abbott of TIDAL, Con Raso of Tuned Global and Marina Guz of AI music and wellness company Endel. Additionally, attendees can take part in a so-called “AI music demo experience” titled “AI Isn’t Spooky (Unless You Want to be Scared).”
Other standouts this year include “The Explosion of Musical Creativity in Gaming & Esports” with Maria Egan of Riot Games, David Knox of Reactional Music and Sony Ventures’ Aadit Parikh; the fireside chat “Strength in Numbers: Growth of the Independent Artist and the Future of DIY” featuring Andreea Gleeson of TuneCore and Billboard‘s own Kristin Robinson; and “The State of Creativity in Music Tech” with Dani DiCiaccio of Splice and Daniel Rowland of LANDR, moderated by BandLab’s Dani Deahl.
Other topics covered by sessions and events at this year’s gathering include music tech investment, fan engagement, music data, distribution and streaming fraud. As in previous years, the conference will also feature Swimming with Narwhals, a startup pitch competition for music tech companies that will see five finalists present their pitches to an audience and a panel of music tech investors.
The full 2023 schedule can be found here.
“I named this event Music Tectonics because we explore the shifting trends that change the industry sometimes suddenly and sometimes incrementally, the way the earth’s tectonic plates cause quakes and make mountains,” said Music Tectonics director Dmitri Vietze in a statement. “Music tech founders, label execs, artist teams, investors, and industry stakeholders come back to Music Tectonics each year because they learn about what’s about to emerge as well as what the state of innovation is.”
Top-level supporters of this year’s conference include Kuack Media Group, LyricFind and MU:CON, while sponsors include Beatdapp, Innovation Norway, The MLC, Moises, Music Reports, Reactional Music, Revohloo, RoyFi, SESAC Music Group, TuneCore, TunedGlobal, Downtown Music Holdings and MAM bmat.
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