I use a similar method without abandoning the press release itself. I write a personal email in the body, then either paste the HTML below my signature with the full release or simply link them to it. That way, if they are interested, writers already have more info to work with.

I use around 3.5 GB of data per month. It's safe to say music consumes at least 2.5 of that. Hopefully the tech sector will push wireless carriers to upgrade their infrastructure, raise data ceilings, and improve speed.

Surprising that only 26% of study respondents have music store apps on their smartphones. After all, iTunes is default on all iPhones. According to Gartner, iPhone market share is around 18% currently. http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-market-share-stuck-at-18-2013-5 So let's say 18% of respondents have an iPhone, and as a result, have music store apps. That means: A) Only 8% of the rest of respondents who have music store apps on their phones come from other devices (those using Android, Windows, and the rest) B) Perhaps people aren't aware they already have a music store on their device

Thanks to Charles Alexander of Outside the Box Music for inspiring this article. It's something that's been in the back of my mind, but Charles really brought it out in one of our great conversations. Follow Charles on Twitter. He'll get your gears turning faster, too. https://twitter.com/musiccharles

I think the lack of obvious rules is part of the culture. Reddit is one of those places you have to visit for an extended period of time to pick up on weird things like the bit.ly rule. And even then, it's still easy to miss. It's part of being a "real" Redditor. That's the vibe I'm getting, at least. Anyone can google what AMA and TIL stands for. But it takes a while to pick up on memes, community habits, and the way they do things there. Good job adjusting though, Lee! Looking forward to following your other projects.

Seems like a fair deal to me. GoDirect is free, after all.

Perhaps they're going to focus on offline playlists, a premium feature that serves the same function to the user as paid downloads.

Good find. It looks like the two companies are still working together, though not in the same capacity. http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-57499359-251/htc-rumors-of-beats-removal-categorically-false/

I think those are all great expectations, Clyde. HTC owns the Beats by Dre brand. It currently integrates Beats into its mobile products. By moving Mog/Daisy under the Beats umbrella, it would make sense to get HTC users hooked on the service. That falls into the "music as a feature" line of thinking. Since Samsung took their place as the largest smartphone vendor, HTC has indicated they're going make more marketing noise. This move is a way of doing that. They're placing a big emphasis on their smartphones' features: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57508519-94/htc-heres-how-were-going-to-get-back-into-the-game/ As a Pandora and Spotify user, this announcement doesn't excite me. And we don't see any meaningful differentiation from other services beyond our own speculation. But perhaps it's a part of a broader strategy relating to smartphone sales.

Good list, Clyde. To add to #2, I search for similar bands on blog aggregators like The Hype Machine and Elbo.ws. Blogs that are listed in those directories produce coverage that is more likely to spread to other sources.

Great points, Clyde! Glad that tweet got your gears turning. Though I respect Night Bugs' creative vision to juxtapose the soft song with a disturbing video, it turned me off. Even listening to the audio only now, I can only think about that guy getting humiliated and trashed. I'm sure there are fans who dug it, but it ruined it for me. Admittedly, some songs can be tough to sync up to a video. In many cases, the same song can mean different things to different people. If an artist picks a radical direction for the video, it's good to at least be as cognizant of the effect as Night Bugs seems to be. No excuse for the Drake rubbish, though. Those bland, stereotypical videos ruin otherwise vibrant music.

However they managed to pull in-stream Instagram purchases off, that's pretty amazing. Is Instagram really a place to sell, though? From what I've seen so far, selling directly through social sites hasn't quite taken off yet. I'm curious as to whether fans will be receptive to being sold to on Instagram, as well as comfortable buying on Instagram through Chirpify.

I've been using Presskit.to through the private beta, and it's been a great experience. Ben Maitland-Lewis, Mike Harmon, and the whole Indie Ambassador crew are doing a fantastic job. For an EPK, Presskit.to is more comprehensive than Onesheet while offering a much cleaner design than Sonicbids. It's become an indispensable tool in my press arsenal.

Pumped about Artist Growth's integration into Nashville's live music scene. The company gets the importance of helping artists digitally via their app and through events like this in the real world. Plus, I'm a fan of all three bands, so I'm looking forward to hitting the show!

Wow, thanks for including me! Can't describe how much I appreciate it. Thanks so much for all the hard work you guys do at Hypebot.

3) The app will archive previously featured songs. How do you see that working Kyle? Something similar to Facebook Timeline, where users scroll down to reveal hits from the past? Something calendar based? Or a simple date entry? Once enough time passes, filtering and searching previously featured songs could be a hassle if not implemented well. Then again, is this something only hardcore users like me care about? Or do music listeners in general only care about the songs that are charting now? You're definitely right about needing to test assumptions over time. Also, I love #4. Reminds me of a Songkick-esque solution to keep up with popular songs. Another feature I'd like is a weekly "Top Tracks Among Friends" playlist. Something similar is hidden in the "What's New" section, but it's not something I can subscribe to. It would be a better solution than scrolling through my favorite friends to see what they're playing. Another take on this concept: Subscribing to "Top Tracks by Location," so you can see what your city is listening to. Really enjoyed this one Kyle!

Reminds me of Kyle's "3 Insights into the Future of Geosocial Music" article. Cultural events may originate at a specific location like a venue, but thanks to CrowdStream, it spreads everywhere. Does the app differentiates between people at the event and people joining in online? I know how people love to be able to say "I was there when this happened." Regardless, this is a cool way to foster a community and make a live music event larger than the its physical limitations. Can't wait to try it out.

Very cool. I have clients whose music was discovered and reviewed simply through the tag system. This will make that process much more fluid.

Erik, thanks for being so candid and helpful. It's hard to admit to our mistakes, but you're helping artists learn through your experiences. Much respect. Wes Davenport wesdavenport.com

There are efforts to make jazz more popular with younger audiences. Take Bad Bad No Good. They meld hip hop and jazz, which can serve as a gateway to wider jazz appreciation. http://badbadnotgood.bandcamp.com/track/flashing-lights (Things get interesting around 3:00) http://respect-mag.com/exclusive-interview-bad-bad-not-good-talk-education-working-with-tyler-the-creator-clams-casino/

Mike obviously has a great head on his shoulders. He has the best attitude possible. I checked out his social networks, and they are on point. Tons of media and fan interactions. And it's all very natural and consistent. Mike just gets it.

It was great talking to you about this, Clyde. If anyone has any questions or wants more details, leave a comment or shoot me an email at wes@vinylthief.com.

You Can't Win, Charlie Brown's damn handclaps got me too. I can't resist! My other musical weaknesses: •Rap songs that drop the pitch (bonus points if they drop it while saying "drop it") •The surprise a capella part in the middle of a song (bonus points if there are accompanying handclaps) •Cello

The trip to Ireland for fans is way too freakin cool and brilliant all around. Major props to the band for this.

I was wondering the same thing, Lars.