Where is MY hit single?
24 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago -Have you ever wondered why some songs are huge hits and others aren't? How exactly does the music industry work and how hard is it to write a hit single these days? Join music producer Luke Jones as he tries to get his head around the complex world of the music industry and takes a deep dive into the challenges modern songwriters face.
After 20 years working as a freelance music producer and 10 years as Head of Music for a publishing company, Luke discusses record labels, publishing companies, music rights as well as several of the key principles of songwriting, as he tries to answer the question, What makes a song, a hit?
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Episodes
Should you give the audience what it wants? - Music marketing & that age old Myth
February 26, 2024 11:43 - 27 minutes - 51.6 MBWhen Luke receives some constructive criticism via an email from a fan, he finds himself pondering a dilemma that has plagued artists and entertainers since the dawn of time......Should you give the audience what it wants? In this journey, he contemplates the clever market positioning achieved by the lyrical content of songs by Kanye West, Nirvana and LMFAO, the live performances of Bob Dylan, Weezer and Chesney Hawks and a pivotal scene from the movie LA LA LAND. Doing all this causes h...
How many hits are left? - The ballad of Ed Sheeran
January 31, 2024 19:29 - 30 minutes - 57.1 MBThere are an infinite number of possible chord progressions, but most of them probably suck. The recorded music industry is now well over a hundred years old! What happens when all the best chord progressions, have already been used? How many hit singles are left? Join Luke, as he meditates on the issue of song plagurism claims, copyright infringement, recurring drum beats and the threat of AI. ***** Hi, I'm your podcast host Luke Jones. I'm a music and podcast producer and ...
SEND NO FLOWERS - The coolest rock band, you've never heard of!
April 30, 2023 12:12 - 38 minutes - 70.7 MBIn 1996, Luke bought a grunge album called "Juice". It was one of the greatest rock albums of all time. He had found out about the album, after it was given a great review in KERRANG magazine. That was the last time Luke ever heard anything about the band. Almost 30 years later, Luke tracks down the band members to ask them....What happen to SEND NO FLOWERS? Join Luke as he once again, discusses the "behind closed doors" workings of record labels and the brutal reality that is......
Music Publishing Vs The General Public. Show me the money!
August 27, 2022 12:15 - 26 minutes - 48.8 MBHaving spent the last few episodes discussing the bleak realities of music streaming rates, the benefits of music synchronization and the value of sound recording rights, Music producer Luke Jones finishes up his thoughts on the alternatives to releasing music via record labels. Featuring the "Music used in this podcast OFFICIAL CHART COUNTDOWN", a brief apperance from a shady music industry insider who wants to spill the beans and a crash course in Library music and the benefits it offer...
Tv Syncs in the year 2000 and why Kate Bush is still Awesome!
July 30, 2022 20:42 - 25 minutes - 47.1 MBHaving made the comment that he doesn't think that music streaming platforms represent a particularly lucrative opportunity for composers and songwriters, music producer Luke Jones, begins to lay out his opinions on alternative ways to monetise music. This involves him remembering a phone call from the year 2000 and explaining the awkward financial realities surrounding the cost of releasing music in the pre-streaming era. Why did 80’s pop act “Frankie Goes to Hollywood” make so little ...
#BrokenRecord and the REAL problem with streaming!
June 29, 2022 12:14 - 30 minutes - 57.1 MBAlmost 18 months into making this documentary podcast series, music producer Luke Jones was approached by a journalist, who wanted a comment from a music industry professional for an article. Secretly overjoyed that FINALLY people were considering him a valuable industry commentator, he was quickly dissappointed to learn, that the article was yet another piece about the poor financial returns artists receive from streaming platforms. So what is ACTUALLY going on with this issue? Are a...
How a Young Indie Band was signed by Alan McGee.
May 17, 2022 08:57 - 21 minutes - 40.1 MBOne thing you rarely hear in the music business, is an honest account of how a band ACTUALLY got signed. Loads of acts are happy to talk about themselves and their music, but often their biography cuts from "we met in high school and started jamming"....to "....and then Sony released our album". I don't know about you...but it's the bit inbetween that interests me! So when I met a young musician who had been signed by the music industry legend Alan McGee, I jumped at the chance to int...
Critics, Huh! What are they good for?
April 25, 2022 17:39 - 21 minutes - 40.4 MBWhen it comes to your music, everyone has an opinion! Your dentist, your taxi driver and even the writers of your local music magazine! Join music producer Luke Jones, and hear his thoughts on critics in all their shapes and forms. Featuring references to Pitbull, Bono, Radiohead, Bjork, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and that rubbish 80's band, The Jimothys. If you want to check out any of the things Luke talks about in this podcast series, click this link https://linktr.ee/whereisMYhitsi...
Computers, Radio Playlisting & the old guard - What Happened to Guitar Bands? Part 2
March 16, 2022 16:40 - 25 minutes - 47.3 MBOne again, Luke is discussing the issue of new guitar bands not getting into the UK chart as frequently as they used to. In an attempt to make sense of the phenomenon, he recounts a memory from his time spent working with an Indie record label and then repeats a converstion he once had at a posh music industry networking event. Join music producer Luke Jones, and hear his thoughts on the current music industry related barriers for new guitar bands. How do we get more guitar bands on the r...
Andrés Segovia, King Of Strings - What Happened to Guitar Bands? - Part 1
February 26, 2022 08:20 - 20 minutes - 37.9 MBGuitar bands used to be everywhere, you couldn't swing a cat without hitting one! They were on the music video stations, mainstream radio stations but most importantly, they were in the UK Top 40! ....then, they weren't. Join music producer Luke Jones, as he bravely addresses this issue in an attempt to understand what happened to guitar bands. Are guitars less popular than they used to be? If you want to check out any of the things Luke talks about in this podcast series, click thi...
How old is too old? The Music Industry and The Fountain of Youth
January 24, 2022 18:11 - 28 minutes - 53.2 MBHave you ever noticed, music videos nearly always feature people under the age of 30? It's almost as if record labels are obsessed with youth! Well, young people ARE funky and cool...so it makes sense that labels want to get them to buy their records.....My question is...what about the rest of us? Has the music industry given up on anyone over the age of 30? Join music producer Luke Jones, as he discusses an insightful interview with pop legend Adele, the pre-teen market and asks himself...
Christmas hits, the gift that keeps on giving!
December 01, 2021 13:10 - 20 minutes - 38.3 MBIf there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that Christmas songs are brilliant! And they can also be extremely lucrative. Pen a half decent crimbo song and it will keep you in egg nog and gingerbread for the rest of your days! ....or will it? Once again, music producer Luke Jones puts on his investigative journalist hat and delves into the music industry, thirsty for answers. Featuring traumatic flash backs to DJing at office Christmas parties, nonsensical conversions with a Shady ...
Diamonds, jet skis and the illusion of wealth in music
November 01, 2021 15:45 - 20 minutes - 38.2 MBMusic videos are great! You get to see your favourite artists racing around in gold Lamborghinis, writhing around on the floor in fur coats and throwing fist fulls of dollars in the faces of bikini-clad models. Bemused by the endless displays of ostentatious wealth depicted in the majority of music videos, music producer Luke Jones takes a wry look at the ongoing issue of music and money. When a record label signs an artist, exactly how much money does that artist get, and what do they h...
Garden party jazz music and the passive listener problem.
October 06, 2021 09:39 - 20 minutes - 39.2 MBListening to music, is listening to music....right? Well...yes and no.... Some people sit down with an album and focus entirely on it, enjoying every single track in great detail. Other people, just put music on in the background while they do the dishes....This is what is known as "The Passive Listener problem". Should the music industry be worried? Join music producer, Luke Jones as he time travels back to the 1960's and asks....what has changed, in the way we choose to use mus...
Stacking the chart, Payola & streaming fraud. When did the music business get so dirty?
September 01, 2021 08:14 - 21 minutes - 40.6 MBAs the music industry continues to drift away from physical sales and into the world of digital streaming, we need to ask ourselves.....Do we trust everything we see? Platforms like Youtube and Spotify clearly state how many times a piece of music has been streamed, but what does that ACTUALLY tell us about the songs popularity? How do we know whether the people who streamed the song liked it or not? Do we even know if it was streamed by a human...and not a bot? Join music producer, Lu...
Cover Song Vs Soundalikes. Help Me Tiesto, You're my only hope!
August 06, 2021 20:10 - 16 minutes - 31.8 MBIn the music business, there's a well known hack that you can use, if you want to increase your chances of having a hit single. Instead of reinventing the wheel, just borrow someone else's and release a version of an already popular song. When you record yourself singing a version of a song that has already been a hit, it's called a cover version. Surely this is a quick and easy way to success, right? Well....yes and no. Join music producer, Luke Jones as he tries to wrap his head...
Music, Italian mansions and the concept of cool!
July 17, 2021 10:42 - 17 minutes - 32.3 MBWhy am I seeing sleek images of an Italian mansion in a music video? How could a High School gym setting possibly be better than a glossy world tour? What do bottles of perfume, The Fonz and the music of the late 1940s have in common? Join Music producer, Luke Jones as he time travels to previous decades, in pursuit of the very essence of 'cool'! ***** Hi, I'm your podcast host Luke Jones. I'm a music and podcast producer and I'm also available for hire. If you want bespoke music pro...
What is an Alligator drum and how did we end up here?
June 28, 2021 12:19 - 18 minutes - 35.2 MBWhat is an Alligator drum? What is drum re-triggering? How do I know if the drums I am listening to are even real? Does it really matter? Do my favourite bands use drum samples? In this episode, music producer Luke Jones quickly recaps the history of drums as he asks himself, when did we stop using real drum kits and why? ***** Hi, I'm your podcast host Luke Jones. I'm a music and podcast producer and I'm also available for hire. If you want bespoke music production, jingles, idents...
Is my music authentic and what does that even really mean?
June 11, 2021 13:12 - 20 minutes - 37.9 MBWhat makes a piece of music 'authentic'? What does that even mean? Why is authenticity in music important to the listener? How does this issue affect the actions and decisions of record labels? In this episode, music producer Luke Jones delves into a bit of amateur psychoanalysis, in an attempt to understand why certain songs appeal to certain people. What is it about a song or the recording of a song that makes us feel comfortable saying out loud "I like this!". He also looks at a classic...
The Golden Structure in songwriting and the beauty of the evergreen song
May 27, 2021 17:31 - 13 minutes - 26.2 MBWhy are most songs 3 minutes long and not 10 minutes? Is there a common structure used in all pop music? What's the 'Golden Structure' in songwriting and why is it important? In this episode, music producer Luke Jones takes a deep dive into the 'Golden Structure', the most commonly used song structure in popular music. He also discusses the reasons why songwriters use this structure and how it affects your chances of scoring an evergreen hit. There's also musings around the significance of...
How important is your choice of instruments in songwriting and can I trust my own judgment?
May 15, 2021 10:20 - 14 minutes - 28.2 MBWhat sounds should you use in your song, if you want it to be a hit single? How do the sounds used on a record affect the way it's marketed? Join music producer Luke Jones, as he discusses the importance of instrumentation in songwriting. He takes a look at classic 1980's drum machine the Roland 808 and the ever popular Korg M1 organ sound. Whilst using these sounds to try and write a hit, he finds himself contemplating the things that motivate songwriters, the issue of quality control and...
When did songwriting teams take over the world?
May 15, 2021 09:55 - 14 minutes - 27.3 MBHow many people does it take to write a hit single? Just one…right? Well maybe. Or perhaps there is more going on behind the scenes in the music industry than we realise? On this episode, learn more about how the technology we use to record music changed the way songs are written and how more people are involved in the song writing process than ever before. Join music producer Luke Jones, as he takes a look at the current trend of 'songwriting teams', tries his hand at writing a hit singl...
The problem with writing a hit single is....
May 13, 2021 18:23How do you write a hit single in the current music industry? Surely it can't be that hard? In an attempt to understand the realities facing songwriters in the current music industry, music producer Luke Jones enters the recording studio to try and create a hit single from scratch. With his hit single recorded and ready to hit the airwaves, he realises, he actually has no idea what comes next? After contacting music industry friends and many late nights researching online, he starts to ...
The problem with writing a hit single is....
May 13, 2021 18:23How do you write a hit single in the current music industry? Surely it can't be that hard? In an attempt to understand the realities facing songwriters in the current music industry, music producer Luke Jones enters the recording studio to try and create a hit single from scratch. With his hit single recorded and ready to hit the airwaves, he realises, he actually has no idea what comes next? After contacting music industry friends and many late nights researching online, he starts to ...