Ron Majiros

Weekly deep-dives on Making It in the Music Business: optimizing DSPs, mastering music rights, and building sustainable fanbases.

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Tennessee's ELVIS Act faces one of its first big tests: Elvis Presley's rights holders sued Suno, saying the AI imitates the King's voice and trained on 859 songs without a license. If your voice is your brand, know this law. #ELVISAct #MusicBiz https://t.co/AaW4qdx8VA

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Rocky Block cracks the top 15 on MusicRow's Top Songwriter chart at No. 14, on Morgan Wallen's "Been By Now" and Jelly Roll's "Hands Up." A couple of the right cuts can move a writer fast. Pitch for the single. #Songwriting #MusicRow https://t.co/qCQ678Cfmd

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

A publishing offer doesn't reward your talent. It audits your paperwork. What to check before you sign your first deal: term, split, reversion. #MusicBiz #Songwriters https://t.co/qKg5BT7QuI

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Billboard is narrowing paid vs. ad-supported streams from 1:2.5 to 1:1.5, and YouTube returns to the charts in 2027. Free-tier and YouTube fans are about to count a lot more. Treat YouTube like a release channel. #MusicBusiness #Billboard https://t.co/PjbjdTEMV9

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Joe Noto moved to Nashville in 2021, opened for Jake Owen, Russell Dickerson and Craig Morgan, and just signed with David Fanning's Off Road Records. Years of support slots, then the deal. #CountryMusic #MusicRow #Nashville https://t.co/vUwEeMX766

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Live Nation Q3: $10.1B revenue (+19%), 61M fans (+19%). International now tops the US in attendance and sponsorship. Here's the fix: build overseas fans online before you route the tour. #MusicBusiness #LiveMusic #Touring https://t.co/pw3zdrbTdR

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Back home at The Station Inn in Nashville! The French Family Band plays Tue, Nov 10, at 8 PM. https://t.co/cnwDnqgkuB #StationInn #Bluegrass

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

New West named Brad Turcotte GM — Compadre founder, Big Machine/UMG Nashville vet.

Full-circle indie. Songwriter labels need operators who've worn both hats.
https://t.co/hpXWlMgU8V
#MusicRow #IndieLabels #Nashville

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

$600m+ Anthem catalogue deal closed — Influence Media + BlackRock. 24k+ songs, 60k unexploited.

Know who owns your publishing before you need them.
https://t.co/1zORah6fWk
#MusicBiz #Publishing #Catalogue

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Broadway musicians are calling out Jam Juice — the AI booking app that won a 2026 NEXT Award. Tip flow, fan access, who owns the gig: read the terms before you plug in. https://t.co/Mga4a23dYG #MusicBiz #Nashville #LiveMusic

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Park Chisolm → Sony Music Publishing Nashville + River House (global). Lainey/Chesney/Shelton cuts + Modern West/TV sync. Publishing still pays when cuts and screen stack. https://t.co/b6Do5wH9zH #MusicBiz #Nashville #Publishing

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Spotify's spam filter may be hitting legit playlists — bot-free lists seeing follower growth reverse since late Aug.

Fix: own email + direct fans first; treat Spotify as a layer.

#MusicBiz #IndieArtists #Streaming
https://t.co/kOSXAn4TxA

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Warner Nashville cut marketing, publicity & radio promo this week (Mason, Lynch, Cage). Leaner major teams, same release load.

Fix: build your own promo spine before you need the label's.

#MusicBiz #Nashville #MusicRow
https://t.co/MFBTO4Xhne

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Eclipse bought the Harding Road catalog from ERNEST, incl. early HARDY songs like "Up Down." Writers: know what your pub deal says if the catalog sells. #MusicRow #MusicPublishing https://t.co/F8EaJDHMs0

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Flat-fee distributors still let fraud, AI dumps, and hijacked IDs onto the DSPs. Artist Rights Institute: verify uploader, ownership, and who gets paid — before upload. Comments open through Nov 23.
https://t.co/GvyWUf80Pf
#MusicBusiness #Streaming #IndieArtist

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Create Music Group took a minority stake in DistroKid. Create has also bought !K7, Monstercat and Cr2 since early 2025. Nothing changes for DistroKid users today, but keep your masters, metadata and split sheets in your own files. https://t.co/rmeqUDXB2k

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Music Row: Annie Ortmeier steps down as Triple Tigers Co-President. Raffaella Braun takes President after steering radio #1s for Scotty McCreery, Russell Dickerson, and Ella Langley.
https://t.co/vgPhRW2Ncr
#MusicRow #Nashville #CountryMusic

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Q4 isn't one campaign — it's three windows. Mid-Nov singles when majors go quiet. Gift buyers for vinyl. Quiet week after Christmas when almost nobody drops.

https://t.co/FzbTeQGow1

#MusicBusiness #IndieMusician #Nashville

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

AFM and the majors are back at the table Nov 3–5. Sticking point: AI. Players want consent before their work trains models, credit, and a cut when catalog is licensed for AI. Play on records? This is about your money. #MusicBusiness #SessionMusicians https://t.co/JBi78ph2Nx

[Ron Majiros @RonMajiros]

Nashville's Back Row Music, home of Back Row Publishing, just launched management and label divisions. Chris Koegen (Amazon, Big Machine) runs artist services; Alexa Fasulo (UMG, THRVE) leads development and marketing. Publishing, management and label under one roof means one plan per artist. https://t.co/usTH0QyJ4z