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Wrapping Up 2014 With a Spotlight on TuneCore Artists

December 23, 2014

Like most of you, we’re having a very hard time believing that we’re only about a week out from the beginning of 2015. However, when you take a look at some of the awesome successes of TuneCore Artists in the year 2014, it makes the year seem like a lifetime!

So join us on a brief stroll (or, ‘scroll’?) through some highlights of last year over here at TuneCore…

NBC’s The Voice

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Seasons 6 + 7
We’re proud to boast that in two 2014 seasons of The Voice, 21 contestants who appeared  hit TV show were TuneCore Artists! Just to prove further that we give independent artists the chance to be heard by the world, BOTH seasons’ winners, Josh Kaufman (Season 6) & Craig Wayne Boyd (Season 7), had releases through TuneCore!

GRAMMY & Latin GRAMMY Nominations

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Get ready to be inspired! TuneCore Artists Yosvany Terry, Antonique Smith, ILoveMakonnen, William McDowell, The Pop Ups, and Alexandre Desplat earned 2015 GRAMMY Nominations; 2014 Latin GRAMMY TuneCore representation included Debi Nova, Loinda Briceño, Alexis y Fido, Daddy Yankee, Don Tetto, Vega, Yandel, and Rosario!

A3C Festival 2014

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TuneCore was proudly named the official Music Distribution and Publishing Administration Sponsor of Atlanta’s A3C Festival. Almost 50% of the 500+ artists at this year’s fest have distributed through TuneCore! Be sure to check out some pictures from our TuneCore Studio event.

Artist Spotlights

>> Omaha Duo Jack & Jack had a series of very successful singles through TuneCore. Their Social media savvy landed them a Billboard article and premiere of their track “ Wild Life”.
>> DC rapper Shy Glizzy has a verified hit with “Awwsome” and has blogs and sites covering his  his mixtapes and official releases. The track peaked at No. 33 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop chart.
>> Redfoo, one half of the chart topping group LMFAO, uses Tunecore to release music from his own label Party Rock. His song “New Thang” has seen huge sales in US, AU, and around the world. The clever video incorporated viral celebrity Sexy Saxman (24 million YouTube views).
>> YouTube star turned multi-media star, Bethany Mota released her first single “Need You Right Now (feat. Mike Tompkins)“ through TuneCore while competing on the latest season of “Dancing With the Stars.”
>> Lindsey Stirling has had an incredible year:
Billboard Year End Charts for the year 2014:
#1 Classical Album Artists
#1 Classical Album (Shatter Me) & #4 (Debut)
#2 Dance/Electronic Album Artist
#4 on the Dance/Electronic Albums – outselling Calvin Harris & Skrillex in 2014
#5 on the year-end Top Dance/Electronic Artists chart
#5 on Independent Artist
#10 on Independent Albums (Shatter Me) & #22 (Debut Album)
#109 on the Top 200 Albums (Shatter Me) & #111 (Debut Album)
#51 on Top 200 Artists
#37 Catalog Album (Debut Album)
>> Top Dawg Entertainment released the single “Pay For It (feat. Kendrick Lamar)” by Jay Rock via TuneCore. Jay Rock performed it on SNL on 11/15, and MTV.com ran a feature about the track.
>> Kendall Schmidt who rose to fame initially as part of Nickelodeon’s Big Time Rush released both solo music and a new release from the band he started as a teen, Heffron Drive. Kendall performed with The National Symphony at the July 4th concert in Washington D.C and was a featured performer with his single “Blame It on the Mistletoe” at both the Philadelphia and Chicago Thanksgiving day parades.
>> TuneCore had a number of incredible young country artists have success in 2014. TuneCore hits on Sirius Radio’s The Highway:
“Can’t Get Away From a Good Time” – Logan Mize
“Wastin’ Gas” – Dallas Smith
“Nothing To Do but Drink” – Adam Sanders
“Broken Windshield View” – Chris Lane
“Mandolin Rain” – Josh Kelley
>> Angels & Airwaves new album The Dream Walker hit #1 rock album and Top Ten overall on iTunes, and hit #3 on Billboard’s Indie Chart.
>> The new holiday single, “Baby! It’s Christmas“, from Jessie James Decker star of Eric & Jessie: Game On, (as well as just announced new co-host of Redneck Island), hit #1 on iTunes Holiday charts
> Sales have exploded for the song “Top of the World” by TuneCore artist Greek Fire; the track is featured on Disney’s Big Hero 6 Trailer.
>> The Hip Hop Caucus chose TuneCore to distribute the charity release HOME (Help Our Mother Earth) to raise climate change awareness; the compilation features Common, Ne-Yo, Choklate and others.
>> South African artist DJ Merlon released his dance track “Koze Kuse (feat. Mondli Ngcobo)” in October with great success; the track hit #1 on iTunes South Africa Dance chart in December.

Music Publishing – Sync Placement Highlights

We’re proud of our Music Publishing Administration clients who have landed high-profile sync placements this year! Highlights include Jeff Bernat‘s “Dream Team” in the film Birdman; Danny Michel‘s “Maybe You Can Find It In Your Heart” in the TV series Teen Mom 2Deandre Way‘s “Ugly”, performed by Soulja Boy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; & Oscar Owens‘ “I Believe” performed by Minnutes on an ad for Samsung’s Galaxy S3.

‘Top Albums’ & ‘Best Of’ Lists

>> NPR, “NPR Music’s  50 Favorite Albums of 2014” – Isaiah Rashad & Ceci Bastida
>> Pitchfork, “Readers Poll Best New Artists” – Isaiah Rashad
>> Folk Alley, “Top 10 Folk & Americana Albums of 2014” – Hurray For the Riff Raff (previous release thru TuneCore)
>> Bob Boilen, “Top 10 Albums of 2014” – The Antlers & Luluc (previous releases thru TuneCore)
>> FADER, “The FADER’s 116 Best Tracks of 2014” #92 Isaiah Rashad, “Heavenly Father”
>> The Huffington Post, “The 23 Best Albums of 2014” – #10 Isaiah RashadCilvia Demo
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OK – that was a lot. But hey, there’s more to come in 2015! Thanks to all of our artists who work hard throughout the year!

Tags: 2014 angels and airwaves best of bethany mota craig wayne boyd dj merlon featuring greek fire hip hop caucus isaiah rashad jack & jack jay rock jessie james decker josh kaufman kendall schmidt lindsey stirling lists shy glizzy the voice