Women Who Helped Shape The Music IndustryAt Solid Merch, Women’s History Month hits close to home. Our parent company, A to Z Media, was founded and is led by Sarah Robertson, and both A to Z and Solid Merch include women in key leadership roles across the business. We believe that representation in the music industry matters, and that belief shapes everything from who we hire to who we partner with.It also shapes how we

Why 100 Records Beat a Million StreamsAfter spending years working on an album, hitting “publish” on a digital distributor can feel a little bit like shouting into a void. You get the social media likes, and you may get a few thousand streams, but at the end of the month, the payout barely covers a tank of gas. It is a cycle that has a lot of us feeling like we’re just generating content for

The State of the CD in 2025 & Beyond: Why Physical Still Matters for Independent MusiciansIf you had asked most people ten years ago whether CDs would still be produced in 2025, you would have likely received a confident, unanimous “nope.” Yet, here we are in December 2025, and the compact disc remains one of the quietest success stories in the modern music industry. While it is no longer the format dominating aisles in big

From Demo to Deluxe: The Evolution of a Music Release Releasing music has always been about more than just sound. It’s about creating a connection, building a community, and leaving behind a piece of art that resonates long after the final note fades. But the way we package and present that music has shifted dramatically over the decades. From scratchy wax cylinders to sleek deluxe box sets, the journey of the music release is as fascinating

 Spinning History: The Rise, Fall, and Comeback of the Compact DiscFew objects in music history have had a cultural arc as dramatic as the compact disc. Once the futuristic jewel of the hi-fi world, the CD now lives in the curious twilight zone of nostalgia, stubborn utility, and cult-like collector fandom. To understand the compact disc’s story, though, we need to rewind (yes, pun intended) to the formats that came before it.Before the CD: The

 The Science of Sound: A Look at Audio FormatsNot all sound is created equal. From the analog grooves of vinyl to the digital streams we carry in our pockets, the way we experience music depends heavily on the format delivering it. Whether you’re an artist weighing your release options or a fan curious about why your favorite album feels different on CD than it does on Spotify, this guide breaks down the science and the