Apple
Inc. is seeking
to reduce record
labels’ share
of revenue from
streaming, part
of negotiations
to revise the
iPhone maker’s
overall
relationship
with the music
industry,
according to
people familiar
with the matter.
The negotiations
would bring
Apple closer to
the rate Spotify
Ltd. pays
labels, and
allow both sides
to adjust to the
new realities of
the music
industry.
Streaming
services have
been a source of
renewed hope
following a
decade of
decline in the
digital age.
While
streaming might
be considered a
modern way to
access music,
Spotify is
launching an
initiative that
goes back nearly
75 years:
pay-for-play.
The music
streaming
service is,
however, giving
it a new
name—“Sponsored
Songs” and
labeling their
practice of it
an
“experiment.”
Given
its popular use
as a music
discovery
platform,
getting verified
on Shazam can do
wonder when it
comes to
connecting with
more fans, as it
frequently
provides a space
for fans to
engage with
artists before
more mainstreams
social networks.
Long
the target of
criticism from
musicians for
its unfair
revenue split
and complete
failure to pay
some artists and
publishers,
YouTube recently
sign a deal with
ASCAP wherebye
the PRO will
share songwriter
information with
the popular
video sharing
site, meaning
ASCAP artists
could see some,
albeit it not
vast, increase
in their
profits.
The
music industry
relies on
royalties as a
form of payment
from licensed
copyrighted
songs and
recordings.
However,
recording
artists earn
their royalties
on the sale of
their music
while
songwriters earn
them mainly on
public
performances.
Being a musician
is not as simple
as writing a
song, recording
an album,
selling it, and
getting money
from your sales.
It’s vital
that you
understand what
kinds of royalty
streams are out
there as an
independent
musician trying
to earn a living
off of making
music.
Good
news for artists,
who may be savvy
on a social media
platform like
Facebook or
Instagram, those
skills can be
transferred to
Spotify, a
streaming service
which requires a
good deal more
social interaction
than one might
guess.
Spotify
is now testing a
new “Sponsored
Song” ad unit
that a company
spokesperson tells
us is “a product
test for labels to
promote singles on
the free tier.”
Instead of
appearing as
obvious ad banners
like Spotify’s
existing ads,
labels can pay to
have Sponsored
Songs appear on
playlists you
follow or
potentially
elsewhere on the
service. These can
be targeted to
appear to users
with matching
listening tastes
so they fit
alongside their
other music. And
these Sponsored
Songs will be
instantly playable
and saveable
instead of
requiring an
initial ad click
first.
A
new study from
Hitwise delves
into the
differences
between the
audiences who use
music streaming
services Pandora,
Spotify and
SoundCloud. The
company focused on
exclusive
listeners for
each. The purpose:
to get a more
pinpoint picture
of their most
loyal audiences.
SongCast’s
Mike Wright
explores how the
culture of music
consumption has
shifted from one
of 'ownership' of
content, to one of
on-demand
enjoyment, and how
this change is
impacting the
entire industry,
and how labels and
artists choose to
distribute their
music.
Interactions
between fans and
musicians can be a
major contributing
factor in making or
breaking an artist's
career success. As
technology has
evolved and the
importance of social
media has increased,
the fan demand for
artist interactions
has grown, and
cultivating a strong
social media
presence has become
more important than
ever.
A
company which has
been facing series
of woes, Pandora
recently rejected a
full buyout from
Sirius XM, instead
opting for a large
cash injection, as
well as giving up
almost a fifth of
its stock and three
seats on the its
board, although
Sirius XM's
ownership of the
floundering company
seems inevitable.
With
the emergence of new
technology, much has
changed in the music
business over the
past few years. Here
we look at ten
fundamentals of
business that any
musician or producer
must understand in
order to find
success in the
modern music
industry.
ASCAP
has a new
plan to help
its
publishers
and
songwriters
earn more
money from
YouTube:
informing
the video
platform
which of its
members
composed and
published
each of its
songs within
the vast sea
of
recordings
and videos
uploaded to
the video
streaming
site.
“I
know you can’t
judge a book by its
cover, but I’ve
found you can judge
an album by its
cover.”My
friend recently said
this to me and while
I kind of hate to
admit it, I also
have found a
positive correlation
between good music
and aesthetically
pleasing packaging.
If nobody’s heard
your music before,
the artwork may be
the difference
between skipping
over it or checking
it out - especially
in the digital age
where there’s so
much music available
for free. Here are
some tips I drafted
up for creating and
choosing the correct
album art.
A
$480 million
investment in
Pandora by SiriusXM
along with a $200
million sale of
Ticketfly were not
enough for Wall
Street to regain
confidence in the
music streamer.
Pandora stock
closed down 7.63%
Monday at a one year
low of $7.87, and
analysts were
predicting more
trouble ahead.
There
is a pattern of
songwriters having
to chase after
Spotify to receive
proper credit and
compensation. Now
the globe's most
popular streaming
music service has
refused to pay
moneys to writers
aligned with Swedish
collection society
STIM; and Chris
Castle weighs on
why.
Supporters
of the effort to win
a performance
royalty on radio
airplay are
applauding several
lawmakers who’ve
agreed to cosponsor
the proposed Fair
Play Fair Pay Act
that would push the
issue forward. But
more members of
Congress are still
on record opposing a
performance right
for AM/FM airplay.
Sony
Music Entertainment,
which owns The
Orchard and RED, two
of the three largest
independent
distributors in the
U.S., will merge the
two into one global
company operating
under the Orchard
brand. This move
comes on the heels
of the announcement
last week that
Essential, the U.K.
distributor Sony
bought last year,
had been merged into
The Orchard, along
with an earlier
announcement that
two
other acquired
indie distributors,
Germany-based
Finetunes and
Norway's Phonofile,
had been merged into
The Orchard.
Although
their recent
multimillion dollar
settlement with
songwriters is
doubtless a weight
off of Spotify's
shoulders, the
company has a long
way to go, says
Chris Castle, and
probably many more
lawsuits to get
through on its
journey to IPO
riches.
As
an up and coming
band, being offered
your first record
deal can feel like
an amazing
accomplishment, and
something worth
celebrating. While
this may indeed be
the case, not every
record deal is
necessarily what it
seems, and a some
suspicion is
advised. Here we
look at ten red
flags to watch for
when being offered a
record deal.
In
the continuing saga of
whether Pandora will
find a suitor to
acquire and assist its
ailing fortunes, the
New York Post offered
the Monday headline:
“Verizon mulling
Pandora investment if
SiriusXM deal
fails.” The
newspaper reports that
Verizon is eyeing a
possible $100 million
investment in Pandora
Media.
As
they work to establish
their careers, artists
will work to get as
much music in front of
their audience as
possible, but just
using music
aggregators like
Tunecore or Distrokid
may not be enough.
Here we look at ten
other free options for
sharing your music.
Just
as Americans get
comfortable talking to
Google’s Google Home
or Amazon’s Echo, a
new smart speaker from
Apple could transform
the conversation. Apple
is widely expected to
reveal its own smart
speaker to be powered by
its voice-assistant Siri
at its upcoming
Worldwide Developers
Conference next week.
While
Spotify gets at least one
gold star for settling the
songwriter/publisher class
action lawsuit brought by
Melissa Ferrick and David
Lowery for $43.4 million,
an even bigger online
giant is ignoring its
obligations to creators
all together.
It’s
a topic that was raised at
many a session about
podcasting at last
month’s NAB Show.
Namely: Can recorded music
be licensed and played in
a podcast? The answer:
“There’s no nice easy
way.” As Oxenford says,
“Every time I talk about
digital music rights, I
make clear that there is
no fair use exception for
a use that constitutes
only 30 seconds of a song
or even five seconds, 10
seconds or 20 seconds. It
is a myth that if you use
only one of those limited
amounts of a song you
cannot get in trouble.”
While
many believe that the
streaming age brought
about the end of illegal
downloading of music, it
seems that it has only
replaced it with stream
ripping, a process through
which music is illegally
saved while it's being
streamed.
They
say you need a
thousand true fans to
build a sustainable music
career. But getting those
first few diehard fans who
play such a crucial role
in building momentum can
feel almost impossible
when you’re just
starting out.
There
are dozens and dozens of
ways to get more fans for
your music, but it’s
ultimately going to come
down to your level of
commitment and finding the
right balance of tactics
that works best for your
personal music career
strategy.
San
Antonio-based iHeartMedia
Inc.’s financial troubles
deepened as the company
extended the deadline —
for a fifth time — on a
$14.6 billion distressed
debt exchange offer after
few investors showed
interest and those who did
started backing out of the
deal. If executives cannot
get an agreement, the
company will likely have to
file for bankruptcy, the
company has previously said.
iHeartMedia had $20.4
billion in outstanding debt
as of March 31.
When
Spotfify took on $1 billion
in debt under difficult
terms, we questioned the
long term effect on the
music streamer's financial
health. Now, Spotify is
hoping to go public without
an IPO, but last year's debt
deal could put the damper on
those plans.
The
U.S. music community is
reaching across the Atlantic
to advocate for passage of
legislation that would
create a performance royalty
on AM/FM airplay. But the
number of congressmen on
record opposing a radio
royalty also continues to
grow.
The
U.S. Copyright Office has
requested comments on
regulating the right to
receive full credit for
artistic works, often called
"moral rights." The
U.S. does not guarantee this
level of recognition, even
though "these rights have
a long history in
international copyright
law," according to the
Copyright Office.
Spotify
is reportedly adding 4 new
members to its board of
directors prior to its stock
listing. The choice of former
execs from YouTube and Disney
who have experience with
video, alongside board member
Netflix chief content officer
Ted Sarandos, is fueling
speculation that Spotify may
make a major push into video
streaming.
Like
it or not, a band is a
business, and so it pays,
often literally, to think
about how your're going to
manage said business. The
stakes are particularly high
for bands touring abroad, and
while international tours can
be a fantastic success, they
can also be financially
devastating if managed
improperly.
While
many remain dubious regarding
revenue from streaming, a
recent study from Music
Business Worldwide shows that
major labels are actually
pulling in roughly $9000 a
minute from streaming
services, a number that looks
to be on the rise.
Pandora
stock continued to fall Monday
closing down 1.3% at $9.12,
despite buyout rumors. The
fall was fueled in part by a
lawsuit filed by PayPal over
Pandora's logo. Adding to the
bad news, Macquarie Capital
analysts downgraded Pandora
stock from a buy to neutral,
because they aren't sure that
a buyout will happen at
reasonable price.
Ever
since the 1928 Berne
Convention, almost every
developed country on earth
guarantees that when an artist
records a song, is in a photo
or video or writes a blog
post, they are guaranteed
recognition in the form of a
credit. It's called a
"moral right," but
in the United States, that
right does not exist.
