The
Senate
returned
to
Washington
on
Wednesday
after
Majority
Leader
Mitch
McConnell
(R-KY)
ordered
the
traditional
August
recess
sliced
to
a
two-and-a-half
weeks.
McConnell
said
the
Senate
has
too
much
work
to
do,
including
passing
spending
bills
and
approving
nominations
by
the
President.
But
it
is
copyright
reform
that
many
in
the
radio
and
music
industries
hope
gets
attention
in
the
coming
weeks.
The
music
industry
has
gotten
used
to
describing
CD
Baby
as
a
“distributor”
over
the
past
20
years,
but
the
Oregon-headquartered
business
has
grown
far
beyond
this
core
service
–
as
a
new
milestone
handsomely
proves.
Five
years
ago,
CD
Baby
partnered
with
indie
tech
platform
Songtrust
to
launch
a
publishing
administration
service
for
its
clients,
which
has
since
expanded
into
the
UK
and
beyond.
And
today
(August
15),
CD
Baby
has
confirmed
to
MBW
that
it
now
administers
over
a
million
songs,
for
160,000
songwriters
in
over
50
countries.
One
of
my
great
joys
over
the
past
twenty
years
as
a
music
producer
is
the
regular
privilege
of
getting
to
work
with
some
of
the
finest
session
musicians
in
the
world.
These
men
and
women
have
played
on
some
of
the
best
known
albums
of
all
time
and
even
after
all
these
years
of
working
with
them,
I
never
cease
to
be
amazed
by
their
skill.
But
being
a
professional
session
musician
is
about
much
more
than
a
mastery
of
an
instrument.
In
this
piece,
I
thought
I’d
put
down
some
of
the
distinguishing
characteristics
of
true
studio
professionals.
Universal
Music
Publishing
Group
chairman/CEO
Jody
Gerson
has
spoken
out
about
the
difficulties
facing
songwriters
in
the
digital
age,
and
how
tech
platforms,
legislators
and
publishers
alike
can
step
in
to
help. In
an
interview
with
the
Wall
Street
Journal
published
on
Sunday
(Aug.
12),
Gerson
discussed
how
the
increasingly
global
exposure
that
streaming
platforms
offer
songwriters
is
not
coming
with
more
equitable
royalty
checks.
In
little
over
12
months’
time,
Spotify
will
be
out
of
contract
with
all
three
major
record
companies.
All
three
majors
agreed
to
reduce
the
average
percentage
of
Spotify
per-stream
revenue
they
received
in
order
to
give
the
company
a
better
chance
of
profitability.
(Sources
suggest
this
average
percentage
fell
from
55%
down
towards
52%
–
although,
certainly
in
the
case
of
Universal,
the
reduction
was
granted
on
the
basis
that
Spotify
hit
steep
subscriber
targets.)
The
arrival
of
Amazon
Music
in
Brazil
will
add
to
the
28
countries
Amazon’s
on-demand
Unlimited
streaming
tier
launched
in
at
the
end
of
last
year.
It
looks
like
the
arrival
will
happen
swiftly
—
the
advertised
role
requires
experience
in
setting
up
and
launching
operations
across
multiple
countries
in
a
short
period
of
time.
As
an
artist,
having
a
music
publicist
working
for
you
can
be
a
huge
asset,
particularly
given
that
most
publicists
now
double
as
digital
strategists,
and
help
to
shepherd
and
artists
overall
brand.
That
said,
there
are
several
important
things
to
consider
before
committing
to
hiring
a
publicist.
Spotify
continues
to
look
for
ways
to
make
its
free
music
tier
more
appealing
both
to
users
and
advertisers.
To
that
end,
the
streamer
has
begun
a
test
that
allows
all
free
users
to
skip audio
and
video
ads
as
often
as
the
want
and
get
back
to
listening
to
music.
Music
creators
(songwriters
and
performing
artists)
and
rights’
owners
(music
publishers
and
record
labels)
are
not
collecting
a
new
and
substantial
source
of
income
–
and
most
of
them
are
not
aware
they
are
not
collecting
it.
Enter
Twitch,
the
website
exploiting
creators
and
owners
without
paying
for
a
single
cent
of
music
usage.
The
coalition
that
helped
propel
sweeping
music
copyright
reform
legislation
has
shown
cracks
in
recent
weeks,
nearly
cratering
the
bill.
The
proposed
Music
Modernization
Act
doesn’t
include
a
performance
royalty
for
AM/FM
airplay
but
it’s
grown
more
important
for
radio
as
a
backstop
to
a
potential
repeal
of
the
ASCAP-BMI
consent
decrees.
Promoting
your
new
music
shouldn’t
start
on
the
release
date.
Waiting
until
your
music
is
released
to
start
promoting
is
way
too
late.
Effective
music
promotion
starts
months
before
it’s
out.
A
solid
pre-release
campaign
can
build
excitement
for
your
release,
grow
your
audience,
and
turn
casual
listeners
into
real
fans.
But
where
do
you
even
start?
And
more
importantly,
how
do
you
make
it
work
while
still
having
time
to
finish
your
music?
Here’s
five
tips
to
help
you
get
the
most
out
of
your
promotion
efforts
during
the
time
leading
up
to
your
release.
If
you
ask
almost
any
Broadway
Street
musician
in
downtown
Nashville,
they
will
tell
you
that
the
Nashville
number
system
has
gotten
them
through
at
least
a
song
or
two,
if
not
an
entire
set,
on
a
honky
tonk
stage
at
some
point
in
their
career.
Some
don’t
even
leave
the
house
without
their
iPad
filled
with
hundreds,
if
not
thousands,
of
Nashville-style
notated
charts
before
heading
to
work
or
a
weekend
run
of
shows
out
of
town.
But
there
is
something
quite
definitive
and
unique
about
the
way
Nashville
creates
their
charts
—
almost
like
a
universal
language
amongst
all
of
the
musicians
in
the
local
community.
For
anyone
working
in
radio
today
there’s
always
been
a
music
licensing
constant:
the
federal
government’s
consent
decrees,
which
dictate
how
stations
secure
the
rights
to
play
songs
in
the
repertoires
of
performance
rights
organizations
ASCAP
and
BMI.
But
the
two
agreements,
which
date
back
to
the
1940s,
could
be
about
to
change.
Music’s
biggest
record
labels
are
joining
forces
to
fight
against
two
of
the
most
notorious
stream-ripping
websites.
Ever
since
YouTube
went
live
back
in
2006,
music
fans
have
been
using
various
methods
to
rip
the
audio
from
a
video
to
an
MP3,
giving
them
a
level
of
freedom
and
accessibility
to
the
music
that
would
not
be
available
otherwise.
Over
the
last
decade,
one
of
the
most
prominent
methods
to
do
this
is
by
using
a
stream-ripping
service.
Now,
the
big
record
labels
have
had
enough.
YouTube
has
developed
into
quite
the
massive
lumbering
internet
video
tech
property
over
the
years,
with
its
fingers
in
a
number
of
pies.
Regardless,
it
remains
an
important
tool
for
artists,
so
here
we
delve
into
exactly
what
each
YouTube
brand/property
is.
New
numbers
out
from
Nielsen
have
revealed
that
the
popularity
of
streaming
is
continuing
to
grow
at
a
precipitous
rate.
Here
we
hear
from
multiple
industry
experts
on
what
this
popularity
suggests
for
ad-supported
platforms,
and
if
there
are
likely
any
red
flags
to
watch
out
for.
Vivendi
announced
this
week
that
it
is
no
longer
spinning
off
its
Universal
Music
Group
with
an
IPO;
but
rather
that
it
wants
to
sell
up
to
50%
of
the
world's
largest
music
company.
But
given
the
price
tag
and
other
hurdles
who
can
afford
UMG?
Who
will
want
to?
Apple
announced
financial
results
for
its
third
quarter
2018
on
Tuesday
(July
31),
revealing
$53.3
billion
in
revenue. That
revenue
total
is
an
increase
of
17
percent
year-over-year,
while
quarterly
earnings
per
diluted
share
of
the
company
stock
is
up
a
record
40
percent
to
$2.34.
International
sales
accounted
for
60
percent
of
the
quarter's
revenue.
For
a
second
consecutive
year,
Pandora
lost
listeners
in
the
second
quarter.
Total
listener
hours
were
5.09
billion
compared
to
5.22
billion
for
the
same
period
in
2017
and
5.66
billion
in
2016.
Active
users
also
continued
to
slide.
While
listening
declines
persist,
the
company
reported
better-than-expected
revenue,
which
sent
its
stock
as
much
as
12%
higher
in
afterhours
trading
Tuesday.
French
conglomerate
Vivendi
has
announced
it
is
willing
to
sell
up
to
half
of
Universal
Music
Group,
the
world’s
largest
recoded
music
company
and
home
to
dozens
of
labels
including
Capitol
Records,
Def
Jam
Recordings,
EMI
and
Republic
Records.
CNN
Money,
which
broke
the
story
Tuesday,
reports
that
revenue
from
subscription
and
steaming
products
jumped
34%
at
Universal
in
the
first
half
of
2018.
In
this
piece
Chris
Castle
defends
the
Harry
Fox
Agency
which
has,
of
late,
been
heavily
maligned
as
debates
over
the
Music
Modernization
Act
Continue
to
rage
on.
Here
he
looks
at
the
facts
and
explores
alternative
solutions
to
simply
ganging
up
on
the
HFA.
Live
music
is
a
relationship-based
business.
To
be
successful,
you’ve
got
to
form
and
maintain
good
relationships
with
booking
agents,
artists
and
managers,
and
even
fans.In
other
words,
reputation
is
everything.
Everything
you
do
on
behalf
of
your
music
venue
reflects
both
your
and
your
music
venue’s
reputation.
SoundExchange
distributed
$208.7
million
in
sound
recording
performance
royalties
in
Q2
2018.
That's
up
both
17.5%
over
the
same
quarter
last
year
and
the
$189.9
million
paid
out
in
the
Q1
of
this
year.
The
PRO
has
paid
out
a
total
of
$398.6
million
so
far
in
2018.
Spotify
CEO
Daniel
Ek
has
taken
pains
to
reassure
labels
that
the
company’s
direct-licensing
deals
with
independent
artists
should
not
be
seen
as
a
threat
to
labels,
tying
it
back
to
Spotify’s
‘two-sided
marketplace’
strategy.
He
continued:
“Licensing
content
doesn’t
make
us
a
label,
nor
do
we
have
any
interest
in
being
a
label."
With
the
rollout
of
its
360L
satellite/IP
platform,
a
new
mobile
app
and
a
focus
on
in-home
connectivity,
SiriusXM
is
ready
to
air
its
wares
outside
of
vehicles.
Said
CEO
Jim
Meyer
during
the
satcaster’s
second-quarter
investor
call
Wednesday,
“We’re
ready
for
people
who
only
want
to
stream
on
their
phones
or
on
a
device
in
their
home,
independent
of
the
car.”
While
any
artist
is
aware
that
playing
shows
or
selling
albums
can
bring
in
cash,
there
are
a
multitude
of
other
potential
revenue
streams
that
are
a
little
less
clear
cut.
Here
we
breakdown
the
difference
between
mechanical
and
performance
royalties,
and
how
artists
can
use
both
to
their
benefits.
YouTube
seems
to
be
working
harder
to
give
credit
to
those
artists
and
publishers
featured
in
their
videos
by
not
only
providing
details
related
to
the
featured
content,
but
also
links
to
its
official
source,
all
made
possible
by
YouTube's
metadata
rich
Content
ID
system.
Two
major
songwriter
organizations
are
crying
foul
after
the
Harry
Fox
Agency
and
SESAC
proposed
changes
to
the
Music
Modernization
Act
that
the
trade
groups
believe
could
scuttle
or
at
least
severely
weaken
the
sweeping
legislation.
One
month
after
bursting
onto
the
podcasting
scene,
Google
says
it’s
happy
with
how
the
rollout
of
Google
Podcasts
has
been
received.
Even
as
that
unfolds,
executives
say
for
the
first
time
since
Zune,
there’s
a
clear
No.
2 to
Apple
as
Spotify
listeners
embrace
podcasting
in
growing
numbers.
Meanwhile,
it
now
appears
Pandora
is
about
to
join
the
podcast
distribution
ranks
alongside
fellow
audio
streamers
like
iHeartRadio
and
TuneIn.
Do
androids
dream
of
Instagramming
their
electric-sheep
noodles
in
the
hope
of
getting
a
few
hundred
likes?
A
new
report
from
research
firm
Ghost
Data
suggests
that
as
many
as
9.5%
of
Instagram
users
may
be
bots.
That’s
up
from
7.9%
in
its
comparative
study
three
years
ago,
despite
Instagram
(like
all
social
networks)
upping
its
efforts
to
identify
and
remove
bots
from
its
platform.
Spotify
is
experiencing
a
high
US
paid
subscriber
churn
rate,
and
Apple
Music
could
be
the
culprit,
according
to a
new
analysis
by
Consumer
Intelligence
Research
Partners
(CIRP).
When
broadcast
attorney
David
Oxenford
addresses
this
week’s
Podcast
Movement,
he
will
be
offering
fair
warning:
When a
broadcaster
moves
content
obtained
from
its
broadcast
platform
to a
podcast,
it
must
have
all
rights
necessary
to do
so.
“None
of
these
royalty
questions
are
easy
and
straightforward,
and
the
laws
are
about
as
clear
as
mud,”
he
notes.
Your
artist
bio is
your
opportunity
to
tell
the
world
about
yourself
and
who
you
are,
but
sharing
can
feel
self-indulgent,
and
doing
yourself
justice
can be
a
challenge
for
many
artists.
In an
effort
to
make
things
easier,
we
look
at
five
essential
which
every
artist
should
be
sure
to
include
in any
bio
they
put
together.
French-streaming
service
Deezer
has
concluded
that the
majority
of
consumers
hit what
it deems
"musical
paralysis"—a
lack of
interest
and
motivation
to
discover
new
music—at
the lean
age of
30. The
survey
polled
1,000
British
participants,
who say
there
are too
many
music
choices
offered;
they’re
too busy
with
work; or
they’re
consumed
with
raising
kids.
Private
equity
firm
Silver
Lake has
contacted
iHeartMedia
and its
largest
creditor
group with
a $500
million
offer to
invest in
the radio
group,
according
to a story
in the
Wall
Street
Journal.
However
the
creditor
group, led
by
Franklin
Mutual
Advisers
and
Pacific
Investment
Management,
reportedly
hasn’t
accepted
the offer.
Making
a living as
a musician
has never
been
regarded as
one of the
easier
careers out
there, and
things don't
appear to be
getting any
better in
the
streaming
age, as a
new study
reveals why
it is that
so many
artists have
it so tough.
All
three
major
labels are
unhappy
with the
number of
song
placement
they
receive on
key
Spotify
playlists
and
demanding
preferential
treatment,
according
to a new
report. The
displeasure
with
Spotify is
directed
at two
very
different
kinds of
Spotify
playlists,
that
together
drive
manyt
listening
hours,
according
to the
report.
First, the
major
labels
want more
slots on
top
official
hand-curated
playlists.
Second,
the labels
are
concerned
that they
are not
getting
more slots
on
algorithmically
driven
playlists
like Daily
Mix,
Release
Radar and
Discover
Weekly.
Late
last year,
when
Facebook
announced
plans to
switch up
the
algorithm
to de-prioritise
posts,
brands and
artists
took note.
Last
October,
Facebook
announced
it was
“testing
two
separate
feeds, one
as a
dedicated
space with
posts from
friends
and family
and
another as
a
dedicated
space for
posts from
Pages.”
Essentially,
removing
content
from any
Business
Page from
its main
feed –
that’s
artists,
brands,
and even
media like
us.
As
a musician
in
today’s
industry,
you often
have to
wear
multiple
hats.
Of
course you
play the
role of
the
creative -
writing,
experimenting,
playing,
practicing,
and
creating
are part
of your
core
being,
coming to
you almost
as easily
as
breathing.
The
Senate needs
to act on
the bill
before this
Congressional
term ends,
otherwise
lawmakers
and music
industry
lobbyists
must start
the
legislative
process
again next
year.
As
old as
recorded
music
itself,
disputes
over
ownership
have
permeated
the music
industry for
decades.
Luckily the
advancement
of
technology
has made it
a little
easier to
keep
performance
rights in
check. In
this article
we explore
exactly what
performance
rights
disputes
are, and
where they
come from.
Music
merch
management
app Merch
Cat has
launched the
Merch Cat
Fan app, a
direct-to-fan
sales tool
centered on
the live
show. Fans
can use it
to buy merch
at live
shows, or
anytime, and
artists get
access to
purchase
data.
The
typical
headline
goes
something
like this:
Apple Music
Passes
Spotify In
The US.
Along with
ignoring
that Spotify
still leads
in the US
when
factoring in
its tens of
millions of
ad-supported
users, these
stories also
ignore that
Apple's lead
is likely
temporary
and that
there is
almost no
chance that
Apple Music
will ever
become the
dominate
music
streamer
globally.
The
Music
Modernization
Act (MMA)
passed the
House
unanimously
(415-0).
Then, on
June 28, the
Senate
Judiciary
Committee
reported the
bill with a
unanimous
voice vote.
Now it gets
more
difficult
because some
companies
that use
music to
fuel their
businesses
are happy
paying music
creators at
discounted
rates (or
paying
nothing at
all), and
they are
mobilizing
to keep
music
licensing in
the Dark
Ages.
As
Tidal
continues to
struggle,
Apple Music
has found
major
success, and
if a report
leaked to
Digital
Music News
is true,
Apple Music
may have
just become
the most
popular
on-demand
streaming
music
service in
the
U.S.—at
least as far
as paying
users go.
The
FWSA Song
Contest for
2018 has
moved out of
the
"dark
ages"
and in to a
new age of
technology.
All song
entries for
2018 will
now be
submitted
"on-line"
through a
new and easy
program.
This will
streamline
the process
of
collecting
entries and
provide an
accurate
tracking
program.
This
Monthly Songwriter
Gathering
will be
dedicated to
actual
"hands
on"
training
which will
allow our
members to
become
thoroughly
familiar
with the new
system. More
here.
Most artists and bands would prefer to be signed to a major label instead of an indie, but the fact of the matter is that indies are gaining strength, especially where streaming is concerned. Indie label association Merlin (which consists of more than 20,000 indie labels, imprints and small distributors) reported that its member’s streams have now grown to around 14 billion per month, up by 37% over last year at the same time.
More
than a year
of
discussions
between the
National
Association
of
Broadcasters
and the
music
industry
have so far
failed to
resolve the
decades-long
standoff
over whether
radio should
pay
royalties
for on-air
use of
music. But
NAB
president
Gordon Smith
remains
optimistic
some
agreement
can be
hatched,
most likely
tied to what
radio pays
for
streaming.
Private
equity firm
Silver Lake
Partners is
reportedly in
talks with
iHeartMedia’s
creditors
about buying
the company
after it
emerges from
Chapter 11,
according to a
story in the
New York Post.
Silver
Lake’s
interest comes
after
iHeart’s
creditors on
June 15
rejected a
$1.16 billion
offer from
John
Malone’s
Liberty Media
because the
bid was too
low.
Apple
Music
reportedly
has more
U.S.
subscribers
than Spotify.
According to
information
garnered by
Digital
Music News,
Apple is
slightly
ahead of
Spotify in
stateside
subscriber
counts with
both
streaming
music
services
cresting the
20 million
subscriber
threshold.
These
days, it’s
impossible to
get by as a
musician without
a great web
presence. Of
course, one of
the most
effective ways
to manage this
will be with
your own website
where you can
quickly send
anyone who’s
interested in
learning more
about you,
finding merch,
streaming your
music, or
booking you for
your next gig.
Sure, you can
probably get by
with a Facebook
profile and a
Bandcamp page,
but an
attractive
website hosted
on a domain that
you own will
make you appear
more
professional
than most other
new bands in
your area.
Most
labels and many
musicians thrive
because of their
hits, but
survive over
time because of
their catalog.
But as MIDiA
analyst Mak
Mulligan points
out, streaming ,
which offers
access to 35
million track
library and a
'small royalty
income forever'
business model,
changes the
value of music
catalogs in ways
that we're just
beginning to
understand.
Spotify
is arguably the
reason why
music-industry
analysts and
execs alike have
deemed playlists
“the new
album” and
“more powerful
than radio.”
With access to
over 157 million
monthly active
users, the
streaming
service
regularly
catapults
artists into the
international
spotlight, but
not all of
Spotify’s
biggest
playlists
guarantee
success for
those who land
songs on
them.
