Sure,
Streaming’s Transformed the Music
Business. But What’s Next?
As
streaming rates begin to level off,
questions are being raised as to what’s
coming next for the music industry, with
some industry predictors are suggesting
that augmented reality could be the format
of the future. Everyone on the supply side
of music, from artists to record labels,
would love to see a new music release
format of some type that would make
listeners pay a premium again, but that
ship may have already sailed.
6
Reasons Great Album Covers Can Help Grow
Successful Music Careers
Don’t
Be The Music Producer With $5 Artwork.
We’re sorry to possibly burst your
brand’s bubble, but, people do judge
books by their covers, and they certainly
do the same with your music project.
It’s a common occurrence for creative
types to go through a phase where they
think, “branding doesn’t really
matter, it’s all about the quality of my
work.” This is not only false, but
carrying this mentality is more
self-destructive than you think.
MIDiA
Streaming Report Finds Spotify Ahead of
the Pack.
Spotify
is the world’s top streaming service —
by subscription revenue and paying
audience. That’s according to new data
from MIDiA Research, which says Spotify
has 108 million subscribers, which is good
for a market share of 35.6%. Spotify also
has subscription revenue of $1.67 billion,
making it the dominant player in the
subscription-based space.
U.S.
Department of Justice Backs Irving Azoff
in Legal War with Radio Stations
The
U.S. Department of Justice is backing
Irving Azoff and his Global Music Rights (GMR)
organization in its long legal battle with
the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC)
over the royalties radio stations pay
songwriters. GMR
only represents a small cadre of 82
songwriters. But these songwriters have
written more than one-hundred
top-charting, smash-hit songs. Since
2016, GMR and the RMLC have been battling
in the courts, with each accusing the
other of attempting to fix royalty rates.
Infographic
Guide To US Music Licensing
The
world of music licensing can be a
complex and difficult one for artists
and songwriters to try and navigate
successfully. Here we look at handy
infographic which breaks it down into an
easily understood format.
ASCAP
Launches TuneUp Wellness Program For
Music Creators
ASCAP
has launched TuneUp, a program
designed to meet the mental and
physical wellness needs of music
creators.
TuneUp
will offer ASCAP members access and
discounts on services that support
mental health, mindfulness, exercise
and nutrition, recovery-focused
support groups in multiple cities and
online co-sponsored with MusicCares
and wellness events in major cities.
How
To Pitch Your Music To Playlists
[Music Biz Weekly Podcast]
Andrea
Young, Partner, at Digital Promotions
Group sits down with Music Biz Weekly
co-hosts Michael Brnadvold and jay
Gilbert to discuss how playlist
pitching works. You’ll learn what
you need to know to avoid the scammers
if you want to hire someone to pitch
your music to playlists.
Spotify’s
Paid Promotion Tool Is Called Marquee and
Artists, Indie Labels Can’t Afford To
Use It
In
October, Spotify announced the addition of
a new “pay per click” ad placement
that allows artists and labels to announce
new releases to both free and paid
subscribers as part of a new “two-sided
marketplace” strategy.
The
placement marks the first time that
Spotify has allowed paid promotion on its
Premium service.
What
You Must Know About Pursuing A Career In
Music
You’re
not crazy for wanting to work in the music
business, but there is something you
should know before your journey begins. I
know you because I was you. In your mind,
music is more of a religion than an art
form. You know everything about the
artists you love, and you understand the
basics of the business more than any of
your friends. You get excited by crunching
the math behind a tour routing as you do
the artists on that tour. In short, you
spend every free moment thinking about
music, and you wouldn’t have it any
other way.
On
The Road: Tour Packing Essentials For
Musicians
In
this two-part series, we have 18
Bandsintown artists weighing in
with their best tips for tour
packing essentials—what they
never leave home without, what
they must bring, and what should
be left behind. Plus, there are
some great international touring
tips. Here are the first nine:
Amazon
Music’ Free Tier Will Soon Be Available
To Everyone
Amazon has stepped up its streaming game with a new free music tier that appears to be taking on the likes Spotify. Although the company launched a free version of its music service for Alexa users on its Echo devices in April, this version will be open to users of Amazon’s smartphone app. Distribution has also expanded just from the U.S. to Germany and the UK as well.
Things
Every Artist Must Do Before The End Of
2019
Believe
it or not, the end of 2019 is just six
short weeks away. As we enter into 2020,
here are some of the most important things
an artist can do to position themselves
for success in the new year. Most days it
is hard to believe that 2019 is almost
over. In roughly six weeks, people
everywhere will be gathering to celebrate
the start of 2020. There will be parties
held and promises made, all of which hinge
on our awareness that time marches on
whether or not we are prepared for what
comes next. The best we can do is to
position ourselves for success, which is
what you need to do in the days and weeks
ahead.
Math
Is a Musician’s Friend!
Well,
math should be a musician’s best friend.
Unfortunately, like many people, some
musicians are afraid of math. This
fear ends now, or at least at the
end of this article. Get excited. Numbers
are everywhere in music, both on the
creative side of musical creation, and on
the business side.
Spotify
Offers A Mini-Course On How To Release New
Music
With
countless options at your disposal,
releasing music can be a little
intimidating. But thoughtful and strategic
planning can help ensure you get heard.
For the Nashville installment of
Co.Lab—our nationwide event series,
designed to connect you with industry
experts, to help expand your network, and
understand the nuts and bolts of the
modern music industry—we invited a group
of experts to help walk you through some
challenges and strategies around setting
up your release.
Willie
Nelson, Longtime Cannabis Advocate, Has
Stopped Smoking Weed Because of Worsening
Emphysema
Texas
country music icon Willie Nelson says
he’s given up smoking cannabis after
years of use.
The 86-year-old
singer has extolled the virtues of
cannabis for years. But these days, his
worsening emphysema is wreaking havoc for
him, especially on show days. Nelson still
performs over 100 shows a year, still
writes songs and wants to keep
touring for his fans.
Is
It Time For Radio To Change Its
Anti-Royalty Tune From Defense To Offense?
For
years the radio industry has lobbied
mightily to thwart efforts to impose a
performance royalty on over-the-air
broadcasting. Now, with a new bill dubbed
the AM-FM Act introduced last week in
Congress that would do just that, is it
time for the industry to change its
royalty message on Capitol Hill? At least
one broadcaster thinks so.
Don’t
Tether 100% Of Your Music Marketing To
Facebook
Johnny
Dwinell and Brent Baxter dig into the
pitfalls of social media marketing and not
owning your fans’ contact info. The
takeaway? You should have alternate and
viable means to stay connected and
communicate with your fans outside of
Facebook. This post is excerpted from The
CLIMB — a podcast produced by Dwinell and
Baxter dedicated to helping singers,
songwriters, and artists create leverage in
the music business. This content is sourced
from Episode #178, “Will You Let Facebook
KILL Your Career?”
Mechanical
Licensing Collective Selects Leadership,
Partners for Copyright Database
Two
weeks ago, the Mechanical Licensing
Collective (MLC) secured crucial funding to
create a central database of music copyright
information to distribute royalties to
songwriters and copyright owners. The
creation of the MLC and its database are
mandates of the Music Modernization Act,
passed in October 2018.
Now,
the MLC is announcing some of the
partners that will help support the database
-- and filling a leadership post key to its
launch.
Why
You Need To Sell Merch
While
not every band is going to have merch for
sale at their shows, foregoing this revenue
option means the artist is not only missing
out on a much needed revenue source, but
also foregoing a valuable opportunity to
strengthen their brand and build a stronger
connection with fans.
Stop
Chasing Playlists and Start Building a Music
Career
Spotify
playlists may be damaging to your career.
Ari Herstand explains why. What?
More
Than Half of Americans Are Concerned About
Smart Speaker Data Privacy
As
smart speakers gain popularity, more
Americans are turning an eye towards their
privacy. A new report estimates over half of
Americans are concerned about smart speaker
data privacy. Pew Research Center conducted
a study of U.S. adults to determine American
attitudes towards smart speakers. The result
reveals that over half of Americans are
concerned about data privacy.
Unsurprisingly, those most concerned are in
the younger demographic. The study found
that one-quarter of U.S. adults say they
have a smart speaker in their home. Adults
younger than 50 are more likely to have a
smart speaker than those 50 and older.
The
Reason Radio Should Be The Best Algorithm
As
AI and algorithms become an increasing
presence in our day to day lives, working
tirelessly in the background to inform our
consumption habits, many of these algorithms
continue to fall short, dishing up
“similar” music and film suggestions
that entirely miss the mark. Here we explore
why radio could be the best algorithm to
solve this problem. We’ve all gotten
used to having products, services, and media
choices introduced to us – based on our
past behavior. Whether it’s watching
video streaming content on Netflix, ordering
another Margaret Atwood book on Amazon, or
dining at another restaurant on Open
Table, there’s no shortage of
machined learned recommendations trying to
induce us to buy more stuff.
MIC
Coalition Filing Reveal: Transparency in
Music Licensing And Ownership Act Is Back
From The Dead
While
the recently floated Transparency in Music
Licensing and Ownership Act was thought to
be dead and buried, it seems to be making
something of a comeback courtesy of the MIC
Coalition. Remember
the horrific Transparency in Music Licensing
and Ownership Act from the last Congress? Well, guess
what–it’s not really dead! A
little tea-leaf reading suggests that the
MIC Coalition (one of the largest and most
anticompetitive lobbying groups in history)
have plans to amend the Music Modernization
Act’s blanket license to all licensing
verticals if they had their way. That
would include “general licensing” in
bars and restaurants to satisfy their hotel,
restaurant and “beverage” folks.
So there’s definitely some there there.
How
Live Streaming Is Altering The Music
Business For Artists And Fans Alike
As
technological innovation continues to sweep
the music industry, live streaming has
become an increasingly important component
of bands and artists’ promotional arsenal.
Here we look at why you need to livestream
and what you need to do so effectively.
Technology is innovating and improving
constantly. The digital transformation of
the media industry has given a rise to the
trend of live streaming. It’s no secret
that live videos drive more views, traffic,
and engagement. In fact, live video are
already more desirable than any other form
of content. Currently, over 80% of online
users prefer watching live videos from a
brand.
Department
of Justice Scraps Decades-Old
‘Paramount’ Consent Decrees — Is Music
Next?
The
U.S. Department of Justice has indicated it
will ask a court to scrap the decades-old
‘Paramount’ consent decrees. The
antitrust decrees are designed to protect
movie theaters from studio control. The
consent decrees have been in place for
decades and currently have no expiration
date. DoJ Antitrust Division head Makan
Delrahim confirmed that his department would
seek their termination. These agreements
have been in place since the late 1940s.
They are commonly known as the
‘Paramount’ consent decrees —
finalized in the 1950s in a radically
different media landscape than today.
MLC,
Digital Services Strike Deal to Fund Music
Modernization Act-Mandated Database
The
Music Modernization Act that passed in
October 2018 was hailed as a landmark
achievement for the music industry in
creating a solution to several issues that
have long plagued the business, particularly
in the digital age. And today (Nov. 14)
marks another critical step forward for the
functions the MMA mandates, including the
funding for a central database that will
allow for the matching of song recordings to
rights holders so that songwriters and
publishers can get paid for the use of their
copyrighted works.
Music
Artists Coalition & Songwriters of North
America Urge Appeals Court to Uphold
Copyright Royalty Rate Hike
The
Music Artists Coalition (MAC) and the
Songwriters of North America (SONA) have
filed a joint amicus brief urging the D.C.
Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the
Copyright Royalty Board's (CRB) royalty rate
increase for copyright owners, the
organizations announced Tuesday (Nov. 19).
The brief urges the court to uphold the 2018
decision by the copyright royalty judges (CRJs)
to award publishers and songwriters a 44%
rate increase by 2022.
People
Spending More Time With Spoken Word, At
Expense Of Music Listening.
Under
the sweeping copyright reform legislation
that was signed into law last year, the U.S.
Copyright Office is creating a database that
would make it easier for radio and other
music users to determine who holds the
rights to songs. As it goes forward, the MIC
Coalition says the database should include
information regarding the public performance
rights, which would cover radio airplay
among other uses.
Anti-Radio
Royalty Milestone: 200 Opponents Now On
Record In House.
The
effort to secure enough supporters for a
House resolution opposing the adoption of a
performance royalty on broadcast radio
airplay has hit a milestone. There are now
200 cosponsors to the resolution introduced
last February by Rep. Cathy Castor
(D-FL). The signature that brought the total
to 200 was from Rep. Chrissy Houlahan
(D-PA). Based on the current count of House
members it would now take the support of an
additional 16 members to effectively block
any radio royalty bill.
Top
Strategies For Landing A Sponsorship As A
Musician
For
many aspiring artists, sponsorships may seem
like something only megastars are able to
access. Fortunately, this is far from true.
Here we look at some of the best strategies
for mid-tier artists with modest followings
to use in their efforts to secure the
financial backing of a company or brand.
Top
Streaming Exec: The MLC Is Choking On a
‘Once-In-a-Lifetime Opportunity’
Major
streaming services appear to be growing
increasingly frustrated with the
as-yet-unformed Mechanical Licensing
Collective, or MLC. A
top executive at one of the largest
streaming platforms in the world — who
wished to remain anonymous — shared this
statement. It describes a
disheartening situation around the
Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), a
group that was envisioned by the Music
Modernization Act to fix the current
mechanical royalty mess but seems determined
to avoid fixing serious copyright problems.
The streaming services — or ‘DSPs’ in
industry-speak — are being asked to pay
$66.25 million just to get the MLC off the
ground. They’ve already balked at
that price tag, with a separate DSP source
noting that the figure was ‘easily three
times’ the company’s cost estimate.
Radio
Broadcasters, Streaming Services Demand a
Truly Comprehensive Music Rights Database
The
National Association of Broadcasters, DiMA,
and dozens of other organizations are
demanding the creation of a far more
comprehensive music rights database. Since
the passage of the Music Modernization Act (MMA)
into law in 2018, publishers and streaming
services have focused on the creation of a
functional mechanical rights licensing
body. That entity, the Mechanical
Licensing Collective (MLC), would use a
functional, comprehensive database of
mechanical rights associated with songs
found on major streaming services like
Spotify and Apple Music.
What’s
the most important part of a demo – the
vocal or the production?
Just
as genres are different, so are the musical
elements that best support them on a demo.
BMI’s Creative team listens to music all
day every day. Here’s what they had to say
about what makes them turn up the volume on
a demo. Let’s start by thinking of the purpose of a demo. Hopefully, you have written a song so relatable that a recording artist is going to want to express it to the world as if it’s his or her own words. The purpose of the demo is to showcase the song without getting in the way of the artist’s or producer’s creative process.
