Music’s Discovery Problem Persists

With so much music spread across so platforms and playlists, artists are able to experience short-term success but are finding it difficult to build a sustainable career. _______________________________ Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix Streaming has given more artists than ever a shot at short-term popularity, but that alone…

How An Artist Grew To 500,000 Monthly Spotify Listeners Without The Use Of Playlists

In this piece, Ari Herstand walks us through the rise of Virginian hip hop artist Lucidious, and how he managed to go from about 150 monthly listeners to 500,00, without relying on playlist placement. ______________________________ Guest post by musician and author Ari Herstand of Ari’s Take Three years ago the…

CD Baby, Dash Go Expand Into India

CD Baby has expanded into India, the world’s 15th largest recorded music market, according to the IFPI. The news arrives on the heels of recent expansion into China, Canada, Columbia, Southeast Asia, and the UK over the last 16 months. The indie music distributor also announced a notable Indian music…

Kerry Muzzey, Reluctant Artist-Advocate [INTERVIEW]

In this interview, Neil Turkewitz sat down to chat with Kerry Muzzey, a composer whose knowledge of intellectual property and performance rights allowed him to act as a one man publisher and record label. Here they discuss the issue of online copyright infringement, how it’s affecting artists, and what is…

Music Piracy Continues To Dip Dramatically, But The Industry Is Loathe To Admit It Because It Ruins The Narrative [Op-Ed]

In this op-ed, Mike Masnick reveals how better-authorized services have, in contrast to increased legal enforcement, been incredibly effective at reducing online piracy, but that the music industry is choosing to ignore the numbers in favor of a different narrative. ____________________________________ Guest post by Mike Masnick of Techdirt This was…

‘Stupid’ Propel’s Ashnikko To TikTok Superstardom

The channels through which artists rise to stardom are changing along with rest of the industry, as evidenced by rapper Ashnikko’s rapid ascension to stardom as a direct result of her popularity in the world of Tik Tok. _______________________ Guest post by James Shotwell of Haulix Fast-rising rapper Ashnikko has…

Musicians Can Launch Their Own Paid Streaming Service with Waterfall

Legendary progressive musician Neal Morse joins Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert on the Music Biz Weekly podcast to talk about Waterfall Streaming. Waterfall is a new platform that allows musicians to create their own subscription streaming service. On Waterfall, the artist makes 85% of the monthly subscription fee, which is…

Michael Stipe Of REM’s New Single Isn’t On Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube

You can’t find Micahel Stipe of REM’s new solo single "Your Capricious Soul: on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or almost anywhere else. Stipe’s solo debut is currently available exclusively on MichaelStipe.com. The new release was timed to coincide with October 7th’s “International Rebellion” climate justice protests and for the next…

Digital Music Marketing Pioneer Jay Franks Dies, Age 47, Leaving "An Immense Legacy" says Lucian Grainge

Digital music marketing pioneer and Universal Music Group SVP of Global Streaming Marketing Jay Frank, age 47, has died after a battle with cancer. “Jay leaves an immense legacy." Sir Lucian Grainge, the chairman and CEO of UMG, said in a statement. "He was a creative and tireless leader who…

Spotify Updates Video Targeting Apple On Same Day As Siri Integration: ‘It’s time to play fair’

[UPDATED] Instead of using yesterday’s announcement that Siri now included voice control of Spotify to make nice with Apple, the streamer seemingly doubled down on criticism of its much larger tech rival. "Apple comes between you and the music you love to listen to" "We love Apple. But we don’t…