Forget SoundCloud, Musical.ly & YouTube: Spotlite Is the Next Talent Incubator

In some senses, future superstars don’t have to be ‘found’ anymore. SoundCloud propelled Post Malone and Kygo; Musical.ly gave us Baby Ariel and Anna Zak.  Of course, it’s difficult for one platform to single-handedly deliver a brand-new artist.  But t…

Digital Music Distributor Gets $4 Million In Funding — 11 Years After Starting

It’s the least sexy way to grow a business.  But after nearly 11 years of bootstrapping, Symphonic Distribution has $4 million in funding. Hang around the music tech space long enough, and you start to see some patterns.  One of those is the heav…

Google Invests $70 Million to Destroy the Major Label Ecosystem

With a strong financial push from Google, United Masters may do away with record labels entirely. According to Troy Carter, Spotify’s Global Head of Music, the music industry (and especially major labels) have unfairly harmed fans.  To listen to one or…

This Startup Already Knows What You’ll Pay For a Concert Ticket

Over $2 billion in ticket inventory.  $15 million in Series A funding.  What’s next for Broker Genius? How much are fans willing to pay for the hottest concert events?  Broker Genius claims to know. Earlier today, the New York-based startup compa…

Need Funding? Then Talk to the Ex-President of Warner Music Group

Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s venture capital firm will focus on investing in small-time media companies. Former Warner Music Group President Edgar Bronfman Jr. has started a venture capital firm with longtime investor Daniel Leff. According to Bloomberg, the V…

How A-List Freelance Musicians Get Hired in LA

Last month I found myself on the Sunset Strip looking up at the Tower Records marquee and a long line of people standing outside the building. Now, for LA natives this seems odd considering Tower Records shut down this location back in 2006. The people…

Nearly $2.8 Billion Invested In the Music Industry — This Week

New investors have brought life to multiple start-up companies and entertainment projects. When a music company is forced to close its doors, it often leaves behind a very bitter lesson.  Rising music tech companies Ricall and Blin.gy were no exception. Ricall offered music pre-licensed for use in advertising, film, and TV.  Founded in 1998, the […]

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SoundCloud Won’t be Profitable Until 2020, Latest Filing Shows

SoundCloud may need more than its $170 million ’emergency funding’ pile to survive.  According to financial projections and filings shared with Digital Music News, this is gonna take awhile. Should they have let it failed? That’s a question now haunting longtime SoundCloud investors.  On August 11th, SoundCloud’s battered financiers made a gamble to keep the […]

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Leaked Info Shows Goldman Sachs Dumping $75 Million In Spotify Shares

Goldman Sachs has been one of Spotify’s biggest backers.  So why did they just drop $75 million worth of valuable pre-IPO shares? When investors see a calamity ahead, they usually drop as many shares as legally allowed.  All of which raises some awkward questions about Goldman Sachs’ reported dump-off of $75 million worth of Spotify […]

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SoundCloud Fires Its CEO as Last-Ditch Emergency Funding Gets Approved

SoundCloud’s investors just approved a life-saving $170 million emergency fund.  Here are all the details. SoundCloud just bought a few more months of life.  But existing CEO Alex Ljung will no longer be running the show. According to details shared by the company with Digital Music News, the emergency funding was given the green light […]

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