hypebot

RoyaltyShare Buys Broad St. Digital's Rightsrouter

2008-08-20T08:37:22-04:00

RoyaltyShare has acquired Broad Street Digital and their Rightsrouter platform from Arbinet. As part of the sale, RoyaltyShare and Arbinet will also work together to explore business opportunities presented by convergence of telecommunications and entertainment. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Rightsrouter is a digital content licensing management and distribution platform that already represents 500 record labels for content delivery.

"RoyaltyShare offers the first and only platform that automates the entire digital sales process - from catalog management and content delivery to artist and mechanical royalty processing," said Bob Kohn, Chairman and CEO of RoyaltyShare. "The acquisition and strategic relationship announced today will significantly increase our reach into the European market and provide us with the opportunity to work with one of the world's leading telecommunications service providers to address the needs arising from the convergence of telecommunications and the distribution of recorded entertainment."

"The sale of the Broad Street Digital business to RoyaltyShare will allow us to focus our resources more effectively on our core voice and IP transit businesses," said William M. Freeman, CEO of Arbinet.

Join Today's Podcast

2008-08-20T08:18:08-04:00

We’ll be recording podcast #3 Wenesday at 8:00am PST / 11:00am EST. If you would like to join us live and participate in the discussion follow these steps:

Call 619-276-6333 and enter 16867138 as your pin. This will allow you to listen in on the conversation (we can only support 100 callers, so you may want to call in a few minutes early)
If during the show you have a question or comment you would like us to discuss, post it via twitter prefaced with @artistdish (so we’ll see your tweet). We’ll then respond if time allows.

Today's topics: Pandora, MuxTape and more !

Ringback Revenue On Rise

2008-08-20T07:44:00-04:00

With consumers increasingly able to create their own ringtones, carrier controlled ringback tones are on track to lead mobile music by 2012, according to new research from MultiMedia Intelligence. With worldwide revenue nearly tripling to $4.7 billion, ringbacks will fall just short of mobile gaming revenue in capturing the largest share of the premium content market.

Overall, the global retail market for mobile premium is projected to reach $29 billion by 2012. Developed markets, such as Japan and Korea, have seen dramatic growth with some operators seeing data revenue exceed 30% of total service revenue. New growth is predicted to come from Europe and then the Americas.

Also, according to the study:

Realtone ringtones are displacing polyphonic ringtones in all regional markets.
Retail mobile music is nearly a mature market in South Korea, but an expanding market in Japan. By 2012, the mobile music market in Japan, for example, will be over 7 times the size of the mobile music market in South Korea.
Streaming mobile music is growing; however, it does not yet have the market scale compared to other mobile music categories. Mobile games and adult content are continuing to grow, but at gradually slowing rates.

Music Needs To Support Lower Drinking Age

2008-08-20T07:38:03-04:00

COMMENTARY: The music industry should follow the lead of the consortium of major college and university presidents who this week called for the US to lower the legal drinking age to 18. They point to studies that show current restrictions actually encourage dangerous binge drinking among young adults. Only four countries (Ukraine, South Korea, Malaysia and the US) restrict drinking until 21.

Whatever the morale or scientific arguments for or against lowering the drinking age there is one indisputable fact: a lower drinking age would be good news for music and the music industry.

Before the age was raised to 21, circuits of clubs presenting live music...

flourished; not just in large cities but also in small towns. Bands from Bangor to Butte were able to sustain themselves and hone their craft by playing regionally 4 or 5 nights a week. College towns had scenes of their own and official school events weren't shunned for private parties where alcohol is served illegally.

Alcohol abuse at any age is horrible. But I suspect that most of us in the music industry have always thought it was hypocritical to tell kids they could vote and fight in a war, but weren't old enough to have a drink. It's time for both artists and the music industry came out in vocal support of lowering the drinking age to 18. Some will call it opportunistic or worse, but in our hearts we'll also know we're right. - Bruce Houghton

OurStage Adds More Indie Gig Opportunities

2008-08-20T06:43:53-04:00

Indie music discovery site OurStage has added four new partners to its free online gig and talent finder resource Marketplace: music festivals Noise Pop and RedGorilla and artists Matt Nathanson and Kaki King.

Launched last month with 300 opening act slots from Live Nation clubs, OurStage Marketplace is an online resource which enables artists and bands to find and apply for gigs, and industry professionals to easily find, validate and book artists for performances and music-related projects. Both festivals will choose 10 acts to appear via OurStage and Nathanson and King are offering 10 opening slots each on their fall tours.

Oh Wouldn't It Be Nice? Brian Wilson + USAToday

2008-08-20T06:34:19-04:00

Capitol Records is partnering with Gannett for the exclusive premiere of Brian Wilson's new album "That Lucky Old Sun" from 8/22 to 9/1. More than 50 Gannett newspaper and TV station websites including USAToday will offer full streaming audio of Wilson's album before its September 2 release. The player will link to Amazon to pre-order the CD, limited edition CD/DVD and digital album.

While it is common for artists to offer promo pre-release web streaming, it's a unique arrangement to stream an album on newspaper and TV websites. For Gannett, it's an opportunity to deliver new music from a respected artist familiar to its core older news audience. Markets were chosen because of size or market, because they have a large Brian Wilson fan base.

Wednesday's Music Briefing: Def Leppard, MuxTape Update & More

2008-08-20T01:46:00-04:00

> Def Leppard pacts with Ace Marketing for some innovative "at concert" fan programs. (press release)

> The RIAA confirms it is behind the MuxTape shutdown for not having the authorization need to stream tracks. (ars) Speculation is rising that the closer is permanent.

> Thousands of file sharers face UK legal actions. (Reuters)

> The head of Activision (Guitar Hero) bites back at WMG's Edgar Bronfman's call for higher payments for song use in games. (FT)

> Forbes Kings Of Hip Hop ranking. (Forbes)

> Correction: WMG's Mark David was granted 75,000 additional stock options as part of his promotion to Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Chief Compliance Officer of the label group. He did not cash stock in a Lyor Cohen did. Here is the SEC filing.

> R.I.P. - The Dave Mathew Band's LeRoi Moore. (AP)