hypebot

At Music Biz 2017? Don't Miss My On Stage Interview with A2IM CEO Richard Burgess

I'll be in Nashville most of this week for the annual Music Biz convention. This Thursday May 18th at 3:45 PM, as part of the Hypebot and Music Biz Indie Music Forum, I'll be interviewing Richard Burgess, the CEO if the American Association Of Independent Music (A2IM) live on stage.

Americana Music Chart 5.15.17: Willie Nelson, The Mavericks, Rodney Crowell and Ryan Adams

Willie Nelson, The Mavericks, Rodney Crowell and Ryan Adams top this week's diverse Americana Music radio chart compiled by the Americana Music Association.

Will I See You At Music Biz In Nashville Next Week?

I'll be in Nashville most of next week for the annual Music Biz convention.  On Thursday May 18th at 3:45 PM, as part of the Indie Music Forum, I'll be interviewing Richard Burgess, the CEO if the American Association Of Independent Music (A2IM) live on stage.

eMusic Relaunches Indie Focused Music Hub with Free, Discounted Downloads, Cloud Storage

A pioneer in digital music, eMusic has relaunched with an indie focus similar to its early days. TriPlay acquired eMusic in September of 2015 and has rebuilt the platform from the ground up.

Americana Music Awards Names 2017 Nominees [FULL LIST]

Nominees for the Americana Music Association’s 16th Honors & Awards were announced Tuesday at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame. The Milk Carton Kids’ Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan hosted alongside performances by Jason Isbell, Jerry Douglas and Drive-By Truckers' Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley.

Grammys Return To New York City In 2018 [OFFICIAL]

The rumors are true. In celebration of the Grammy Awards 60th anniversary, The Recording Academy is moving "Music's Biggest Night" back to New York City and Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018.

Jack White Gives A Tour Of Third Man Records [VIDEO]

As usual, Jack White has been busy.  He's signing bands, releasing music, operating a new vinyl pressing plant in Detroit and expanding activity at his Nashville Third Man Records HQ. 

5 Reasons You Should Know About Metadata

Although it's not something all musicians discuss or even understand, Metadata is critically important, it is essential it be correct and complete before being entered and distributed to the masses, and that it be kept organized once it is.

The Orchard Acquires Two Top European Music Distributors and Merlin CEO Charles Caldas Isn't Happy

Music and film distributor The Orchard is acquiring two leading European independent music distributors - Germany's finetunes and Norway's Phonofile - from holding company SendR SE. But some in the indie music community aren't at all happy about the deal.

A Look At Music's Future Inspired By A Cheap Vietnamese Restaurant In Berlin [Bas Grameyer]

Here Bas Grasmayer explains how his recent experience in listening to a Vietnamese singer covering Western pop songs reshaped the way he thinks of music's future, and how we could collectively reshape how we think of music ownership by radically overhauling modern notions of intellectual property.

Today, We Salute Working Class Musicians Everywhere

May 1st is May Day.  In addition to being a day that celebrates spring, it is also International Workers Day, to honor laborers and the working classes - a group that finds itself under siege and struggling.  That's a circumstance that many musicians find all too familiar.

Record Store Day 2017 Top Selling Singles, Albums & More

Two legacy artists topped the sales charts for Record Store Day 2017 according to BuzzAngle. The Grateful Dead's "Vancouver 7/29/66" was the top selling album of the day, while The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" was the top selling single.

How Kendrick Lamar Achieves Mainstream Appeal Using A Complex, Innovative Approach

In this piece we take an in depth look at how Kendrick Lamar is able to craft tracks which have achieved such prominent mainstream appeal, while still remaining deeply personal and specific to Lamar's personal experiences.

Streaming Income For TuneCore Artists grew 85% Last Year

New stats from TuneCore, shared as part of its launch today of SocialPro, show another year of sustained growth, with artist revenue up 32% to $188 million in 2016. Like the rest of the industry, streaming drove the revneue increase.

Nominees A2IM's Indie Music Libera Awards Announced [FULL LIST]

Indie label trade association, the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), announced the nominees for its 6th annual Libera Awards. Created by and for the Independent label community, the Libera Awards – name adapted from the Latin word for freedom – is part of A2IM’s Indie Week in New York City.

Hospital Records’ Romy Harber On Industry Trends [INTERVIEW]

In this interview, Romy Harber, Manager and Head of Digital at Hospital Records weighs in the importance of direct-to-customer marketing for labels, his experience with the music industry and where he sees it headed moving forward.

Merlin Reduces Fees For Indies 25%, Royalty Distributions Soar

Independent label global digital rights agency Merlin has cut its administration fees as a percentage of revenue for the sixth time in 5 years. The move comes days after it announced a new multi-year indie licensing deal with Spotify.

IFPI Music Industry Revenue Report 2017 - Quick Take [Mark Mulligan]

International trade group, the IFPI, released its annual Global Music Report 2017 today. It's overview of developments in the recorded music sector including the rise in streaming and the industry’s priorities. Analyst Mark Mulligan offers a quick look at the numbers.

Saturday Is Record Store Day - GO BUY SOMETHING

Saturday 4/22 is the 10th Record Store Day, with hundreds of independent record stores celebrating a resurgence that most thought would never happen. Thanks to vinyl, survival skills and loyal fans, these stores are, for the most part, experiencing a resurgence. But that will only continue if you turn off your computer, put your phone down and go buy something.  

A2IM Announces Indie Week 2017 Speakers: Pandora's Westergren, SoundExchange's Huppe, Merlin's Caldas & More

A2IM has announced the lineup of keynote speakers and panelists for Indie Week in NYC June 5 - 8. Kicking off the event will be Pandora CEO and Founder Tim Westergren.

Spotify, Merlin Reach Global Indie Label Licensing Deal

Just a week after Spotify announced a new multi-year licensing deal with Universal Music, the music streamer has cut a similar deal with Merlin on behalf of thousands of independent labels globally.

You Don't Need A Record Label To Be Successful

Although artists now have the resources and technology to be successful without the help of a major label, or indeed a label of any kind, many are still confused as to why so many in the industry are eschewing traditional labels in favor of their own DIY efforts. Here we look at why.

Music Streamer Deezer Explores Radical Shift To User Centric Licensing [MARK MULLIGAN]

"What if that metal fan only listened to Metallica, yet still 10% of that subscriber’s revenue went to Katy Perry?" It is not a hypothetical question. It's actually how payments to rightsholders are calculated by Spotify, Apple Music and all other music streamers. But Mark Mulligan discovered that rival Deezer is exploring a radical shift that some believe would divide revenue more fairly.

How Pandora Helped Ed Sheeran, Lorde, Lana Del Rey and The xx Gain Momentum Before Their New Album Release

When Pandora listeners hear a new single, they create stations based on that artist’s music and hear more of that artist. That’s gold when the single preceded a new album, explains Pandora's Glenn Peoples.

Fans Have A Growing Willingness To Actually Pay For Music [MusicWatch]

Music fans are showing a growing willingness to actually pay for music, and that is helping to drive the current growth in the recorded music industry. In fact, the value of those fans grew 11% last year driven by tens of millions of $10 per month on-demand subscriptions, according to MusicWatch’s Annual Music Study. 

Sync To Be A Focus Of This Year's MUSEXPO

MUSEXPO is set to return for the 13th edition of its flagship Los Angeles event at the W Hotel Hollywood from April 30th - May 3rd 2017.

TuneCore Now Offers Musicians and Indie Labels Fast, Low Cost Royalty Advances

To offer royalty advances to artists and labels, TuneCore today launched TuneCore Direct Advance in collaboration with Lyric Financial. The new service provides U.S.-based TuneCore customers the option of quick, automated advances on their future distribution sales revenue.

A Look At Just How Fast Streaming Music Is Growing [CHART]

It's no secret that music streaming is exploding. For the first time last year, the record labels made more money from streaming than from the sales of digital downloads and physical good combined. This chart chronicles music's streaming explosion.

Indie Labels Report Struggle With 'Whack-A-Mole' Digital Takedowns, 30% Have Given Up Trying [SURVEY]

A survey conducted by A2IM (American Association of Independent Music) and Future of Music Coalition (FMC) confirms that independent labels are struggling to deal with unauthorized use of their recordings and videos.

How The Music Industry Makes Money In 2016? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Streaming is increasingly the new normal of how consumers listen to music; and according to the RIAA, streaming brought in just over half of the US music industry’s revenue in 2016.  But where does the other half  of the money earned come from?