Catering to your fanbase is a key part of successful music marketing, and Spotify's new pre-save option - which gives fans the option of adding as-yet unreleased music their library, allows artists to engage with their listeners early, and ensures listeners don't miss out on the latest tracks.

Spotify stock closed at $125.68 on Friday, ticking up slightly from an all time day-end low of $125.55 the day before. In late July, Spotify's stock was soaring at $196.28, raising the streamer's market cap to $35.3 billion.

[UPDATED] Vick Bain is stepping down as CEO of The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).  Following a successful battle with breast cancer this year,  she will exit BASCA to pursue new goals.

MONDAY 12.17.18

Music Business News From Around The Web

Updated continuously under the More News tab

Commentators inside the music industry this week weighed in on why midsize cities will be the next major music hubs, why copyright law isn't so bad for creatives, how to effectively work with a record producer, and more.

Our wisdom and advice for the scrappy music industry self-starters out there this week covers where to focus your promotion efforts, some simple but effective ways to engage with fans, why getting your metadata right is so important, and more.

This week on MusicThinkTank, contributors shared articles on how Spotify pre-save are changing digital music marketing, how music improves your workout, whether tribute bands are really legal, and more.

In this roundup of the past week's music industry news, we revisit  the evolution of third party playlists and what they mean for streaming, Amber Grimes' move from Spotify to Capital, a judge's confirmation of a five million 'Blurred Lines' judgement against Robin Thicke, and more.

Hypebot contributor Kyle Bylin writes about the rise of midsize cities. He believes these places are the next platforms for music ideas. Local residents are choosing to build their businesses where they live rather than relocating to pursue their dreams. These small businesses, fused with state personality and pride, are poised to reshape the music landscape in the coming decades.

VIP experiences are on the rise in the music industry, giving cash-laden fans premium access and a variety of perks, and while organizers and attendees both seem to win out on the face of it, getting VIP ticketing right is easier said than done. Here we look at four tips for ensuring both customers and venues come out on top.

T-Series, the biggest global music label and and movies studio that you've likely never heard of, is within weeks of surpassing PewDiePie as the world's biggest YouTube Channel with more than 75 million subscribers. It's also the company that Spotify just cut a deal with as its preps entry into India.

Instagram: currently the fastest growing social media platform, it's one of the most important tools when it comes to making a splash on social media, and variety of new perks and features mean it's become easier than ever to connect with your fans and stoke the growth of you fanbase, provided you follow these practices.

In this piece, Bobby Owsinski observes how US pop hits which once permeated the world over have given way to more local music in every area except when it comes to the holidays, where American Christmas classics from the 50s and 60s still reign supreme.

Some of the greatest musical acts have faced rejection at the hands of labels, and being passed over by the powers that be is as old as music itself. That said, it doesn't make the stamp of disapproval easier. Here we look at five ways to appropriately weather rejection in the music industry.

YouTube is cleaning up problem videos, spam comments and spam subscriptions on the platform. As a result, many creators are seeing a significant drop in subscribers numbers. YouTube explained the effort and its effects in a post to creators.