Selling merch is a great way for artists to pull in additional revenue while they're on the road, while simultaneously expanding their audience and growing their brand. But how do you know which items will sell? Here we help to take some of the guess work out of merch by breaking down some key data on what sells best in which genre.

WEDNESDAY 5.22.19

Music Business News From Around The Web

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Yesterday, top music industry analyst Mark Mulligan wrote that  Niche Is Music's New Mainstream. But how do you find your own unique niche and connect with what Mulligan calls "a passionate cluster of fans?"Tarryn Meyers says that it is by building a brand that is uniquely you, but can also successfully bridge genres.

While many artists view crowdfunding as their ticket to music industry success, recent events like the PledgeMusic train wreck may have them second guessing the concept. That said, crowdfunding can still be effective if you know what you're doing. Here, we look at the truth behind five commonly believed crowdfunding myths.

In this piece, the people at Disc Makers break down the multitude of ways in which artists can earn revenue from just a single song, via the fans and musicians seeking access to source tracks, samples, stems, and more.

Music WorX Accelerator 2019, the start-up funding program of the German Ministry of Culture and the Media and the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, is accepting applications. Music WorX Accelerator helps music and music tech founders from all over Europe.

PledgeMusic owes independent artist Hattie Webb $6876. She's not alone. Hundreds of artists are owed thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars. But Hattie did something we're not aware of any other artist doing. When she learned that the crowdfunder was in financial trouble, she stormed their London office and demanded answers.

Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Pandora are being sued for selling and streaming unauthorized recordings of Harold Arlen, the composer of Over the Rainbow and other classic songs. The lawsuit accuses the companies of running “massive music piracy operation” involving more than 6,000 pirated recordings.

ByteDance, valued at $75 billion thanks in large part to the huge popularity of its TikTok app, is in talks with major labels and publishers to launch a music streaming service, according to multiple sources. The Chinese conglomerate could launch its Spotify competitor as soon as the end of this quarter.

TUESDAY 5.21.19

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While streaming is often maligned for the reduced amount of revenue it generates for artists, those musicians at the top of the pile are pulling down far more than you might have guessed. Here we look at streaming's five biggest money makers of 2019 thus far.

In an increasingly fragmented music landscape where algorithms and streaming emphasize songs over albums and artists, success - even on a global scale - is found in the niches, says top music industry analyst Mark Mulligan of MIDiA. "Fandom is fragmenting," says Mulligan, "but it may be the best thing that has ever happened to it."

Sony Music is promising its artists real time royalty tracking and monthly payments starting this fall. The major music group will  launch ‘Real Time Royalties’ and ‘Cash Out’ via its Artist Portal to “allow our artists and royalty participants to view and withdraw earnings faster than ever before.”

A growing chorus of musicians and other celebrities are speaking out in opposition to recent attempts in Alabama, Georgia and elsewhere ban abortions, with two artists also pledging a days proceeds from their merchandise sales to Planned Parenthood.

In the wake of the passage of Article 17, and the massive impact it will have on how we consume audio and video, Bob Barbiere explores how Dubset will implement the four As (Access, Attribution, Authorization, and Administration) to tackle copyright as we move forward in a post-Article 17 world.

For one of the first times since suspending all crowdfunding campaigns on February 3rd, PledgeMusic has issued a short official update. In recent weeks, most communications from the crowdfunder have come unofficially from co-founder and former CEO Benji Rogers.

MONDAY 5.20.19

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UPDATED: American Association Of Independent Music's annual Indie Week invades New York City on June 17 - 20. The usually very smart team at A2IM have foolishly invited me to participate on a panel titled Streaming Manipulation "The Ethics of Streaming." I hope to see you there.

Commentators inside the industry this week weighed in on the state of affairs surrounding PledgeMusic's bankruptcy, explain why the company is starting to sound like a broken record, and take us on trip back in time through the history of record deals.

Our tips and advice for the music industry's scrappiest self-starters this week covered how using Spotify's pre-save feature can boost an album release, some unique merchandise ideas that can help your brand, some important things to keep in mind when planning your next photoshoot, and much more.

On MusicThinkTank this week, our contributors shared original articles on the best methods for promoting your music, why you should opt to play house concerts over bar gigs, some amazing but unheard of festivals from around the world, and more!

In this revisitation of the past week's major music industry events, we revisit a challenging past three years for PledgeMusic, a lawsuit being filed against Ariana Grande over her own photos, check in on a post-surgery Mick Jagger, and much, much more!

This week's most popular and often read articles on Hypebot covered the sixty-four pop/indie playlists worth pitching to and how to reach them, why PledgeMusic is starting to sound like a broken record, the best way to make sure your content doesn't get rejected, and more!

Thanks to the rise of streaming, the metrics with which we measure the success of music are changing, which inevitably means the structure of music will change to compensate. In this piece we look at what kind impact streaming has had on the production of music, and what artists can do in response.

While a lot of people complain about contemporary music as adults (preferring the music they grew up with) this theory of the case doesn't seem to apply to millennials, according to a new study, which reveals the demographic to overwhelmingly recognize music from the 1960s through to 2000, with a precipitous dip in recognizing anything released later.

It's natural for labels artists to wonder about the efficacy of the ads they're spending money on and, thanks to metrics now available on Spotify's Ad Studio, they are able to do just that, thereby gaining a better sense of user engagement on the platform.

Going on tour can certainly be an exciting prospect, but becomes even more so if you know people are going to actually turn up at your shows. As with so many things in the music biz, properly publicizing your event and reaching out to fans is key ensuring your time on the road is a success.

K-Pop icons BTS stopped by the Late Show With Stephen Colbert this week which included a recreation of the Beatles famed appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show with BTS dressed in Fab Four style suits and Colbert as Ed Sullivan.

Midem has added keynotes with Rebeca León, themanager of  Juanes, Rosalía, J. Balvin and Marsha Vlasic, agent to Neil Young, Elvis Costello, PJ Harvey for its 53rd conference, June 4-7 in Cannes.