On Friday HMV Canada was placed into receivership and outlined its intent to close its 102 record stores in that country. HMV stores in the UK are not affected. According to a report by the Financial Post, HMV owes its major suppliers, including music labels and movie studios, about $42.6 million as of Dec 31. If […]
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We pretty much know about life in the studio around us, but how different is it in other countries? My former assistant Joshua F Williams has been one of the top engineer/producers in the Middle East for the past 10 years, and he’ll tell us what the music scene is like in the Dubai area […]
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After updating the Billboard 200 chart to reflect both streaming and track sales a few years ago, Billboard is now doing the same for most of it’s other genre-based album charts as well.  The following charts will now reflect the new measurement methodology starting this week: Top Country Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, plus: -R&B Albums -Rap Albums […]
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Here’s the Music Industry News Roundup for the week of January 27th, 2017. There’s lots of varied news that covers the spectrum of the music business. Here are some of the news highlights for the week. Spotify wants to pay a lower royalty rate. It’s contract with the major labels is up, but it’s offer is to […]
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When it comes to a live event like a gig or conference that you’re attending, Twitter can be the best way to keep your fan base both active and up-to-date. The idea is to maintain your visibility by sharing some worthwhile information that they’ll want. Here are 7 tips to do just that so you have have a […]
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Recently there’s been a lot of speculation on how long Tidal could financially hold on before it would have do something drastic. Today those fears are allayed with the news that telco Sprint has bought a 33% interest in the music streaming service for $200 million. Each of the company’s much celebrated two dozen artist-owners will remain […]
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The Winter NAMM show is always the one exhibition of the year to look forward to. Not only are some manufacturers now skipping AES in favor of NAMM, but it’s so much more fun and colorful, as musical celebs seem to be everywhere. Here’s a report from the show, from the big picture point of […]
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Frustrated with the long wait in to get records pressed, Jack White’s new Third Man Records pressing plant is scheduled to open in February in his native Detroit. The company has installed 8 new energy efficient presses capable of outputting up to 5,000 discs every 8 hours. The company also hopes to add 50 jobs […]
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Here’s the Music Industry News Roundup for the week of January 20th, 2017. We’re back in the swing of things as everyone hits the ground running in the new year. Here are some of the news highlights for the week. There’s speculation that Sony Japan is tiring of the entertainment business and might now want to sell […]
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Payola has always been part of the music business and many insiders feel that it’s the reason that some artists become stars, and some stars become superstars. Without money or favors changing hands between the record label and the radio station/streaming service, a song might never gain the visibility it needs to become a hit. […]
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For the most part, performance rights organizations use an antiquated system to determine the payouts to their members. For radio, it all depends on a survey at certain times of the year that looks at a cross-section of what stations are playing in order to determine the royalties. For streaming, it depends on the data they […]
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iZotope’s Neutron is one of the new generation of DAW plugins that analyze the program audio and then make some pretty good suggestions as to the EQ and compression that will work for the track. Many engineers find this somewhat disconcerting, and are maybe a little intimidated by it, while others embrace it as just […]
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It looks like everything that was old is new again. It may seem hard to believe, but cassette tape, that once reviled music delivery system of the 1970s, really is making a comeback. There’s a new coolness factor in the format for artists, bands and fans that no one could have predicted. Reports about the […]
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Here’s the Music Industry News Roundup for the week of January 13th, 2017. Everyone is back from holiday vacation and the year is starting to get busy. Let’s see what’s in the news. Pandora lays off 7% of its workforce. Things are getting tough in streaming land as the company tries to overcome a cash crunch. Deezer’s […]
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I’ve been predicting for over a year that the streaming world would eventually move to high-resolution audio, and a recent announcement from a group of large industry players makes it look like things are finally moving in the right direction. All 3 major labels, Pandora, Rhapsody/Napster, HD Trax and the RIAA announced their support for […]
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