In 2016 Twitter invested $70 million in SoundCloud, which looked to be a wise venture since the company was valued at around $700 million at the time. Things in the tech world change fast though, as in it’s 2017 annual report, Twitter indicated that it was forced to write off the entire investment because that […]
Continue reading
Lij Shaw is the host of a great podcast called Recording Studio Rockstars, and is the owner of the Toy Box Studio in Nashville, where he’s been making records for the last 25 years. The studio is in his house, and recently he received a cease and desist order from the city for violating a […]
Continue reading
There have been a number of recent reports lately that Spotify is looking to launch its own series of branded streaming hardware products. This is supported by its search for an “Operations Manager – Hardware Product” as well as several listings for hardware related positions on its website. Let’s look at the pros and cons […]
Continue reading
Facebook isn’t in the music streaming business yet, but it sure looks like it’s going that way. The platform recently signed another music licensing deal, this time with ICE Services, which is a licensing group and copyright database that represents PRS in the UK, STIM in Sweden and GEMA in Germany. The deal covers not only Facebook, but Instagram, Oculus and Messenger […]
Continue reading
It’s not everyday that you hear of a big tech company getting scammed, but when it’s done legally it’s especially unusual. A report in a recent Music Business News described how someone from Bulgaria used a pair of playlists to take as much as a million bucks in royalties from music tech giant Spotify. Here’s […]
Continue reading
The price of new vinyl albums is going through the roof these days and some industry execs think that we’re fast approaching buyer fatigue as a result. While you might find a few at $16, it’s not uncommon to see a premium release go for anywhere from $40 to $60, which can strain most collector’s […]
Continue reading
Dr. Stephen Marcone is Director of the Music Management Programs and David Philp is a professor of Music and Entertainment Industries at the William Paterson University of New Jersey, which has one of the best music business programs in the country. They’ve also collaborated on the 6th edition of Steve’s excellent book Managing Your Band. […]
Continue reading
The recorded music business is definitely feeling better these days as all the major labels have reported big increases in revenue recently. The latest of these is Universal Music Group, who reportedly saw an income stream of close to $18 million every day in 2017. This represents a sales increase of around 11% from the […]
Continue reading
If you expect your lyrics to be protected by copyright, you’d better make sure they say something “creative,” according to a judge’s ruling in a copyright infringement battle over Taylor Swift’s 2014 #1 hit “Shake It Off.” Two songwriters, Sean Hall and Nathan Butler, had filed a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles last year stating […]
Continue reading
One of the things that’s vital to getting your band gigs is a booking section on your website that provides all the information that a promoter needs to answer both pre and post booking questions. This excerpt from the 2nd edition of my Social Media Promotion For Musicians handbook outlines the details that are particularly […]
Continue reading
Every few months there’s a new study that finds that Facebook is losing the youngest generation to some other social network. In the meantime, the network giant just gets larger and stronger. This latest study from research firm eMarketer states that less than half of U.S. Internet users ages 12 to 17 will use Facebook […]
Continue reading
I want to start out by saying, “Thank you kindly!” This episode (#200) marks 4 years of the Inner Circle Podcast, and it never would have gotten this far if not for your support. Actually, I never would have even considered doing my own podcast (since I was and still am a panel member on […]
Continue reading
China is becoming a hot place for music, as Western influences gradually seep into the country. Last year hip-hop became a dominant force in Chinese music (although mostly with Chinese artists, not American imports) and now it looks like electronic music is hitting there too. As a result, Sony Music has launched a new label […]
Continue reading
One of the things that music consumers love about vinyl records is the liner notes on the album cover. Those of us who grew up in the vinyl era know that we’d frequently buy an album based on the credits that were listed, as many times it indicated a level of quality or taste that […]
Continue reading
If ever there was a moment where you saw a format die, it’s this one. Best Buy has informed all record labels that it will no longer stock CDs in its stores as of July 1st. Not only that, if labels don’t play ball with Target’s new terms, that company won’t stock them either. This […]
Continue reading