Apple recently confirmed that it acquired the audio recognition app Shazam for a cool $400 million. The price actually surprised analysts at how low it had fallen, given that the company was valued as high as $1 billion in the past. That said, Apple had to beat both Spotify and Snap in a bidding war […]
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Both Sony Music and Universal Music Group are reported to have renewed their licensing deals with YouTube, which now means that the video platform now has all three major labels back in the fold after resigning Warner Music months ago. YouTube was operating under expired licenses with the majors for some time, but the new […]
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No guest on the podcast this week because it’s time for my annual look back at the year in the music business and music production. We’ll go over some of the big events of the year that will have an effect on next year as well. Speaking of next year, I’ll also look at some […]
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Have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful Holiday. I am grateful, thankful and humbled by your support.
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In a move that will mean more money in the pockets of artists, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) recently ruled to raise the rates that the SiriusXM satellite service pays to copyright holders by 41%. The move raises the rate from 11% of revenue to 15.5% beginning on January 1st, 2018. The rate stays in […]
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Artists, bands, record labels and anyone doing a show needs to make their fan base very aware of when they’re doing a gig. You can’t rely on just a single email to get the word out, it takes a more comprehensive strategy. Here’s an excerpt from the second edition of my Social Media Promotion For Musicians book […]
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One of the things not considered very often by artists, bands and even record labels is the affect that seasonal changes have on listening behavior. The Economist recently did a study and found that the weather conditions due to the time of year, and especially the Christmas season, made a decided difference on consumer music […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is Eric Copeland, who has become one of the top Christian and jazz producers in the country, producing around 25 artists every year. His specialty is not just music, but guiding and growing artists thanks to his decades of experience in the music business. Eric also has a […]
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Tickets for your favorite artist go on sale at 10AM, so you either go to the box office, or wait near your computer for the hour to hit so you can score the best ticket possible. And what do you find? All the best tickets were already purchased, leaving you with dreck, which means you’re […]
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Despite its celebrity owner, Tidal always seemed to be in an uphill battle against the deep pockets of Apple, Google, and Amazon, and the big funding of Spotify. Now comes multiple reports that the music streaming service will run out of cash by the middle of next year unless things take a dramatic turn upwards. […]
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While the music that you make creates the first part of your brand, what’s usually overlooked by bands and artists is the second part, which is your image. Here’s an excerpt from the 2nd edition of my Social Media Promotion For Musicians guidebook that provides 8 steps to take to develop that part of your […]
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It’s been a fact of life in the recorded music business that the records known as “frontline” releases get all the attention. The big marketing dollars, the promotion, and any sales push is reserved for only the latest releases, and that attention changes pretty quickly on to the next new one unless it’s a big […]
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My guest this week on the podcast is Bryan Calhoun, who’s been a business and marketing consultant to artists like Kanye West, Lil Wayne, The Cult, Questlove, Nicki Minaj, and Drake. He’s a noted music industry speaker, and has given workshops at conferences that include SXSW, MIDEM, The New Music Seminar, CMJ, ASCAPs I Create […]
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YouTube has repeatedly tried to get music fans to buy into its paid subscription services Music Key and Red but hasn’t had too much success so far. So little success, in fact, that its subscriber numbers have never been published. That said, the company has big expectations for its new service, which carries the code […]
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Spotify just released its list of most streamed artists for 2017, and while many are household words, the extent of their popularity might surprise you. For instance, Ed Sheeran was the platform’s top streaming artist with over 6.3 billion streams this year, dethroning Drake who was number one in 2015 and 2016. Rihanna was the top streaming […]
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