The Reason That YouTube Pays Artists So Little

After a rough financial decade, the music business is finally seeing some appreciable revenue growth, and it’s showing no signs of stopping. YouTube, however, doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo and continues to pay artists a minimal amount. Here we look at why this is. __________________________ Guest post by…

MTV Reimagines "Fear Factor," Ludacris To Host

MTV today announced it will relaunch the reality action series "Fear Factor." Rapper and actor Ludacris will host the new installment "custom-created for a generation that is increasingly empowered, while also more anxious than ever." Ludacris will also serve as executive producer as part of an extensive partnership with the…

Viacom Releases First Virtual Reality Music Album "Melody Of Dust"

If video killed the radio star, will virtual reality make traditional music performance obsolete? We’re in the very early stages, but VR has the potential to transform how music is created and experienced. MTV parent Viacom and multidisciplinary artist Nick Koenig are pioneering this new artform. ____________________________ The Melody of…

YouTube, Creators Respond To Monetization Threshold Change

Last week we wrote critically about YouTube raising its monetization threshold for artists and creators to 10,000 channel views, as part of a response to a major ad boycott over placement alongside objectionable videos. __________________________ Hypebot reader Serge wrote that given YouTube’s recent monetization rules change, "everyone should use ContentID…

YouTube Has Changed Its Payment Threshold and It’s Bad News For New Musicians, Creators

YouTube has been working on ways to respond to a major ad boycott over ad placement alongside objectionable videos. One of the changes will be bad news for musicians and other creators at the beginning of their careers. ____________________________ Effective immediately, YouTube will no longer serve ads on videos until…

3 Great Services Finding Royalty Money In Unusual Places

Although there is a high volume of derivative music content online in the form of things like covers and remixes, it can often be difficult for artists to capitalize on the royalties from such things, something these three services are looking to fix. _____________________ Guest post by Ta’Rikah Jones on…

Miranda Lambert’s ACM Awards Performance Spurs Massive Sales Bump

One of the year’s biggest nights in country music, the ACM awards not only offer fans a chance to catch some outstanding live performances from their favorite artists, but also give the artists a chance to experience a massive post-performance sales bump. Here we look at several of the artists…

YouTube Go Launches In India

YouTube has expanded the footprint of its YouTube Go service to India. The YouTube Go beat app is now available for download in the Google Play Store. Key features of YouTube Go include: A home built for you: YouTube Go home screen features trending and popular videos in your area,…

Vevo Shows YouTube Advertisers How It’s Done

As YouTube’s advertising debacle continues, it’s premium division, Vevo, offers a shining example of content vetting and effective audience targeting done right, something which the rest of the video sharing platform could learn from. __________________________ Guest post by Chris Castle of Music Technology Policy If you’ve been following the YouTube…

Indie Band The Wild Reeds Robbed During Video Shoot, Turn It Into A Positive – #indiePROUD

Being ready for any opportunity and turning lemons into lemonade are at the core of the indie diy music ethos. So kudos to The Wild Reeds who turned a smash and grab robbery into a cornerstone of their new video and, as proven by the fact that we’re posting this,…