Author archives: Bruce Houghton

15 Major News Outlets Protest Ariana Grande Photo Agreement [Read Full Contract]

15 major news outlets have joined together to oppose a restrictive photo agreement fot Ariana Grande’s upcoming Sweetener Tour. The agreement, which all photographers must sign to recieve a photo pass, includes a clause giving Grande ownership of all of the images. The outlets – American Society of Media, Photographers…

BMG Reports Strong ‘Organic’ Growth

Bertelsmann’s indie music subsidiary BMG marked its 10th year in 2018 with significant growth in revenue and profits. BMG reported that overall revenue for 2018 was up by 7.5 % to €545 million / $613 million USD. BMG attributed the revenue to “organic growth” and noted the benefits of the…

Spotify Tests Premium Duo Discount Subscription For Two

Spotify is testing a new subscription plan called Premium Duo that offers two Premium subscriptions for the discounted price of €12.49 a month/$14.03 USD. The new plan also comes with a new custom playlist dubbed Duo Mix based on both duo member’s listening habits. The Duo Mix from SpotifyCares on…

CD Baby, AVL Digital Acquired By Downtown Music

Downtown Music Holdings has acquired AVL Digital Group and its portfolio of music distribution, rights management and artist services businesses, including CD Baby, AdRev, DashGo and Soundrop. DMH is the company behind Downtown Music Publishing and Songtrust. The deal is estimated to be worth $200 million. In 2018, CD Baby…

YouTube’s 1B Plays Club is Changing Global Music Culture [Mark Mulligan]

Despite the headlines, YouTube is still the top music destination in most of the world. That massive reach, particularly within the global Latin community, is changing the face of what it means to be a superstar. ___________________ By Mark Mulligan of MIDiA and the Music Industry blog "139 music videos…

Soundcloud Adds Curated Playlists, Community Pages, More Music Discovery Options

Since playlists are the new radio, Soundcloud is making sure they have a place on the dial. Beginning today, alongside the personalized “SoundCloud Weekly” and playlists like “Fresh Pressed,” the steamer is adding more handcrafted playlists, including some curated by leading music journalists and artists. Soundcloud has also added community…

PosterMyWall Offers Low Cost Graphic Design Tool with 80,000 Templates

PosterMyWall offers a low cost d.i.y. graphic design tool to create everything from gig poster and flyers to custom images for social media, album covers and even video teasers. Its secret sauce is ease of use along with 80,000+ customization templates. Payment is based on use – usually just $2-$5…

Apple Music App Now Installed On 40 million Android Devices

The Apple Music app has been installed on 40 million devices running on the Google Android operating system. Of course, installs and paid subscriptions are two different things, with Apple Music only having a total of 50-55 million subscribers worldwide. But it’s clear that Apple Music availability on Android is…

LiveXLive, iHeartMedia Pact For Live Streaming, New Content

Live music streaming service LiveXLive has announced an exclusive multi-year agreement with iHeartMedia that combines content, distribution and promotion. The newly expanded partnership gives LiveXLive access to live streaming rights to 17 iHeartRadio events in 2019, including ALTer Ego, iHeartCountry Festival, iHeartRadio Wango Tango, Daytime Stage at the iHeartRadio Music…