FCC Commissioner Mike O’Reilly has sent a letter to the RIAA asking it to investigate recent reports of payola – the practice of paying radio stations and other music services to play music. The request came on the heels of a Rolling Stone piece that suggested that payola, which some…
Author archives: Bruce Houghton
20 Most Searched For Lyrics Summer 2019
[UPDATED] “Old Town Road” may have been the surprise mega-hit of the summer, but the award for most searched lyrics of 2019 globally goes to another newcomer. While the most searched for lyrics of the summer in the US belong to “Old Town Road,” by the end of summer Billie…
Stuart Epps Has Worked with Elton John, Led Zeppelin and Now He’s On The Music Biz Weekly Podcast
Stuart Epps has toured America with Elton John, produced and engineered records for Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Bill Wyman and Paul Rodgers. He’s now focusing on the next generation of artists and this week he joins co-hosts Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert on the Music Biz Weekly podcast. Stuart shares…
Spotify Enables Music, Podcast Sharing To Snapchat
Spotify has launched an integration with Snapchat that allows users to share music and podcasts directly through Snapchat Stories. The feature is rolling out soon across iOS and Android devices starting today. Sharing to Snapchat is the latest in a series of social media integrations including with Instagram and Facebook…
DistroKid Adds Release Editing
DistroKid now lets users edit releases on it d.i.y. distribution platform. Users can now change song titles, album art, release date, etc. without having to delete and reupload each track. I know it seems like a small thing, but DistroKid now lets you edit releases (change song titles, album art,…
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MONDAY 9.9.19
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Spotify Launches Upgraded $14.99 Family Plan In U.S.
Spotify has made its upgraded $14.99 per month Family Plan available in the U.S. The streamer tipped change last month with a launch in Ireland. The streamer has reportedly also been testing the offering at a higher price in Scandinavia. How Families Use Spotify To celebrate the launch, Spotify analyzed…
4 Big Takeaways From RIAA Mid-Year 2019 Report
The RIAA has released its annual mid-year report and its shows a U.S. recorded music market in strong growth mode. Total revenue grew 18% to $5.4 billion in the first half of 2019. 4 Big Takeaways Streaming now accounts for 80% of recorded music industry revenues The number of paid…
Record Store Finds Uncashed Kurt Cobain 27 Years Old Royalty Check
The staff at Seattle ‘s Easy Street Records recently stumbled across an unchased royalty check made out to Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain 27 years ago.The check was from Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) and made out to Kurt D. Cobain of Olympia, Washington. It was dated March 6, 1991, just months before…
LiveStyle CEO Steps Down As Parial Asset Sale Begins
Randy Phillips is stepping down as CEO at EDM concert promoter LiveStyle to serve as a consultant while the company seeks to sell more of its assets. Phillips told Billboard that his exit was planned after the company stabilized following its exit from bankruptcy reorganization. Originally formed as SFX Entertainment…