Author archives: Bruce Houghton

Jury Rules That Katy Perry’s ‘Dark Horse’ Copied Christian Rap Song ‘Joyful Noise’

A jury found Katy Perry liable for copying the underlying beat of Marcus Gray’s 2008 Christian rap song “Joyful Noise” for her hit single “Dark Horse” in a unanimous decision handed down this week in Los Angeles federal court. Also found liable were Perry’s “Dark Horse” collaborators Lukasz Gottwald (Dr….

Spotify Q2 Financials Point To A Profitable Future

Those who believe that Spotify will never be a profitable company may soon be forced to reevaluate their position. Today, the streamer reported that its second-quarter operating loss shrunk dramatically to just $3.3 million in Q2 2019, down from $90 million a year ago; and its operating loss fell to…

Azoff, Capshaw, Top Artists Form Music Artists Coalition To Give Artists "A Seat At The Table"

Some high powered music industry figures and recording artists that include super managers Irving Azoff and Coran Capshaw have joined forces to launch a new lobbying group that will advocate for musicians. According to Bloomberg, the board of the group, named the Music Artists Coalition, also entertainment lawyer Jordan Bromley…

Spotify Has New Deals With 2 Majors

UPDATED: Spotify has completed deals with two of its major-label partners in what were expected to be contentious licensing renegotiations. EK did not elaborate as to which of the two – Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group Sony Music Entertainment and perhaps indie licensing giant Merin – had signed new…

Spotify Passes 232M Monthly Users, 108M Subscribers

Spotify has passed 232 million monthly active users, up 29% since this time last year, including 108 million paid subscribers, up 31% YoY. The new stats were one of many strong new numbers shared by the streamer in a Q2 earnings report on Wednesday.

L7 Pledges Legal Action Against PledgeMusic

In an open letter to fans, indie band L7 summarized their own experience and those of other musicians: "in a nutshell, the funds that many bands and their supporters raised through the crowdfunding platform were absconded by the company with zero accountability and unreturned legal appeals." Thanks to help from…

Bandsintown Connects Fans With Live Music 500K A Day [Interview With Fabrice Sergent ]

For Bandsintown Group co-founder Fabrice Sergent, marketing concerts isn’t about hype. It’s about supporting artists, connecting people through live music and preserving a last bastion of free of expression. That’s why Bandsintown built a platform to help fans discover concerts and artists promote them which drives 500,000 ticket clicks daily….

46 Concerts In 46 Cities To Elect The 46th President

46 For 46 was created to use the power of music to unseat President Trump in the next election. Launched by former music manager Kyle Frenette, the campaign has already attracted artists like Bon Iver, Patty Griffen, Sylvan Esso and Dashboard Confessional. The 46 for 46 campaign is partnering with…

Austin Musicians Test DipJar, A Digital Tip Jar

Austin, Texas, is launching a DipJar pilot program that will let fans digitally tip their favorite musicians. The Music and Entertainment Division of the city’s economic development department has provided 10 artists with a DipJar, a device that allows fans to tip artists using a credit or debit card. The…