TUESDAY 5.14.19
Music Business News From Around The Web
Updated continuously under the More News tab
Author archives: Bruce Houghton
What The Fall Of PledgeMusic Means For Artists [Music Biz Weekly Podcast]
With the news that crowdfunding platform PledgeMusic is entering Administration, the UK equivalent of bankruptcy, music marketing veterans Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert of the Music Biz Weekly podcast explore what went wrong, was it means for artists and the future of music crowdfunding.
PledgeMusic Story Is Starting To Sound Like A Broken Record says Bandzoogle’s Dave Cool
The demise of PledgeMusic and the hundreds of musicians left in its wake are a sadly familiar story for music industry veteran Dave Cool of Bandzoogle. "The company takes on millions in investment to support rapid growth," writes Cool. "Flashy headlines ensue." But when things fall apart, too often it’s…
Respected Touring Trade Amplify Shifts To Billboard
Dave Brooks led touring industry trade Amplify will be integrated into Billboard.com. Respected veteran journalist Brooks joined Billboard in 2017; and last year Valence Media acquired Amplify, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary of Billboard. While long expected, the consolidation comes as Billboard ramps up its live music and touring trade…
NMPA Chief Compares Spotify To Uber As Songwriters vs Streamers Battle Escalates
On the day that Uber went public, NMPA head David Isrealite used the IPO to fire the latest salvo in the escalating battle the pits music publishers and songwriters against Spotify and other music streamers. Question: what are the differences between Uber and Spotify? Both are tech cos (not transportation/music…
Fugees’ Pras Michel Charged With Campaign Finance Crimes
Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a founding member of the hip-hop group The Fugees, has been charged as part of a campaign finance conspiracy in the 2012 election. On Friday, the U.S. Justice Department announced that Michel and Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho (known as “Jho Low)” had been each charged with…
MON. BRIEF: Rihanna, Ariana Get Fashionable • Rolling Stone Charts Delayed • Google’s Rothschild To Apple Music • More
MONDAY 5.13.19
Music Business News From Around The Web
Updated continuously under the More News tab
Rolling Stone Music Charts Launch Delayed Indefinitely
The launch of music charts on Rolling Stone has been delayed indefinitely. Originally scheduled to launch on Monday May 13th, the charts will be the first to offer a widely distributed alternative to the Billboard charts. Now however, the charts will stay in private beta "for just a while longer…
Playlist Manipulation Will Create A Crisis In Streaming says MIDiA’s Mark Mulligan
Label and artist manipulation of songs, playlists and the streaming services themselves will lead to a crisis, says MIDiA analyst Mark Mulligan. "The paradox here is that casual fans have the potential to generate more streams than engaged listeners," says Mulligan."Streaming makes casual listeners ‘more valuable’ than aficionados." _______________________________ By…
Move Over Music, Spotify App Redesign Spotlights Podcasts
Spotify’s $500 million investment in podcasting is driving a new version of its app that will give podcasts more prominence. The goal is to make it easier to find and listen to podcasts. Its unclear how the changes will effect music and music discovery is unclear. But its hard to…