Author archives: Bruce Houghton

Ari Herstand On Digital Distributors, Spotify Listeners and More [Music Biz Weekly Podcast]

Musician, author and artist advocate Ari Herstand visits with Jay Gilbert on the Music Business Weekly Podcast to discuss digital distributors, Spotify listeners and his book ‘How To Make It in the New Music Business: Practical Tips on Building a Loyal Following and Making a Living as a Musician.’ The…

BLACKPINK Beats Ariana Grande, BTS To Claim 3 YouTube Debut Records

"Thank u, next" took on new meaning over the weekend as BLACKPINK’s ‘Kill This Love’ music video broke three records for its YouTube debut, including beating Ariana Grande and BTS to claim the most viewed 24 hour debut of all time. BLACKPINK now has: the biggest YouTube Premiere of all…

Streamer Boomplay Music Raises $20 million

African based music streamer Boomplay Music has raised $20 million in Series A funding to expand across Africa. The company reports more than 44 million app downloads and is adding an average of 2 million new subscribers monthly. Boomplay is a joint venture of Chinese phone maker Transsion and Chinese…

Apple Music Has More Paid US Subscribers Than Spotify [Report]

Apple Music has more paid subscribers that Spotify in the United States, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the figures. Apple has been adding subscribers at a faster rate than Spotify, both in the US and globally. According to the WSJ, Apple…

Green Takeover: Spotify’s Podcast Play Pays Off, Beating Apple In Multiple Markets

Spotify’s $500 million move into podcasts appears to already be paying off for the audio streamer. New data shows Spotify has surpass Apple to become the dominate podcast player in Mexico, Spain and Italy and all of South America. A Green Takeover While Apple’s dominance remains in the US and…

450,000 Deleted MySpace Tracks Saved, Including Early Katy Perry, Danny Glover

After learning last month that MySpace had "lost" millions of tracks and photos uploaded before 2016 in a data transfer, collectors went into action. Now an archive of 450,000 form MySpace have found a new home within the Internet Archives. Called the MySpace Music Dragon Hoard, the 450,000 songs include…

Daytrotter Moves Iowa Studio To Atlanta To Strengthen Paste Magazine Connection

Daytrotter has closed its Davenport Iowa venue space and recording studio and will relocate to Atlanta.The move will put Daytrotter closer to Paste Magazine, the online publication that hosts Daytrotter’s catalog of more than 7,000 live music sessions. The Atlanta studio will be open by July 1. The lease on…

Midem Names Artist Accelerator Finalists 2019 From Record Number of Entries

Midem has announced the finalists for its 2019 Artist Accelerator competition after a record number of submissions, including from 24 new countries. The event, which is this year presented by label and distribution company Amuse, will see artists receiving access to professional mentoring and networking, including free legal consulting by…