Radio Giants Entercom And CBS Radio To Merge

Broadcast giants CBS Radio and Entercom have announced plans to merge to form a new commercial radio behemoth. Following the merger, the combined companies will have a nationwide footprint of 244 stations, including 23 of the top 25 U.S. markets, as well as digital capabilities and a growing events platform,…

Guide To Independent Radio Promotion: Why It Still Matters

The term radio has transcended the idea of terrestrial broadcast, and is now representative of connection through curation. That said, it remains an invaluable marketing tool, perhaps more now than ever before. ___________________ Guest Post by D. Grant Smith on Soundfly’s Flypaper What we mean when we talk about “radio”…

Enter NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest – Just 5 Days Left!

Playing Tiny Desk Concerts – stripped down performances at the NPR office – has become a right of passage for any band releasing a public radio friendly album. Each year they hold a contest to discover an unknown artist and along the way give exposure to dozens of others. ______________________________…

MusicFirst Coalition Pens Open Letter to Congress

Music industry advocacy group MusicFirst has sent an open letter to Congress setting out their legislative priorities. Members of the coalition include the Recording Academy, the RIAA and the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). Broadcast radio, copyright law and statutory rates are all covered in an open letter to…

Musicians Sues Distributor E1 Direct Deal With SiriusXM

In a piece of legal news with wide implications for the music business, indie string trio Time for Three and S’More Entertainment have filed a class action lawsuit against Entertainment One regarding the music and entertainment distributor’s their direct deal with SiriusXM. _____________________________ Guest post by Chris Castle of Music…

SoundExchange To Continue To Distribute Most Pandora Royalties To Artists Despite Direct Licensing Deals

Royalties from Pandora’s ad-supported radio service will continue to be paid to artists through SoundExchange, despite recent direct licencing deals with major music companies. The agreement both insures a major income stream for SoundExchange and maintains the performing rights organization’s position as a protector of artists. ___________________________________ An agreement for…

Drake, Chainsmokers Top iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominees 2017

The iHeartRadio Music Awards has named its 2017 nominees. Drake leads with 12 nominations, including Male Artist of the Year while The Chainsmokers received 11 nominations, including the inaugural Best New Pop Artist category. Other artists who received multiple nominations include Rihanna, twenty one pilots, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé,…

BMI Files Federal Rate Court Action Against The Radio Music License Committee

BMI filed an action in Federal Rate Court today to set interim fees for radio stations represented by the Radio Music License Committee while BMI and the RMLC negotiate the terms of a new five-year deal beginning in 2017. The RMLC proposed an interim rate below BMI’s previous deal which…

Top 20 Songs, Artists, Breakouts Across 2800 Digital Radio Services Including Pandora, SiriusXM

Most "Top" charts at this time of year come from a single service – Spotify, Apple Music, etc. So when charts combine 2800 sources, we take notice. SoundExchange has shares 3 charts compiled from 12 months of plays on 2800 digital radio stations including Pandora, SiriusXM, AccuRadio and Radio Paradise….

Radio Once Again Seeks To Pay Songwriters Lower Rates

In an ongoing quest to hang on to precious dollars, a committee representing 10,000 radio stations is dropping a lawsuit on performing rights organization Global Music Rights, in hopes of reducing the payout required to songwriters. _____________________ Guest post by Erin M. Jacobson, this first appeared on Forbes US singer…