Exec Charged With Supporting New Musicians For BBC Just Took A Job At Amazon

By many measures, Amazon has the biggest U.S. reach of any music streamer. Populated by more casual listeners, who get it bundled with Amazon Prime, the service now appears to turning to discovery – a move that could mean millions of new fans for emerging artists. ________________________________________ Jason Carter, longtime…

Live Video Streaming? Which Platform Delivers The Biggest Audience? [CHART]

36% of respondents to a new survey said they watched live video. That jumps to 63% of millennials. It’s no wonder, since Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter and other social channels have gone all in on live video. But which channel do fans use the most often? __________________________________________ via Statisa…

Hypebot To Host Indie Music Forum At Music Biz 2017 In Nashville

[UPDATED] Hypebot is proud to be hosting the official Indie Music Forum on May 18th, as part of the Music Biz 2017 convention. I’ll also be interviewing one of the most influential figures in independent music, A2IM CEO Richard Burgess, live on stage. _____________________________________________ The Music Business Association (Music Biz)…

How To Build A Spotify Playlist That Appears In A Search

If you’re hoping to get your song on a major Spotify playlist, it’s important to first cut your teeth on lower-level playlists, until eventually Spotify’s algorithm picks up on what’s going on down below and elevates your song to the top. One good way of doing this is to build…

SoundCloud Named Merrit Farren As New General Counsel

Streaming music service SoundCloud has named Merritt Farren as its new General Counsel. Farren’s bailiwick includes oversight of SoundCloud’s legal affairs and public policy strategy, as well as data protection, privacy, contracts, music rights and copyright issues. Based in Berlin, Farren reports to co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alex Ljung….

Passion Pit Frontman Raises $250 Million To Support Legal, Educational and Healthcare Services For Musicians

Michael Angelakos, the frontman of Passion Pit, is reportedly launching a company to provide musicians with legal, educational and healthcare services. Details are scarce, but the well funded efforts could be announced as early as this week. ____________________________________ Michael Angelakos, the frontman of Passion Pit, has reportedly raised $250 million…

Twitter For Events & Concerts: What You Need to Know

The world of social media is tumultuous and ever-changing, and nowhere is this more true than on Twitter. This means that if you’re planning on promoting an event on the social media platform, your marketing strategy needs to be able to evolve, and quickly. _________________________ Guest post by Rachel Grate…

SXSW Expands Music, Film, AR / VR Hackathon

[UPDATE] The SXSW Hackathon is returning for its fourth year with an expansion into VR/AR, film, and music. In a marathon 24-hour coding experience, hackers will work to solve real problems and create new tools across entertainment media. _____________________________________ Music Hackathon at SXSW 2016. Photo by Randy and Jackie Smith…

The Less Mainstream You Are The Bigger Your Grammy Bump

Early sales figures show that, while mainstream superstars benefit from a televised Grammy performance, the greatest sales gains Come from less well known artists. The same goes for the streaming, with both Beyonce and Adele missing from Pandora’s Top 10 post-Grammy week over week lifts. _______________________________ Pandora Grammy Streaming Data:…

5 Reasons Small Music Blogs Can Have A Big Impact

When it comes to finding press to promote their music, many artists look to music press giants like Pitchfork or Rolling Stone, but these publications are unlikely to bother even giving you the time of day, whereas smaller independent blogs usually have a little more attention to spare, and can…