Meet the world’s largest music publisher – Sony ATV/EMI Music Publishing. European Union regulators have approved Sony’s takeover of EMI Music Publishing. Several months ago, Sony revealed it had signed a deal to purchase Mudabala’s 60% equity in EMI f…
Category archives: Feature Story
Kendrick Lamar Must Face a Black Panther Copyright Infringement Suit, Judge Rules
Kendrick Lamar won’t escape so easily from ‘borrowing’ a visual artist’s unique work. A federal judge has ruled against Kendrick Lamar’s request for a win in a copyright infringement lawsuit. At the United States District Court of the Southern District…
Disturbed’s David Draiman Says ‘People Demonize Streaming’ — But It Actually Saved the Industry
The fraction-of-a-penny payouts from services like Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music has long been a point of contention in the music industry. But should musicians be counting their blessings? A prevailing argument is that artists made a lot more bef…
FLVTO.biz’s Attorneys Remain on the Counter-Offensive Against the Major Labels — Is This Case Getting Tossed?
Attorneys for YouTube ‘stream ripper’ FLVTO.biz are raising serious jurisdictional questions in their defense against the major labels. But that’s just one of several counter-attacks. Earlier this year, major labels Universal Music Group, Warner Music…
The World’s First ‘Ethical’ Streaming Music Service Shuts Down After Two Months
Looks like the world wasn’t ready for an ethical streaming music service. Neither was Humbolt CEO David O’Brien. In order to combat what he saw as unfair payouts in the music industry, former musician David O’Brien had an idea. Why not create a stream…
Spotify Opens the Floodgates on Its Playlist Submission Feature. Beta Users Had a 1-in-7 Chance of Getting Added.
Spotify’s playlist submission platform is officially out of beta. Spotify is unleashing yet another direct-to-artist feature this morning, this time for playlists. Several months ago, the company released the submission tool as a beta feature within S…
Facebook Unveils Music on Stories, Expands Lip Sync Live, and Will Soon Launch Songs on Profile
Thanks to its long-term deal with major labels, Facebook continues to double-down on its music features to win back users and artists. Admittedly, Facebook hasn’t had a great 2018. During its Q2 2018 earnings call, company executives revealed what inve…
Here’s a 3-Song EP with the Lyrics and Melody Entirely Created by AI
Can an artificial intelligence create music that humans actually like? This has been a brewing debate since the 70s, and more than a few listeners have been fooled by robots. These days, the music industry conspiracy theory is that AI is already worki…
Idaho Rockfest Organizer Files for Bankruptcy Revealing over $100,000 in Debt
So, why exactly did Idaho Rockfest close its doors at the last minute? At the start of the busy summer festival season last year, one major event in Canada abruptly shut down. Thanks to poor administration, Pemberton Music Festival closed its doors, de…
Fresh Out of Bankruptcy, Gibson Guitar Announces Its New Executive Team
It’s been a really rough year. But Gibson Brands Inc. is about to emerge from bankruptcy protection with a new executive team. Gibson filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year while under the leadership of CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. The bankruptc…