Recording Academy chairman and president Neil Portnow is in broiling water once again — this time for diverting funds. But are these just accusations from a disgruntled ex-employee? Neil Portnow, president and chairman of the Recording Academy, is now…
Category archives: Feature Story
YouTube Ranks as the Most Used Music Streaming App in South Korea
Most people in South Korea love streaming their favorite music through YouTube. So, why has Google offered its costlier streaming music service in the country? A new study from the Korea Internet Corporations Association, an internet business body, h…
Latest Industry: CMT, Gracenote, Avicii, The Pussycat Dolls, G3, CityFolk, YouTube Music, More…
Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, and other country stars will perform at the CMT Music Awards. CMT has revealed that Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, and Sam Hunt will perform at the CMT Music Awards on June 6th. Little Big T…
After 3 Long Years, Spotify Scores a Huge Federal Court Victory Over Unpaid Royalties
Spotify is pulling multiple rabbits out of multiple hats these days. The latest involves a huge federal court decision regarding years of unpaid mechanical royalties. One of the biggest issues dogging Spotify ahead of its Wall Street offering was roya…
One of the Most Influential Music Industry Executives Calls YouTube “A Threat to Artists’ Livelihood”
YouTube Music’s launch week is already devolving into a war of words. And the central question is whether YouTube is making it impossible to survive as an artist — while undercutting better-paying platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Spotify…
R. Kelly’s Plays Actually *Increase* After Spotify’s Playlist Ban
Spotify’s move to ban R. Kelly from their curated playlists may have missed the mark — but that only depends on what the initial objective really was. The world’s largest music subscription streaming service took a stand against R. Kelly ea…
In-Venue Music Recognition Technology Is Changing Artist Payouts — One Country at a Time
One of the biggest challenges confronting the music industry is simple recognition. If a song is played, is it actually recognized, processed, and paid? In the U.S., that’s a serious question on the streaming side, where some estimates peg unrecognize…
Latest Industry: EMI Publishing, Amuse, R. Kelly, UTA, Billboard Music Awards, Luis Fonsi, BTS, More…
Sony acquires a majority stake in EMI Music Publishing, becoming world’s largest music publisher. Sony Corp has announced that it will pay $2.3 billion to gain the controlling stake in EMI Music Publishing. The deal now makes Sony the world’s largest …
Kendrick Lamar Stops Mid-Song After White Fan Says N-Word
At Hangout Festival in Alabama on Sunday night, Kendrick Lamar invited a white, female fan on stage to help him perform his hit track, “M.A.A.D City.” Things apparently took a turn when the fan repeatedly used the N-word during the track, causing the r…
Now There’s Another Free Competitor to CD Baby, Tunecore, and Distrokid
Amuse is a reimagined record label that just raised $15.5 million in Series A financing. And they’re offering every single artist free distribution — plus analytics. The record label survived the great cataclysmic shift from analog to digital. …