So, Google will launch yet another attempt to break into the music streaming business. But, will fans rally behind YouTube ‘Remix’? Or, will it end up as the third, unimpressive attempt to earn a slice of the streaming revenue pie? First, to enter th…
Category archives: Feature Story
Who’s Most Powerful Person In the Music Industry? VOTE!
2017 has been a high-growth, transformative year for the music industry. But who was the industry’s most powerful player heading into 2018? To kick this off, we picked out 10 of the industry’s most powerful and transformative people of 201…
Spotify Executives Are Earning Seven-Figure Salaries, Tax Returns Show
Spotify’s top executives report millions in income, while the company struggles to actually turn a profit. Earlier this year, Spotify announced that it has “well over” 60 million subscribers. Around the world, it has 140 million monthly active users. …
Canadian Agency Will Play Judge, Jury, Executioner Over Piracy Sites
Canada has a new idea for dealing with piracy sites: just f—king kill them. Google argues that content infringement is a tricky thing to judge. The music, TV, and film industries see it in more black-and-white terms. Now, a proposed measure in Canada …
Ethereum-based Streaming Service Will Pay Artists 80% of Revenues
Gareth Emery promises artists 80% in streaming revenue payouts using Ethereum, a blockchain-based computing platform. But, has he promised more than the platform can actually deliver? British indie DJ and producer Gareth Emery has an idea. What if you…
Canadian Record Store Chain Grows 925% — In One Year
This is the story of a small Canadian record chain that made it through the hard times. Then, became one of the largest record store chains in North America. Ten years ago, the fate of traditional record stores looked really, really bleak. By 2007, f…
Apple ‘On Schedule’ to Terminate Music Downloads by 2019
Apple is scheduling a complete phase-out of music downloads from the iTunes Store by early 2019, per sources at the company. Apple is aggressively scheduling a phase-out of music downloads from the iTunes Store, according to multiple sources tied into …
95% of Taylor Swift’s ‘Verified Fans’ Just Got Shafted
Only 5% of Taylor Swift’s ‘Verified Fans’ were able to purchase a concert ticket through Ticketmaster. Several months ago, in a move that riled the singer’s most loyal fans, Taylor Swift teamed up with Ticketmaster to launch a new program. The ‘Taylor …
In 2004, Warner Music Was Sold for $2.6 Billion. This Year Alone, the Company Made $3.58 Billion.
According to financial details disclosed today, Warner Music Group’s annual revenues are up 10.2% to $3.58 billion. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Back in 2004, Warner Music Group was dumped for a depressed valuation of $2.6 billion. No…
How I Got 10,000 Spotify Plays For a Totally Fake Song
How effective are Spotify’s fraud detection measures? Not very, according to two writers who put them to the test. Several months ago, a playlist plugging service offered popular independent musician Ari Herstand $500 for 50,000 to 100,000 plays on Sp…