In the wake of a recent rash of lawsuits surrounding Gibson Guitar, the company has formalized its IP enforcement approach into something called an authorized partnership program. While a step forward for fans of the company looking to create guitars inspired by Gibson, the new program has a long ways…
Category archives: Indie
TikTok Acquires AI Music Pioneer Jukedeck
TikTok parent Bytedance has acquired UK based music AI startup Jukedeck, according to multiple reports. The purchase, which could offer AI-created music to TikTok’s 500 million global users even as the social video app continues contentious re-licensing with the major labels and battles performing right organizations. The Jukedeck site is…
Piracy Is Not The Problem, Free YouTube and Spotify Are, says Music Industry Trade Group
With efforts to fight music piracy seen as largely successful, at least one music trade group executive is saying out loud what others in the industry have only dared whisper – the real problem keeping artists and labels from earning more from music isn’t stream-ripping, it is the free music…
Building A Thriving Music Ecosystem: An Interview with Bandsintown Co-founder Fabrice Sergent
“Live music is one of the last tribal experiences which connect people in unique manners, to live their passions, express their personalities and ultimately bring more happiness and understanding to the world," said Bandsintown co-founder Fabrice Sergent during a wide-ranging interview on the Music Business podcast hosted by Sam Hysell…
Secrets For Digitally Advertising Around Your Next Tour
We have reached a point where artists can run digital advertising simultaneously across Facebook, Instagram, and even YouTube with relative ease, but with your budget likely already tight, making every dollar spent on digital advertising go as far as possible is paramount. Here we look at some secrets for getting…
ROCCR Is A Non-Profit, Transparent PledgeMusic
UPDATED: As the effects of the collapse of crowdfunder PledgeMusic rippled through the music community, Iain Baker of UK rock group Jesus Jones was one of its most outspoken critics. Now, Baker has decided to do something about it with the formation of ROCCR. Alongside partners with expertise in tech…
Stream Rippers Easily Circumvent YouTube Blocking
Last week, YouTube successfully blocked several major stream-ripping sites, according to multiple reports. Now, most of them have found a way to circumvent the blockhead. Stream ripping is currently the number one source of music piracy globally. Here’s the update from TorrentFreak: "Mp3-youtube.download almost instantly announced that it was working…
Live Nation Helped Sell 88,000 Metallica Tickets On The Secondary Market
Live Nation directly facilitated the sale of 88,000 Metallica tickets at inflated prices on the secondary ticketing market. This strong piece of investigative journalism by Billboard’s Dave Brooks has finally brought the long-standing practice out into the open. Tickets for Metallica and several other artists were sold directly via the…
This Week In Music Commentary
This week, commentators shared their thoughts on why unpaid internships are such a problem, if rock radio can afford to not play Ed Sheeran’s new song, whether or not major labels can weather another indie music revolution, and more! The Reason Unpaid Music Internships Are A Problem Will Rock Radio…
Music Think Tank Weekly Recap: Instagram • Guitarist Mistakes • Trademark Rights • More
This week on MusicThinkTank, our contributors shared insights on how Instagram influencers earn money, how artists can sustain their energy while on tour, what exactly a trademark/trademark rights are, and more. Joe McLean | Top 30 Instagram Influencers – How Much Money Do They Earn? Shaun Letang | 6 Mistake…