Spotify is in the midst of crucial renegotiations with all three major labels and other partners. We should expect those negotiations to be "a long drawn out process," Spotify Chief Financial Officer Barry McCarthy said on a Q1 earnings call Monday. "It’s just the nature of the beast," McCarthy added….
Category archives: Major Labels
Taylor Swift’s ME! Breaks YouTube, Amazon Records
The Taylor Swift juggernaut plowed forward breaking multiple YouTube and Amazon records with the song and video premiere of “ME!” featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco. __________________________________ On Spotify, "ME!" tallied 7.9m streams worldwide in the first 24 hours with 3.6 million coming from the U.S. On Amazon…
Sony Music Falls Flat A Streaming Growth Tumbles
Sony Music Entertainment reported flat sales of $7.20 billion for the last year. Profits almost doubled to $2.08 billion, reflecting the consolidation of EMI Publishing. But for the current year, the company forecast far lower profits of $1.20 billion. Sony attributed the poor results to lower physical sales and a…
Taylor Swift Release ‘ME!’ It’s Available On Spotify and Of Course, It’s Already A Hit [WATCH]
UPDATE: At 12:01 AM Friday, Taylor Swift released a new single and video, "ME!" featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco. Most previous releases by Swift have been windowed, but "ME!" was available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and all major streaming services immediately. UPDATE: Taylor Swift’s ME! Breaks…
Worst Countries For Piracy In 2019 Include China, Russia, India, Mexico, Canada
The Office of the United States Trade Representative released its 2019 Notorious Markets List which highlights markets that engage in and facilitate substantial copyright piracy and trademark counterfeiting. And yes, both Canada and Mexico made the list. The report identifies trading countries that do not adequately or effectively protect and…
After K-Pop’s Big Week, What Comes Next?
K-Pop is certainly having a moment as far as its Stateside popularity goes, but will South Korean pop music’s recent surge in popularity in the US translate to more than just flash in the pan, and develop into longterm sustainable popularity? ___________________________ Guest post by David Deal of Superhype K-pop…
Guess The Top 10 Global Recording Artists [It’s Harder Than You Think]
The IFPI, the global association for the recording industry, dropped its annual report including a ranking the top 10 global recording artists. While much of it plays out as expected, there are a few dark horses that we’ll bet you’ll miss. Before you llok below, take a minute and write…
Trailblazing Sylvia Rhone Named Epic Records CEO, Chairman
Sony Music Entertainment has promoted label veteran Sylvia Rhone to Chairman and CEO of Epic Records. In her new role, Rhone will lead the creative direction and management of Epic, and report to Rob Stringer, CEO, Sony Music Entertainment. “Sylvia is a trailblazing and iconic executive who has played a…
Legacy Music Industry Shouldn’t Watch Over Royalties Of Independent Songwriters [Op-Ed]
Although there was plenty of trepidation leading up to the recent passage of the Music Modernization Act, the legislation was met with surprisingly little controversy once it was passed. Since then, unfortunately, some details have emerged over how the royalties of independent songwriters will be monitored that are raising the…
Muso Raises $4.5M For Piracy Tracking From Hartwell Capital
Digital piracy specialist MUSO has raised $4.5 million in an extension of its $3.2 million 2017 Series A with Harwell Capital. The new investment will be used to expand the company’s efforts in the digital media, gaming and live broadcast sectors. MUSO’s technology removes unlicensed digital content and provides data…