How quickly are download sales declining? It took just over 1000 track sales to grab the #2 spot on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart for the week ending August 16th. According to a breathless Billboard writer impressed by the 1000 track milestone: "(G)I-DLE is proving their hot debut…
Category archives: Major Labels
BMG, COX Settle As Major Labels Lawsuit Begins
BMG has reached a settlement with Cox Communications in its 2015 lawsuit alleging the ISP contributed to copyright infringement. BMG called the sealed settlement, originally set by a jury at $33 million, "substantial." Cox is also fighting all 3 major labels in court. Earlier this month Sony, UMG and WMG…
A Look At How Little Music Revenue Is Going To Artists
You’d be hard pressed to find a musician who is happy with how much money is going to artists, and with good reason. Mike Masnick looks at collection of data over time showing consistently how little of the money spent in the music business actually ends up in the artist’s…
Nicki Minaj Accuses Irving Azoff Of Smear Campaign
Nicki Minaj is using her Beats 1 radio show to launch a new front in her campaign to blame those that she alleges prevented her new album from debuting at #1. Earlier this week Spotify was in her crosshairs. Now, she’s going after super-manager Irving Azoff. Irving Azoff is drew…
JJ Abrams Launches New Record Label ‘Loud Robot’
[UPDATED] Film and tv director and producer JJ Abrams has announced his Bad Robot production company is launching an independent record label. Abrams is best known for television shows "Lost" and "Alias" and films including "Mission Impossible III" and several in the Star Trek franchise. Dubbed Loud Robot, the new…
Ariana Grande Breaks Spotify Female Streaming Record
Move over Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande just broke the Spotify debut week streaming record for a female artist only five days after the release of ‘Sweetener’. Grande’s new album had more than 109 million global Spotify streams, according to Chart Data. Ariana Grande’s ‘Sweetener’ has broken the global Spotify record…
Kanye West Tweet Leads To Class Action Lawsuit
A Kanye West tweet has led to a class action lawsuit. In February, 2016, West tweeted that his album Life of Pablo would be available on Tidal, and “never never never” be available on iTunes. Six week later the album was available on iTunes and Spotify. Meanwhile, Tidal subscriptions climbed…
Eagles Pass Michael Jackson For #1 Album Of All Time
The Eagles album "Their Greatest hits 1971-1975" has been certified 38X platinum buy the RIAA to surpass Michael Jackson’s 37X platinum album "Thriller" to become the top selling album of all time. This sales record is a testimony to the staying power of the band’s music over several decades. More…
Dear Spotify, Tencent’s Struggles Offer Cautionary Tale
As Chinese internet giant Tencent struggles with profitability and maintaining a strong stock market valuation, Spotify, which owns a significant stake in Tencent Music (and visa versa), should pay attention to avoid a similar misfortune. _________________________ Guest post by Chris Castle of Music Tech Solutions If you’ve ever asked yourself…
Sony Music Launches Joint Venture Label With 123 Agency
Sony Music has announced a new joint venture label with booking company 123 Agency. The Australia based agency, founded in 2013 and is headquartered in both Melbourne and Sydney, represents artists such as Kingswood, Dear Seattle, Hollow Coves and Tash Sultana. photo: Damian Costin (left) and Denis Handlin (right) "123…