Tweeting that Spotify "took away my promotion," Nicki Minaj lashed out after her new album "Queen" failed to debut at #1. Minaj also called out Drake and Travis Scott during an epic series of tweets. Now, Spotify has responded to the accusations. A Spotify spokesperson wrote: "Spotify supported Nicki Minaj…
Category archives: Major Labels
Best (And Most Honest) Tribute To Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin’s relationship with the music industry was a complex one. One minute, the industry was the enemy and the next she’d buy into the hit making machine with a recording that was beneath her undeniable vocal prowess. There were periods when booking her live was a crapshoot, with cancellations…
Sony Music Begins Paying Artists $750M Spotify Profits
Sony Music has officially begun to distribute the $750 million in profit it collected from the sale of 50% of its Spotify shares to its artists and distributed labels. According to Variety, the disbursement will be based on earnings over the last 10 years (i.e. since Sony’s initial investment in…
Spotify Direct Deals vs Major Label Artists – Who Wins?
Spotify has drawn fire for making direct deals with artists. But while it might offer a higher net royalty rate, are these deals really good for artists overall vs. the clout of a major label. This fascinating Chartmetric analysis looks at the numbers. _______________________ Guest post from Chartmetric. Research by…
Radio Issues An Ironic Plea For Fairness [Op-Ed]
In a welcome twist, a group radio broadcasters recently got together and penned a letter supporting the national Association of Broadcasters’ goal of deregulating the radio industry. ________________________ Op-Ed by Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange On Monday, a group of radio broadcasters penned a letter in support of…
23 Prince Albums, New ‘Anthology’ Available On Spotify, Apple Music and Other Streamers For 1st Time
Twenty three Prince albums are now available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and other music streamers for first time. The superstar singer/songwriter was a vocal critic of music streaming, with YouTube a particular target. _________________________ Two years after his death, Prince albums released between 1995-2010, one of his most prolific…
Sony, Universal Earn $500K Every Hour From Streaming
While streaming is often slammed for how little money it brings in, it turns out that this is more an issue for the artists, and the major companies behind the music like Sony and Universal are pulling down plenty of cash from streaming. ______________________________ Guest post by Bobby Owsinski of…
Music Industry Pays Tribute To Aretha Franklin
With today’s death of Aretha Franklin (76), music has lost one of its powerful voices, and both the industry and other artists are responding with heartfelt tributes befitting "The Queen of Soul." During her long and illustrious career, Aretha Franklin won 18 Grammy and a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Recording…
Why Are The Major Labels Dumping Spotify Stock?
Given that the future of music consumption seems to lie largely in streaming, why are so many major record companies choosing to offload their stock in Spotify now, one of streaming’s biggest and most well established players? __________________________ Guest post by Stephen Carlisle of NOVA Southeastern University Streaming is the…
Deezer Adds $185M, Strategic Partner That Should Make Spotify and Record Labels Very Nervous
Earlier this month Deezer added $185 million at a valuation of more than $1 billion. New investors include a top Middle Eastern music and media company poised to give the streamer a distinct competitive advantage on the region. ________________________ Dubai based media conglomerate Rotana has taken a major stake in…