Copyright Infringement Lawsuits Empower ‘Troll’ Rightscorp, says Mike Masnik

Two music industry backed lawsuits to force ISPs to do more to fight copyright infringement are moving forward. But these lawsuits also empower Rightscorp, according to Techdirt’s Mike Masnick, who labels the company a "copyright troll" that "floods ISPs with claims of infringement tied to ‘settlement’ offers." ___________________________ By Mike…

Record Labels vs Spotify: Who Needs Who More?

On one side you have Spotify – an unprofitable company that needs to lower its cost of the content from three dominate players. On the other side, you have three major music groups that increasingly rely on income from streaming. When it comes right down to it, who – the…

Cardi B Teaches How To Be Cardi B In New Spotify TV Ad [VIDEO]

Cardi B released a new album ""Invasion of Privacy" Friday; and while not a Spotify exclusive, the full album is available on the streamer from day one. So perhaps to thank the rapper for not pulling a Taylor Swift and windowing the release, Spotify cut a TV spot that takes…

2018’s Live Music Trends That Are Changing The Industry

In this piece, Bill Leigh looks at key industry trends that are reshaping the live music business in 2018 and how it will affect labels, bookers and artists moving forward. ____________________________ Guest post by Bill Leigh of Eventbrite 2018 will be another record-breaking year for live music. “I haven’t seen…

How Much Does Streaming Earn U.S. Record Companies? [CHART Year To Year]

Revenues from recorded music in the United States grew from $7.5 billion in 2016 to $8.7 billion in 2017. In 2017, subscription and ad-supported accounted for 65% of U.S. recorded music revenues, up from less than 10% in 2011. 2017 was also the first time in years that physical sales…

Q&A With Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine

Recent news that Slayer will be packing it in after this year’s tour has metal fans getting nostalgic. In an effort to get a feel for where other pioneers of metal are at, Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine sat down to chat about where the band is headed and the state…

Sony Sells $250M Spotify Stock, Labels Eye $3B Windfall

The three major label groups own Spotify stock now valued at as much a $3 billion. That’s led to speculation about what the major record labels will do with their equity stake, now that the music streamer has started trading publicly, as well as, how they will share their windfall…

Music Industry Gender Pay Gap Is Very Real [New Stats]

The music industry’s gender pay back is very real and even worse than many thought. The three major labels today released gender pay gap figures for the UK, this week and they offer a bleak snapshot of how women are devalued in the music industry. Recent legislation that forces UK…

Record Deal Advances Skyrocketing (If You’re A Hip Hop Artist)

In the recent past, the contraction of the music industry took record company’s advances with it, to the point where artists would often opt out of record deals altogether. It looks like this belt-tightening may be coming to an end however, at least where hip hop is concerned. _____________________ Guest…

Meme Delivers Fleetwood Mac Hit 41 Years After Release

Fleetwood Mac’s "Dreams" has entered the Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart at #14, that’s 41 years after it was first released as a single from their hit album Rumours. It’s all thanks to a Twitter meme which has been retweeted 311,000 times and liked more than 135,00 times. Fleetwood Mac…