In this Q&A style interview, Jo Morris talks about their work at Beggars Group, a group of labels including 4AD, Matador, and Rough Trade, as well as their work with messenger bots and how artists can use messenger bots in their digital marketing strategy. _________________________ Guest post by Veselina Gerova…
Category archives: Major Labels
Enrique Iglesias Sues UMG For Unpaid Streaming Royalties
Latin music superstar Enrique Iglesias has filed a lawsuit against his former label, accusing them of underpaying streaming royalties. According to the suit, filed in a Miami on Wednesday, Iglesias alleges that UMG paid him a small fraction of his 50% royalty rate due for music streamed online and is…
Spotify IPO Frightens Music Industry and Wall Street
Spotify has 70 million paid subscribers plus tens of millions more ad-supported users. But as a deeply unprofitable company, its future is far from certain. That has many in both the music industry and Wall Street investors worried, as the music streamer inches closer to its first public stock offering….
Rapper Kodak Black Arrested Following Instagram Post
Rapper Kodak Black was arrested after a guest posted videos to social media that appear to show people handling marijuana and a handgun around an infant at his home near Miami. According to ABC News, the Broward County Sheriff Office reported that deputies arrested the 20-year-old rapper, whose real name…
YouTube Moves All Subscribers To Official Artist Channels
YouTube launched Official Artist Channels last year to make it easier for fans to find content from their favorite artists by uniting official videos, live performances, individual songs and albums all under one channel. YouTube has now announced the mandatory consolidation of all an artist’s subscribers under an Official Artist…
Fleetwood Mac, Def Leppard, Lenny Kravitz Managers Join To Launch CSM
Three protégés of legendary music manager Howard Kaufman have joined together to form CSM Management with offices in Nashville and Los Angeles. The team includes Craig Fruin, Sheryl Louis and Mike Kobayashi, who each come to CSM with decades of wide ranging experience at HK Management. “At CSM, we approach…
Spotify Has 4 Paths To Profitability, None Of Them Are Good For Labels Or Artists
Spotify, which accounts for an estimated 17% of all major label revenue, has rejuvenated the music industry. But it’s own revenue future is far murkier. Spotify, like its competitors, is loosing hundreds of millions each year. And while an eminent public stock listing will replenish reserves, eventually the streamer must…
What Did It Take To Have A Billboard Top 5 Hit In 2017? Here’s The Breadown
In this extensive piece, Dean Olivet breaks down each song from 2017 that successfully hit the Billboard Top 5, looking at the compilation and structure of each chart topper and providing some technical insight on what made each one a success. _____________________________ Guest post by Dean Olivet of Soundfly’s Flypaper…
Stormzy, His #MERKY Label Leave Indie For Atlantic
As an independent artist with his own record label Stormzy has amassed 4.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Four of his songs have been streamed 40 million times each or more, with "Shut Up" passing 71 million plays. Now he’s signed to a major label taking his indie label mates…
Just One Music Co. Ranks Among World’s Most Admired Entertainment Businesses [Hint: It’s Not UMG]
Fortune Magazine has released its annual list of the World’s Most Admired Entertainment Companies. While there are many awards ranking companies, climbing this list is particularly meaningful since it’s determined by 4,000 entertainment executives, analysts, company directors and experts. Only one music company made the list. The Walt Disney Company…