New Year’s Eve is traditionally one of the busiest days for streaming music, and Spotify has shared the most popular songs used to celebrate the new year in the U.S. and across the world. Post Malone’s “rockstar," which has over 617 million streams on Spotify, was the most popular song…
Category archives: Major Labels
Vevo Revenue, Video Views Both Up 50% As It Nears Profitability
Revenue at music video site Vevo was up 30% in 2017 from $500 million to $650 million, as it broke even for the first time in its eight years in business, according to a new report. Vevo now logs 25 billion views each month, up 30% from its last public…
Disney, Netflix, And The Squeezed Middle: The True Story Behind Net Neutrality
In this article Mark Mulligan explores how the recent overturning of net neutrality comes as the inevitable result of a gradual but pervasive shift in value from a focus on rights to a focus on distribution, and how this shift has bypassed infrastructure companies. ______________________ Guest post by Mark Mulligan…
Universal Music Leads Royalty Deadbeat Facebook Out Of Cold with Licensing Deal [Chris Castle]
Long known as something of a deadbeat when it comes to paying music royalties, last week social media giant Facebook signed a deal with Universal Music Group which will allows the social network to carry songs from the major label across its platforms. __________________________ Op-ed by Chris Castle of Music…
Most Memorable Album Covers Of 2017
Although some may album art is a dead medium, it appears 2017 didn’t get the memo. Here David Deal looks at some of the most memorable album covers to be released in 2017, and what the artists were trying to communicate with them. ______________________ Guest post by David Deal of…
20 Most Popular Vinyl Colors Of 2017 [ DISCOGS ]
Music database and vinyl hub Discogs shares a data-driven list of the 20 Most Collected vinyl color variants released in 2017. Beginning with Radiohead’s 3xLP blue opaque variation of the ‘OKNOTOK’ reissue of ‘OK Computer’ and counting down to the Father John Misty Sub Pop release ‘Pure Comedy’ in aluminum…
Music Industry Lawsuits And Issues To Watch In 2018
Always an area rife with legal complexity, Erin M. Jacobson here looks at the legal world of the music business industry, and four important cases too keep a close eye on as we move into 2018, and what the broader implication of the outcome of these cases might be. ____________________________…
Billboard Shifts Magazine, Chart Dates To Reflect Actual Release Week
The venerable music trade magazine Billboard is finally shifting its publication and chart dates to closer match the real world. Starting in 2018, Billboard Magazine issues and charts within it will be dated to the Saturday of the week that that the magazine is shipped. Currently, Billboard issues are dated…
How Apple Got Its Musical Groove Back
It wasn’t all that long ago that Apple was floundering for industry relevancy, in the wake of embarrassments such as the U2 Songs of Innocence debacle, coupled with their reliance on paid downloads at a time when industry was steadily shifting towards streaming. Here we look at how they were…
Sony, Universal Strike New Global Licensing Deals With YouTube
[UPDATED] Universal and Sony have joined Warner Music Group in signing new multi-year global licensing agreements with YouTube. The move also paves the way Google and YouTube to launch a new paid streaming service to compete with Spotify this Spring. _______________________________________ Universal Music Group and YouTube have announced a multi-year…