Amazon Music To Be 2019’s Fastest Growing Music Streamer

Amazon Music will be the fastest growing music service in the US this year, according to a new analysis, crossing 35 million monthly listeners in 2019. That trend will continue through 2023. eMarketer predicts a growth rate for Amazon of 17.7% year over year. Earlier this week, eMarketer’s data dive…

BUSINESS OF INDIE: Downtown Acquires CD Baby • Mojo Expands Catalog • Spinnin’ Records Turns 20 • More

In this Business Of Indie update, CD Baby is sold to Downtown Music, indie publisher Mojo expands its catalog, Spinnin’ Records turns 20, zines make a comeback and so much more. Like Hypebot’s More News section, The Business Of Indie is nestled under its own Indie tab at the top…

Everything You Need To Know About Article 13

The Article 13 copyright directive passed the European Parliament this week, bringing with it sweeping copyright reform, limits to Safe Harbor and an end to YouTube as we know it, at least in the EU. The legislation is complex, so here is Everything You Need To Know About Article 13….

A2IM Names Indie Libera Award Nominees 2019: Mitski, Bad Bunny, Courtney Barnett, More

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has announced the nominees for its 2019 indie music Libera Awards. The Libera Awards will be held on June 20th in New York City as part of Indie Week. A2IM Libera Award Nominees 2019 Album of the Year (sponsored by The Orchard) •…

7 Ways To Promote Your Music And Grow Your Fanbase

In the modern music industry, being talented and unique isn’t enough to help you stand out from the crowd of other artists, and gaining the kind of recognition you want in a competitive market requires careful strategizing, and a good understanding of your strengths. ________________________ Guest post by Becky Holton…

BMG Reports Strong ‘Organic’ Growth

Bertelsmann’s indie music subsidiary BMG marked its 10th year in 2018 with significant growth in revenue and profits. BMG reported that overall revenue for 2018 was up by 7.5 % to €545 million / $613 million USD. BMG attributed the revenue to “organic growth” and noted the benefits of the…

Instruments In Transit: What Artists Need To Know In Event Of ‘No Deal’ Brexit

While there’s been no shortage of media coverage over the ongoing Brexit dumpster fire, one group that often gets left out of the hypotheticals and conjectures are touring musicians. Here we look at what some of the technical ramifications might be for artists transporting their instruments between the UK and…

CD Baby, AVL Digital Acquired By Downtown Music

Downtown Music Holdings has acquired AVL Digital Group and its portfolio of music distribution, rights management and artist services businesses, including CD Baby, AdRev, DashGo and Soundrop. DMH is the company behind Downtown Music Publishing and Songtrust. The deal is estimated to be worth $200 million. In 2018, CD Baby…

Advice To Labels: When Reissuing Vinyl, Take The Extra Step

The resurgence of vinyl has breathed new life into a number formerly overlooked albums, bringing hitherto forgotten artists out of the woodwork. When it comes to these fresh pressings, however, it’s important that labels take the time (and money) to invest in top notch audio quality. ___________________________ Guest post by…

YouTube’s 1B Plays Club is Changing Global Music Culture [Mark Mulligan]

Despite the headlines, YouTube is still the top music destination in most of the world. That massive reach, particularly within the global Latin community, is changing the face of what it means to be a superstar. ___________________ By Mark Mulligan of MIDiA and the Music Industry blog "139 music videos…