This Week In Music Commentary

Commentators in the thick of the industry this week shared their opinions and thoughts on why indie musicians must fight for net neutrality, the ways in which YouTube is being deceptive about content ID, and the relationship between labels artists and managers. Amazon Prime Live Events, More Than Just Gigs…

Getting It Done: The Week In D.I.Y. & Indie Music

We have a plethora of tips for independent and DIY artists this week, as we offer advice on incorporating playlists into your social media strategy, how to construct a killer press kit, why it might be that your music isn’t selling, and much, much more. Why You Should Incorporate Playlists…

Music Think Tank Weekly Recap: Keep It Together • Following Your Favorite Bands • Make Your Website Better • More

On MusicThinkTank this week, we had articles on keeping it together while performing, how to successfully spend the summer following your favorite artists, some easy fixes for getting your website to the next level, and more. Rachelle Wilber | 4 Tips For Musicians To Keep It Together While Performing Emma…

REWIND: The New Music Industry’s Week In Review

A busy week by any definition, the music industry was no exception, with Universal Music potentially up for sale, Spotify’s loss widening in spite of a revenue spike, Pandora and SiriusXM once again eyeing an acquisition, and more! Spotify Losses Widen Despite Big Revenue Rise [REPORT] Music Biz 2017: Mood…

A "Must Use" Tool To Market Your Music and Tours [The Music Biz Weekly Podcast]

Gogi from Gupta Media visits the Music Biz Weekly Podcast to talk about smartURL 2.0. You’ll get the lowdown on the new Pivot smartURL and how it quickly builds a music landing page for you. Gogi also shares info on Events smartURL for marketing live shows. ________________________________________ The Pivot smartURL…

Why You Should Incorporate Playlists Into Your Social Media Strategy

When it comes to marketing and promotional strategies, artists tend to focus on how they can get their music on other people’s playlists. This article looks at approaching it from the other end, with artists themselves acting the curator. _______________________________ Guest post by Bas Grasmayer of Music Tech Policy The…

FRI. BRIEF: Patreon To Pay Out $150M In 2017 • Kelly Clarkson At Music Biz • PWR BTTM Denies Charges • More

Friday 5.19.17 Music Business News From Around The Web Patreon is not for every artist, but it has proven to be an invaluable tool for some. Updated under our More News tab

Spotify Losses Widen Despite Big Revenue Rise [REPORT]

Spotify’s operating loss rose to between $350 million to $450 million last year, up from $205 million in 2015. That’s despite a 50% increase in revenues to $3.1 billion, sources tell respected investment site The Information. The numbers call into question Spotify’s ability to be a profitable company going forward….

Spotify’s Troy Carter at Music Biz: On streaming, "the best songs win…(but) the value chain is broken"

[UPDATED] Speaking at the Music Biz 2017 conference in Nashville on Wednesday, Spotify’s director of artists relations and former Lady Gaga manager Troy Carter offered high but unvarnished praise for his employer and the power of streaming to transform music discovery, artist marketing and the entire music industry. ________________________________ "The…

Music Biz 2017: Mood Swings, Merch, Hi Res Streaming & More

The mood at Music Biz 2017 in Nashville this week was almost ebullient. After a multi-year downturn, things are finally looking up, really up. And the diverse attendees – ranging from labels large and small to artists and managers to streamers and tech, all sense that a new and perhaps…