Spotify Paid Subs Up 9 Million In 6 Months, Working To Offer Artists "A Full-stack Solution"

Spotify now has 39 million paying subscribers, up 9 million from 30 million in March. By comparison, Apple Music announced 15 million in June and TIDAL has about 4 million paying users. The new stats were shared by Spotify’s recent high profile hire Troy Carter who also shared the music…

The Coming Arms Race In Online Music: Artist Services [TIM QUIRK]

Digital music industry veteran Tim Quirk examines the coming arms race in the music industry, with online music services competing to offer artists programs and features which enable them to generate revenue beyond just streaming royalties. ______________________ Guest post by Tim Quirk, founder and CEO of Freeform There’s a development…

Pandora Takeover Gives The Gucci Bump

In a recent ‘takeover,’ designed to spark listener interest, Gucci Mane took over the popular Atlanta hip-hop station The ATL, resulting in an appreciable bump in the artist’s popularity. _____________________________ Guest Post by Glenn Peoples of Pandora The key takeaway: Gucci Mane’s “takeover” campaign at Pandora’s The ATL station led…

THU. BRIEF Frank Ocean Fallout • "Blurred Lines" Part II • Metallica Goes Old School • More

Thursday 8.25.16 Music Business News From Around The Web Tired of hearing about Frank Ocean. vs. Big Label? This story is far from over Updated continuously under our More News tab

Pandora Names Questlove Strategic Advisor, First Artist Ambassador

Questlove is getting creative with Pandora. Change happens slowly at the music streamer, particularly when its comes to its consumer offering. But teaming with the Roots drummer may hint at a new Pandora as it preps the launch of its own Spotify and Apple Music competitor as early as next…

WED. BRIEF: Frank Ocean Ignites ‘Exclusives’ Debate • STX Buys Surreal • Lisn, Alively Launch • Live 365 • More

WEDNESDAY 8.24.16 Music Business News From Around The Web Frank Ocean has triggered an overdue debate over release exclusives while also affirming the growing power of the direct to fan connection and diminishing value of record labels. Updated continuously under our More News tab

What In The World Happened At CÜR?

In this recent piece, Cortney Harding investigates what happened to CÜR, a music startup designed to offer streaming and internet radio at a lower rate than its competitors, but which seems to have gone the way of so many startups and spent itself into an early grave. ________________________________ Guest post…

Soundcloud Logs 175 Million Monthly Listeners To Massive 135 Million Track Catalog

New Soundcloud stats show just how big its footprint is, both in terms of listenership and the size of its music catalog. Most of their listeners are free, however; and monetizing them, along with making such a massive catalog user friendly, present a challenge. ______________________________________ SoundCloud announced today that it…

Mixcloud Attracts 1 Million Music Curators With Royalties Paid, No Venture Funding

Self-funded startup Mixcloud has quietly reached the million curator milestone. This achievement stands in sharp contrast to headlines touting millions in new funding alongside high profile failures by music tech startups like Crowdmix, Guvera and CUR. __________________________________________ Online radio platform Mixcloud announced that more than 1 million uploaders have contributed…

TUE. BRIEF: Amazon Plans $5 Music Service • Bandcamp Grows Editorial • Lavato Sued • Pulp • More

TUESDAY 8.23.16 Music Business News From Around The Web Amazon wants to do what Amazon does – make things cheaper – but artists and labels will net that much less. Updated continuously under our More News tab