YouTube, Merchbar Partner For Artist Merch, Vinyl Sales

YouTube and Merchbar have partnered to bring official merchandise sales to the platform. Merchbar has a similar deal with Spotify. Artists with an Official Artist Channel can now add their merchandise and vinyl for sale alongside videos. Fans watching videos on YouTube Official Artist Channels will see a shelf with…

Those Who Can Do, Teach: – Why You Should Consider Teaching Music Online

While most musicians might not see themselves as educators, prefer the idea of performing to providing lessons, this piece offers a series of compelling reasons why, as a skilled musician, one should give series thought the idea of teaching music online. _______________________________ Guest post by Christine Elise Occhino of Soundfly’s…

Meditation App Calm Names UMG Exec Head Of Music

Popular sleep and meditation app Calm and has named its first head of Music, Courtney Phillips, UMG’s former Director of Brand Partnerships. And don’t for a minute that Phillips made is to bring more sleep-inducing instrumental music to the platform. Working closely with Calm’s leadership and content teams, Phillips will…

One Music Marketing Trick Every Artist MUST Avoid

Marketing your music is a complex challenge. What works for one listener or fan could fall flat with another, and artists will often jump through hoops and try all kinds of schemes as they fight against anonymity. While it’s good to try a variety of marketing tricks, there’s one every…

Former Busker Tones and I #1 In 16 Markets with Help From Spotify’s Global Editorial Team

Australian busker-turned-breakout-artist Tones and I, whose single “Dance Monkey” is #1 on Spotify’s Global Chart, is the first Australian to achieve this position. The rapid chart accession of her catchy pop song comes in large part because of the support of Spotify’s global editorial team. As of this weekend, the…

Rock Hall Of Fame 2020 Nominees Include 12 First-timers

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced the nominees for its Rock Hall Class of 2020. 16 artists are shortlisted and of those nine are first-time nominees. Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, The Doobie Brothers, Motörhead, The Notorious B.I.G., Soundgarden, T. Rex, Thin Lizzy and Whitney Houston are…

Remembering Digial Music Pioneer Jay Frank: His Hypebot Articles & Interviews

UMG senior executive Jay Frank, who passed away this week, was a digital music visionary. Frank often understood streaming’s long term effects on artists and the music industry years before the rest of us. To celebrate Jay and share a fraction of his insights, we’ve compiled a sampling of his…

Music Piracy Continues To Dip Dramatically, But The Industry Is Loathe To Admit It Because It Ruins The Narrative [Op-Ed]

In this op-ed, Mike Masnick reveals how better-authorized services have, in contrast to increased legal enforcement, been incredibly effective at reducing online piracy, but that the music industry is choosing to ignore the numbers in favor of a different narrative. ____________________________________ Guest post by Mike Masnick of Techdirt This was…

How Does The Money Flow From Music Streaming To Artists, Music Industry?

Now accounting for 75% of total music industry revenue, there’s no denying that streaming is now the dominant form of music consumption. That said, one question continues to plague the industry: where is all that revenue going, and how can artists get their hands on it? Here, we breakdown step…

MMF, YouTube Music Manager Grants, Accelerator Program Is Accepting Applications

The UK Music Managers Forum (MMF) and YouTube Music have opened applications for their unique grants and accelerator program for music managers. Aiming to increase the number of sustainable full-time management businesses, the initiative offers grants of up to £15,000 and over 100 hours of professional mentoring, training and masterclasses…