Ex-PledgeMusic CEO Benji Rogers Pens Letter Of Apology As Crowdfunder Files For Bankruptcy

PledgeMusic co-founder and former CEO Benji Rogers penned an open letter after it was announced that the troubled crowdfunder would be filling for bankruptcy. "I went back into PledgeMusic just over three months ago as a volunteer to try and help the board and team turn around and sell the…

PledgeMusic To Enter Administration As Sale Falls Through

A prospective sale of PledgeMusic has fallen through, and the company will enter administration, the UK equivalent of bankruptcy, sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell Hypebot. UK based corporate advisory FRP will be nominated to administer a court directed sale of all assets, which would be used to…

UPDATE: Google Responds To Reports That YouTube, Google Music Services Have Just 16M Subscribers

UPDATE: YouTube Music and Google Play Music have a total of just 15-16 million subscribers and growth has plateaued, according to two new reports. The totals, which reportedly include customers who are on promotional trials, is being strongly disputed by Google. The company added 5 million music subscribers since YouTube…

73% Of Independent Musicians Suffer From Stress, Anxiety And Depression

73% of independent musicians have experienced negative emotions such as stress, anxiety and/or depression in relation to their career, says a new study which surveyed 1500 indie artists. Among those 18-25 the number rose to 80%. A full 33% have also experienced panic attacks. Fear of failure, financial instability, loneliness…

Tough Love: Rift Between Spotify, Music Industry Growing

A contentious relationship from the beginning, the streaming industry and the rest of the music business have been increasingly at odds of late. Even as recorded revenues continue to rise, artists and publishers have grown increasingly frustrated with streamers like Spotify and Apple, creating a rift that shows no signs…

How To Be The Next Music Business Unicorn [Kedar Fredric]

As an independent artist, there’s a lot to be learned from the startup world in relation to how you manage your career. here Kedar Frederic illustrates some valuable principles from startup culture, and how artists can effectively integrate them with their careers. ________________________________ Guest post by Kedar Frederic, VP Business…

TuneCore Upgrades Music Publishing Administration Service

TuneCore has announced enhancements to its Music Publishing Administration services including faster song registration, an all-in-one solution for monitoring distribution and publishing, faster international royalty collection and an improved ‘splits’ process. Five years ago, TuneCore began offering Music Publishing Administration services for its distributed artists. TuneCore is the first company…

Death Of The Album [Alex Heiche]

It seems the music format of generations is finally on its deathbed. Whether in the form of 8-tracks, cassettes, or vinyl, the album has seen its share of changes, but none more disruptive or deadly than the rise of streaming and playlist culture. _________________________ Guest post by Alex Heiche, CEO…

At Age 80, Sheila Nevins Tapped To Run MTV Doc Division

MTV has hired legendary producer Sheila Nevins to oversee MTV Documentary Films, a new division aimed at creating content which explores social, political and cultural stories of interest to its young audiences. At age 80, Nevins, who had an award winning run 38 year run with HBO’s doc division, is…

UK Musicians Speak Out On Brexit

UK trade association The Incorporated Society of Musicians has released a new report that chronicles how Brexit, the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union, will impact the music industry. According to the report, 50% of musicians surveyed by the study reported that their future work, mobility and visas,…