Ditto Music Launches Management Division

Independent distribution and marketing company Ditto Music announced the launch of a new artist management division. Ditto Management will operate as a stand-alone company and will be helmed by Matt Dodds, former A&R manager with the UK-based Jem Music. According to Rolling Stone, which first reported the launch, acts already…

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s Statement On EU Anti-Competition Complaint Against Apple [FULL TEXT]

Spotify it has filed an anti-trust complaint against Apple with the European Commission. The complaint centers on the 30% Apple charges for app store subscriptions and purchases and polices that Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says,"deliberately disadvantage other app developers." The full text of Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s statement: My goal…

I AM Pop Raises $2.2M As BMG, Orchard Sign On To Fan Messaging Platform

Fan messaging platform I AM POP has secured $2.2 million in funding to integrate I AM POP’s chat editor into other messaging apps beyond Facebook Messenger. With social media newsfeeds now delivering engagement rates as low as 2%, I AM POP boasts average open rates of 94%. Recent adopters of…

Facebook Live For Artists: 7 Best Practices

Facebook Live can be a great asset for artists look for additional ways to connect with the fans, but like any iteration of social networking, there’s a right and wrong way to do it. Here we look at seven ‘best practices’ when it comes to using the video streaming platform….

From Azoff To Slipknot, Music Biz Condemns Spotify, Google Attack On Songwriter Rates Increase

Late last week Spotify, Pandora, Google and Amazon announced they were teaming appeal the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board ruling increasing streaming payouts to songwriters by 44%. The four will file a action with the D.C. Court of Appeals. Now, artists and the industry are reacting, condemning the tech giants and…

Measuring Return On Investment, Defining Success In The Music Business

This week Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert discuss a question sent in by Music Biz Weekly podcast listener Ashworth Wiltshire: “Can you guys talk about another dirty subject, Return On Investment (ROI), as related to the budget.” The co-hosts added a…

ASCAP ‘I Create Music Expo’ Adds Performers, Speakers

ASCAP has announced the latest round of speakers and panelists for its 2019 “I Create Music” EXPO . On the heels of his Oscar win for Best Original Song, “Shallow” co-writer Anthony Rossomando will look back on his two-decade journey to co- penning the anthemic Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper…

6 Ways To Interact More With Fans On Instagram

While a lot of fuss is made over how artists should use social media platforms such as Instagram to effectively promote themselves and their music, not nearly enough attention is paid to how to be more interactive with fans, something which helps strengthen the artist/fan bond. Here we look at…

Move Over Spotify, YouTube Has A Major Samsung Deal Too

Samsung Galaxy customers will a free limited YouTube Premium! subscription which includes ad-free access to both YouTube and Google’s latest streaming service, YouTube Music. The news came on the same day that Spotify announced that it will come pre-loaded on millions of Samsung phones and other devices. Samsung Galaxy S10…

EMI Counter-Sues Kanye West For Breach Of Contract

Kanye West has been hit with a lawsuit by his longtime music publishing company EMI, alleging breach of contract. The suit, filed in Federal court in Manhattan, follows Kanye’s own January lawsuit against EMI in which he claimed that his contract violated California law because it lasted more than seven…