PledgeMusic Leaving More Artists Unpaid

As the gloomy saga of PledgeMusic’s financial failings drags on, more artists are revealing that that the now infamous crowdfunding site failed to provide them with payment. Here we look at some specific numbers from a variety of artists. ____________________________ Guest post by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0 Recently I…

Woodstock 50 Said To Face Financial Woes

With Woodstock 50 scheduled to take place in just six months, event organizers have not released an initial lineup. Woodstock 50, intended to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic Woodstock Music & Arts Festival, is scheduled to take place from 16-18 in Watkins Glen in Upstate New York a…

7digital, Juke End Partnership After $4.5M Settlement

UK-based 7digital has reached a settlement with Media Saturn’s Juke music streaming service to dissolve their partnership. Under the Agreement, 7digital will be released from all outstanding contracts with the Juke for an immediate payment by Juke of €4,000,000. Juke has aslo agreed to write off all interest payments and…

How To Pull Off A Great Looking Music Video On A Budget

Producing a music video for free simply isn’t going to happen, but creating a great looking, quality product while actually sticking to budget and not leaving your band destitute is significantly more achievable. Here we look at how. ____________________________ Guest post by Gideon Waxman of Soundfly’s Flypaper Making a great…

4 Ways To Prep For The Chaos Of SXSW 2019

With SXSW just around the corner, members of the music industry are scrambling to get their ducks in a row in order catch all the incredible shows they want to see, meet all the people they want to meet, and maybe even grab a bite to eat along the way….

How Smart Speakers Increase The Artist and Fan Divide

"Alexa (Siri, Google) play __________." With tens of millions of song requests being processed daily, what fills that blank matters. "Play That Funky Music" will net you the Wild Cherry hit. Hear that song once and you know the title. But while "Counting Blue Cars" may have been a big…

Hypebot Crashes The Music Biz Weekly Podcast: Streaming, PledgeMusic, Smart Speakers, More

The big three record labels earning $19 million a day from streaming, the ongoing PledgeMusic tragedy, how smart speakers are changing songwriting and the future of podcasting were all part of a wide ranging discussion between Bruce Houghton of Hypebot and the Skyline Artists Agency and Music Biz Weekly co-hosts…

The Reality Of Music Journalism And How To Get Covered

Getting good press in the music business hasn’t gotten easier in recent years. Competition is stiff and engaging the interest of press can be even harder than capturing the attention of fans. Here we look at music journalism and how to cultivate a relationship with industry gatekeepers. ____________________________________ Guest post…

Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book’ Passes 1.5B Spotify Streams

Three years after the release of ‘Coloring Book,’ Chance the Rapper surpassed 1.5 billion streams on Spotify as of March 1st. ‘Coloring Book’ was released in May of 2016 and became the first streaming-only album to chart the Billboard 200 and win a Grammy, according to Chart Data. I just…

Blues Foundation Names 2019 Blues Hall of Fame Inductees

The Blues Foundation has today (March 1) announced the 2019 inductees to the Blues Hall of Fame. Among this year’s honorees are Pee Wee Crayton, Moe Asch, Booker T. & the MG, Aretha Franklin, Count Basie, Ida Cox, Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Bessie Smith and Elmore James. The…