With brick and mortar music stores no longer being the only (or even best) way for artists to get their music into the hands of fans, the distribution process has changed significantly. Here we offer a concise guide on how artists can make digital distribution work for them. _____________________________ Guest…
Category archives: Streaming & Cloud
Music Streaming Reaches A Tipping Point
It seems the industry has finally reached a point where music streaming revenue has become the greatest contributor of royalties for both artists and labels and, as purchases continue to drop, this increasing prominence of streaming will reshape many other aspects of the industry. ___________________________ Guest Post by Glenn Peoples…
Pandora Rebrands With New Logo
Pandora is revving up it efforts to encourage users to transition from free to paid as it preps its on demand streaming music service for launch later this year. Along with the change they’ve begun a digital marketing campaign. _________________________________ Pandora has unveiled a rebranding with a new logo as…
Spotify Paid Out Over A Billion To Labels This Year
Streaming services in general tend to take a lot of heat from record labels, and Spotify is no exception, but is this attitude justified? According to new information, the streaming platform has already shelled out 1.2 billion in royalties this year, suggesting it may be benefiting the industry more than…
MUST READ: Spotify Helped Me As An Artist – Here Is How
In this article, indie artist Pip Blom recounts the process releasing their new EP, and how Spotify enabled them to find and reach an international audience which would have otherwise been closed off to them, as well as helping them to build a network and fanbase. _________________________________ Guest post by…
Cstream Offers More Than Music Streaming, Adds Books And Video
With Apple and Spotify dominating the streaming market, it’s become a tough world out there for streaming startups. The new French streaming service Cstream, however, hopes to avoid this issue by offering multi-genre content subscription, with a focus on a curated family-led experience. _________________________________ Guest Post by Mark Mulligan on…
8tracks Raises $2 Million From Small Investors, Plans Shift To Subscription Model
Playlisting service 8Tracks has raised almost $2 million of a hoped for $5 million from 3700 small investors. The startup’s crowdfunding campaign with SeedInvest has two week’s remaining. In an email to investors obtained by RAIN, 8tracks CEO David Porter signaled a shift from ad supported to paid subscriptions. “Our…
Lyor Cohen Takes the Cake by Joining the Google Empire [Op Ed]
Google’s hiring of industry insider Lyor Cohen as YouTube’s Global Head of Music is "no grounds for celebration" says musician and activist Maria Schneider in a new op ed. "And who better to prevail over the majors than the very guy who helped lead those majors into the back alley…
Spotify, Apple Music Add A SoundCloud Favorite: Unofficial Mixes
Spotify and Apple Music are adding unofficial mixes for the first time. Remixes and multi-track mixes, which are tipped to launch soon, are the reason many fans love SoundCloud; and their inclusion elsewhere makes purchase of the music service less attractive. ________________________________ Apple Music and Spotify have added unofficial mixes,…
BEWARE: Streaming Music Consolidation Ahead
With recent news in the air that Spotify may be forking over cash in a potential SoundCloud buy up, Bas Grasmayer takes a moment to scrutinize what seems to be developing into a broader trend towards a gradual consolidation of the music streaming corner of the industry. ______________________________ Guest post…