Fifteen years after her untimely death in a plane crash at the age of twenty-two, the R&B/hip-hop singer Aaliyah continues to see great popularity, racking up impressive spin counts on platforms like Pandora, and even seeing remarkable traffic across a variety of social media outlets. ______________________________ Guest post by Liv…
Category archives: Streaming & Cloud
Ariana Grande, Kanye West Get Biggest VMA Bump On Spotify
The VMAs may have taken a ratings hit, but they still deliver a bump on Spotify. After Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s workout-filled performance of their new single “Side To Side”, the track jumped 355% from the weekend prior. Kanye West’s “Fade”, whose video he premiered during the show, jumped…
Desperate For New Label Deals, Spotify Reverses Position And Will Allow Release Windowing [Report]
Spotify is ready to allow new releases to be windowed on its paid Premium service. The music streamer needs new contracts with the major labels before it can move forward with an IPO; and reversing its long and strong anti-windowing policy has reportedly become part of the negotiations, according to…
Amazon Will Launch New Music Streaming Service Next Month [Report]
Amazon is so close to finishing its deal with the major labels that it will launch a competitor to Spotify and Apple Music in September, sources tell the Financial Times. Previous reports have Amazon adding a lower priced $5 tier available only via its Echo speaker/digital assistant combo. Pandora is…
Spotify IPO Watch: Blame ≠ Profit
Although Spotify, like so many streaming companies, blames its lack of substantial profit on its requisite payment of such high royalty rates, the company’s woes may in fact stem from a flawed growth strategy and mismanaged finances, as potential investors wait for an IPO which may be a long time…
Frank Ocean’s Bombastic Blond Moment And What It Can Tell Us About The Future Of Artists And Labels
After releasing his heavily anticipated visual album ‘Endless’ and thereby fulfilling his contractual obligation with Universal, Frank Ocean sent massive shockwaves through the music industry by independently releasing another album, ‘Blonde’ exclusively on Apple Music, a decision which could predict the future of artist/label relationships, particularly with regard to exclusives….
Bruno Mars, Mark Zuckerberg Attended Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s Wedding This Weekend [PHOTOS]
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek married Sophia Lavender this weekend on the beautiful shores of Lake Como in the Lombardy region of Italy. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife were guests, and singer Bruno Mars provided the entertainment. Thanks to social media, we’ve got photos. ___________________________________ When the wedding singer…
Frank Ocean’s "Blonde" Debuts At #1, But "Endless" Deemed Ineligible [BuzzAngle Top 10 Chart]
Frank Ocean’s Blonde, his second studio album, debuted at #1 on the BuzzAngle Music U.S. Album Chart for the week of August 16, 2016 with 278,110 album project units, including 232K album sales and 69.1M audio streams. The top two performing songs on Blonde, ranked by total streams, were "Solo"…
How Piracy Altered Music Discovery & Licensed Services Pushed It Forward
Bas Grasmayer takes a look back at the multitude of different tech platforms (many of them a haven for piracy) which have allowed us to access music over the years, and how they have helped shaped the current emphasis on music discovery. ____________________________ Guest Post by Bas Grasmayer on Synchblog…
Former Staffer Offers A Rare Look Inside Apple Music
Former Apple Music employee Sean Glass offers a rare look inside the secretive world of Apple, and weighs in on the industry realities behind streaming exclusives and why they can be good for artists, but are generally not especially beneficial to major labels. ___________________________ Guest post by former Apple Music…