Why EPs Are Still Important

EPs have existed for a long time as a great way for artists to test the waters before dropping a full length album. Here we look at the benefits of having an EP, how to use it, and the history behind the format. __________________________ Guest post by Ellie Batchiyska of…

How To Succeed On Soundcloud

With hundreds of thousands of fans using the platform, Soundcloud is an important place to build an audience. But with tens of thousands of artists active there, how do you not get lost in the shuffle? Soundcloud offers some tips. Make sure your profile is up to date Keep your…

Spotify, Apple, Google, Amazon, Orchard, Deezer, Others Sued For Copyright Infringement

Sony, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, Google, Microsoft, Orchard, Deezer, Shazam, MediaNet, CD Universe and Saavn are being sued for copyright infringement by a South African musician. A new lawsuit alleges that major digital music distributors and streaming services allegedly sold or streamed tracks from South African gospel singer Seugne Botha aka…

Troy Carter Denies Spotify Exit, Admits To Disagreement

After Spotify announced a new "Hate Content and Hateful Conduct" policy last week that resulted in R. Kelly and others being downgraded on the platform, the rumor mill went into overdrive that Troy Carter, Spotify’s global head of creator services, was leaving the company in protest. _________________________________ Tory Carter admits…

TIDAL Denies Streaming Fraud, But Not Late Payments

Just days after it was reported that Beyoncé and Kanye West’s TIDAL streaming stats had been manipulated with hundreds of millions of false plays, the music streamer denied the claim and launched an investigation into the data breach. TIDAL did not, however, address multiple reports that it was months behind…

Spotify, Apple Music and The Future Of Ad Supported Streaming [Zach Fuller, MIDiA]

Musicians and labels have long been skeptical of Spotify’s free ad-supported tier, primarily because returns a lower per stream rate than Spotify’s, Apple Music’s or other paid subscription tiers. But according to MIDiA’s Zach Fuller, a recent makeover and the latest revenue stats show that Spotify is, at least somewhat…

Is YouTube Finally Serious About Music Subscriptions?

After several attempts that failed to gain traction, YouTube is taking another stab at something the record labels insist it must – get people to pay to stream music. MIDiA analyst Mark Mulligan looks at why Google cares about subscription streaming and the new service’s chance of success. ____________________________________________ By…

Billboard Hot 100 To Measure Streams Differently

The relevancy of the Billboard Hot 100 has long been argued by those operating in and around the music industry, receiving particular criticism for the weight which it gives to streaming, something which Billboard is hoping to fix in newly instituted alterations to their measurement system. ______________________________ Guest post by…

Revamped YouTube Music Free and Premium Launches Tues.

YouTube’s promised reboot of its music and video services will launch on Tuesday armed with new features. Borrowing from the Spotify playbook, a freemium ad-supported version of the new service will be used to lure $9.99 per month subscribers. YouTube’s new music and premium video services will officially launch on…

YouTube Adds Artist, Songwriter Credits To 500M Videos

YouTube has added "music in this video" artist, songwriter and publishers credits to more than half a billion videos. In addition to official music videos, the credits are being added to user generated content and virtually any YouTube video that uses recorded music. Starting today, YouTube users can click “Show…