Apple Set To Kill iTunes Today, New iPod Touch Unveiled

Apple is set to announce the end of iTunes today. Ironically, the company unveiled a new iPod Touch last week, the newest iteration of the hardware that made it so easy to put a whopping 1000 iTunes tracks in your pocket. During Tim Cook’s keynote at its annual Worldwide Developers…

This Week In Music Commentary

This week in music commentary, the industry gave voice to concerns that PledgeMusic was lining their own pockets, what it takes to build a music empire, a paradigm shift in how fandoms are monetized and more. Was PledgeMusic Lining Their Own Pockets? A Brief Inquiry Into Building Music Empires With…

Tencent Music Requires You Pay To Stream Current Music – Will This Catch On?

In an effort to increase its profitability, Chinese streaming giant Tencent has begun experimenting with limiting the amount of current hit music which its customers can access for free. Given the mixed results windowing saw in the US however, it remains to be seen whether this trend will catch on….

Monetising Fandom: How ByteDance Is Poised To Lead A Streaming Paradigm Shift [Mark Mulligan]

Music subscriptions are going a great job of monetising music consumption, says MIDiA analyst Mark Mulligan, but the next phase is monetise music fandom. "In short," he says, "streaming needs to figure out how to bring heart and soul back to music. ____________________________ By Mark Mulligan of MIDiA from his…

URSA Music Offers Artist Center Streaming Platform

The co-founders of URSA Music, Christopher Jones and Chad Royce, join Michael Brandvold and Jay Gilbert on the Music Business Weekly podcast. URSA is the only streaming service that features extensive Artist-controlled profiles, including Music, Photos, Videos, Tour Dates, Bios,and more, all in one place. Ursa’s mission to frame artists…

3 Reasons A Streaming Platform Will Reject Music

As music streaming’s heavy hitters start to get into the distribution business, some artists are getting kicked to the curb, and left wondering why their music didn’t make the cut. Here we look at some of the main reasons your music might be getting rejected by major streaming platforms, and…

SoundCloud Adds Digital Distribution With Acquisition Of Repost Network

SoundCloud has acquired digital rights management and distribution company, Repost Network. With the acquisition, SoundCloud can offer "high-performing, emerging creators " distribution, analytics and content protection. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. It is expected to close in the coming weeks. Repost Network’s 6000+ clients include RedBull Records, Waka…

2019’s Biggest Streaming Earners (So Far)

While streaming is often maligned for the reduced amount of revenue it generates for artists, those musicians at the top of the pile are pulling down far more than you might have guessed. Here we look at streaming’s five biggest money makers of 2019 thus far. ___________________________ Guest post by…

Building Passionate Clusters Of Fans: Niche Is Music’s New Mainstream says MIDiA’s Mark Mulligan

In an increasingly fragmented music landscape where algorithms and streaming emphasize songs over albums and artists, success – even on a global scale – is found in the niches, says top music industry analyst Mark Mulligan of MIDiA. "Fandom is fragmenting," says Mulligan, "but it may be the best thing…

YouTubNow Offline As Music Industry Scores Two Wins vs Stream Rippers

After months of court delays and losses to overseas based streaming ripping sites, the music industry is finally notching some wins. Ripping MP3’s from YouTube, Spotify and other streamers is believed to be the #1 source of music piracy. YouTubNow As for Thursday morning, notorious YouTube stream ripping site YouTubNow…