Spotify Reports Growth and A Hint of Profitability, But Questions Remain [Mark Mulligan]

MIDiA analyst Mark Mulligan takes a deep dive into Spotify’s latest public numbers and finds some areas for real concern. "Spotify is growing its subscriber base markedly more quickly than it is growing its premium revenue," says Mulligan, and that is resulting in declining average revenue per user (APRU). ____________________________…

Why Spotify Isn’t Simply A Music Company [Cherie Hu]

In this piece Cherie Hu looks at how Spotify’s major investments in third party licensing deals and original podcast development are validating investor predictions and causing it to become the Netflix of audio while potentially putting its brand at risk. ____________________________________ Guest post by Cherie Hu on Medium On October…

PledgeMusic Issues An Incomplete Update

PledgeMusic issued an update late on Friday, but failed to address the core concerns of artists affected by non-payments and the complete suspension of all crowdfunding campaigns almost two weeks ago. Messaging to fans, which had been experiencing some problems, was again operational as is the ability to download of…

This Week In Music Commentary

This week commentators in the music industry look at what what Billboard’s Power 100 list got right and wrong, streaming’s significant problem with math, why Ariana Grande’s fans are the fans every artist needs, and more. Billboard’s Power 100 List: The Right & Wrong The Elusive Obelus: Streaming’s Issue With…

Getting It Done: The Week In D.I.Y. and Indie Music

We’ve got tips, tricks, and helpful advice this week on how to make the most out of your next music premier, how to make Instagram stories work for you as a marketing tool in 2019, what really matters when it comes to being a successful musician, and more! How To…

Music Think Tank Weekly Recap: Email Lists • Release Your Own Music • Starving Artist • More

Contributors on MusicThinkTank this week shared pieces on how to build and use and email list, the best way to roll out your music, the problematic cliche of the starving artist, and more! Laura Schneider | Email Lists for Musicians – Where The Heck To Start! Shimul Kabir | Top…

How To Make The Most Of A Song, Album Premier

It’s a cutthroat industry out there, and when time comes for you to throw your hat in the ring and release new music, it’s up to you to do everything you can to maximize its impact. Here several industry experts weigh in on what artists must do to capitalize on…

5 Things You Need To Have Ready Before You Tell Anyone About Your Music

Having music is all well and good, but when it comes to getting a relevant party interested, your ephemeral window of opportunity can’t be wasted. Here we Chris Robley details five critical elements you must be able to call upon if you want to cultivate interest in your work. ______________________________…

SoundCloud Now Has 5X As Many Tracks As Spotify

SoundCloud has officially passed 200 million tracks uploaded. The milestone makes the streamer’s catalog four to five times larger than its competitors with Apple Music and Spotify estimated to have catalogs in the 40 million range. As the world’s largest open audio platform, SoundCloud hosts such diverse audio as Chance…