Neil Young is back in the headlines after he announced that he will remove his catalog from streaming services. His complaint is about sound quality. “I don’t need my music to be devalued by the worst quality in the history of broadcasting or any other form of distribution,” he said in a Facebook post. “When the quality is back, I’ll give it another look.” Continue Reading
Most of the heavy analysis of music markets focuses on North America, Europe, and Asia. PricewaterhouseCoopers has given us new insights on the industry in Africa with a new entertainment and media outlook through 2017 for South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria. The report covers the radio and music sectors in those countries. Continue Reading
Germany’s music sector posted gains from streaming and sales in the first half of 2015, according to a report by the Federal Music Industry Association (BVMI). Streaming services now account for 12.8% of the country’s music revenue, up from 7.7% in the first half of 2014. “The 87 percent increase in music streaming even exceeds the forecast contained in the streaming study we published back in March,” the group’s managing director Dr. Florian Drücke said. Continue Reading
The UK is seeing growth of digital radios in cars. The Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy is expected to announce today that in Q2 2015, 70% of new cars now come with digital radio as standard. The data point shows growth in new cars with digital radio from 54% in 2014 and 38% in 2013. Continue Reading
NPR confirmed that it has withdrawn from the MIC Coalition. A representative from the public radio team confirmed the departure, but did not provide a reason. MIC, which stands for “music.innovation.consumers,” was formed earlier in 2015 with the stated goal of creating “a predictable, balanced and transparent music marketplace.” Continue Reading
YouTube Music Key has mostly been quiet since the initial excitement over its beta launch last November. The last that we heard of Google’s planned subscription service, the beta had been extended into September. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki spoke at a Fortune event yesterday and touched on the outlook for Music Key, offering just a little bit of insight on its status. Continue Reading
The Spotify Insights blog has a new data creation for its fans to play with. The latest is a musical map with accompanying playlists showcasing the songs that are most unique to many of the world’s cities. Editor Eliot Van Buskirk calls these songs ‘distinctive,’ tunes that one location seems to enjoy a lot but other areas don’t. Continue Reading
Billboard and Nielsen have long been the standard for music charts, but a new contender is joining the field. BuzzAngle Music it the new kid on the block, and it’s offering some unique features to stand out from the old guard. Continue Reading
Much digital ink has been spilled about the value of streaming, from its intangible impact on the music industry to the very tangible bottom line. Billboard crunched some numbers about the value of a single stream at both Spotify and Pandora, shedding a little light on who is getting what under the current deals. Continue Reading
The Fair Play, Fair Pay Act is getting a boost of support from an unusual corner. Two artists rights and management groups in the UK – the Music Managers Forum and the Feature Artists Coalition – have asked members to get involved with the social media campaign to raise awareness for the issue. The legislation aims to pay performance royalties to musicians for their plays on terrestrial radio. Continue Reading
Public radio is often ambitious in its goals for curating and presenting great music, and the latest project to come out of the organization is a delightful response to recent trends favoring both mobile and video. Several venerable public radio stations have joined forces to power a new mobile app that focuses on recordings of live performances. VuHaus is free for both iOS and Android, and it’s definitely worth a look and a listen. Continue Reading
David Byrne joined SoundExchange as a board member back in May, and today he put his star power to work on the Capitol Hill. He joined SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe in a meeting with Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), a co-sponsor of the Fair Play, Fair Pay Act. Continue Reading