Australia and New Zealand to reflect streaming figures in singles charts

Streaming just got a little more legitimacy from industry leaders in Australia and New Zealand. Singles charts in both countries announced that they will factor streaming numbers into their calculations. Both the Australian Recording Industry Association and the New Zealand Top 40 said streaming data will help determine the No. 1 songs. Continue Reading

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Azoff PRO challenges ASCAP/BMI, seeks better rates for songwriters

Copyright has been the hot-button topic of this year, and the role of performing rights organizations has been a central topic of debate. While some of the top publishers like Sony and Universal Music Group are looking for a chance to break from the outside management of their compositions by ASCAP and BMI, the top two PROs embroiled in consent decree rules, there is still some opportunity for shuffling within that business and legal infrastructure. Continue Reading

Garth Brooks launches digital music store GhostTunes.com

Country sensation Garth Brooks took his first baby step into the digital realm in July, but today he announced the beta launch of an entirely new online music service. It’s called GhostTunes.com. The focus with this platform is control for the musicians, but listeners will also have several options for how to enjoy their purchases. Continue Reading

Bridge Ratings research finds little listener interest in adding news to pureplay streams

Do you want to hear more than music on your favorite pureplay streaming service? The findings from a study by Bridge Ratings indicate that many people are content with the status quo of songs only. “Adding news or commuter traffic content is likely not going to enhance the experience for most users of these services,” said Dave Van Dyke, Bridge Ratings’ president. Continue Reading

Market research pegs digital music revenue at almost $14 billion in 2019

Juniper Research projected that revenue for digital music will be slow to rise from an estimated $12.3 billion in 2014 to about $13.9 billion in 2019. While listeners are likely to gravitate toward cloud-based services, Juniper’s report projected that pureplay streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora will be tested by the growth of personalized music services from Apple and Google. Continue Reading