With the recent wave of music industry organizations worldwide releasing their data for 2015, two distinct trends have emerged. One of them is a growing dissatisfaction with the flow of money through ad-supported streaming services. Some reports just imply frustration, while others have centered on YouTube as the symbolic scapegoat for their anger about the amount of revenue generated by that type of media platform. Continue Reading
After some early rumblings of label licensing drama for YouTube, the video platform has successfully inked a deal with at least one publisher. The company has expanded its licensing agreement with Downtown Music Publishing to include performance rights for streaming its tracks in the U.S. Continue Reading
There’s no rest for the weary at Google. The team is reportedly working on a livestreaming app dubbed YouTube Connect. Like YouTube Gaming and YouTube Music, YouTube Connect would be a standalone app that complements the core video service. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Mobile YouTubing skyrockets in India; Sainsbury bets big on vinyl; developing high-definition vinyl; Panoply exec talks shop. Continue Reading
Many mobile carriers have been trying to attract customers with the promise of data-free digital entertainment. T-Mobile’s Binge On feature launched with the idea of letting customers enjoy select streaming video platforms without dipping into their data plans. Last week, Binge On got a big boost with the addition of YouTube. Continue Reading
YouTube’s penetration into the music lives of Americans is a snapshot of quiet domination captured by last week’s Infinite Dial release. When you cross-reference different parts of the Edison Research / Triton Digital study, startling comparisons emerge. Continue Reading
Google Play Music is getting an update that will add the option to search YouTube videos from within the app, further bringing together Google’s music and video empires. It is another example of video becoming established in music services, and a natural evolution in Google’s case. Continue Reading
BandPage has been acquired by YouTube. The artist support and engagement platform announced the purchase today, and he company reaffirmed its commitment to helping artists access digital tools and services.” Continue Reading
TuneCore’s artists eared more than $142 million in 2015 thanks to a 47% increase in publishing revenue and a 57% spike in sync revenue. The full-year figure was up 7% over the clients’ earnings in 2014. Continue Reading
Music’s biggest night is always preceded by a wave of predictions. This year is no exception, and in fact, the growing number of channels listeners use to experience their favorite tunes have created even more ways to analyze who might walk away with a Grammy award.
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Last week we reported that Spotify’s long-awaited video content, first announced last May, would finally appear in its mobile apps. Yesterday we were pleased to find a portfolio of video programming, plus audio podcasts, in a freshly updated Android app. Podcast listening in Spotify is a good experience, possibly a game-changer. Continue Reading
A German court has ruled in support of the safe harbor rules that protect YouTube against legal infringements made by its members. The Higher Regional Court Munich has decided that copyright infringements are the responsibility of the people who upload the offending material, not with YouTube as the hosting platform. Continue Reading