Daily News & Analysis Feeds - 2020
Here you’ll find the latest announcements on Association events and partnerships, the latest from within our member community, and expert reporting from around the global music business. If you’d like to receive updates like these sent directly to your inbox, sign up for our daily news feed email today!
February 19, 2020 – Why Indie Artists Are Releasing Music at a Much Faster Rate in 2020
Since the advent of the genre in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, the standard trajectory for signed Indie Rock bands has been to release an album, tour on it for roughly two years, release another album, repeat. In the industry, this is known as the two-year album cycle, a model that’s ostensibly designed to maximize… Read More
February 19, 2020 – High-Definition Music: Bringing Quality Back to Convenience
Most people, particularly millennials and Generation Z, wouldn’t stand for watching videos on a boxy, grainy television set. Yet, that’s essentially the equivalent of the poor-quality sound they get when they download or stream music from services that don’t support high resolution. These platforms and services compress large music files to give customers an important… Read More
February 18, 2020 – [Keeping Tempo With Music Biz] — Artist Brand and Its Role in Music Entrepreneurship
In today’s content-driven attention economy, a strong playlist or synch placement can help an artist’s latest single skyrocket in popularity, virtually jumpstarting successful careers overnight. This has unfortunately resulted in a new obstacle: how can modern day artists pull in more engaged, lifetime fans that will not just listen to their latest release, but truly… Read More
February 17, 2020 – The Future of What Ep. #178: Licensing Music For Podcasts
While music consumption has pivoted away from piracy and downloads, the spectre of the past is once again looming over the industry, as podcasts become an even more dominant medium. Generally unregulated, most podcasts contain at least one musical work, that is likely unlicensed, which means that those episodes you’re downloading are really no different… Listen
February 14, 2020 – Influencers More Likely to Inspire Gen Zer and Millennial Purchases
Younger generations are more likely to buy products based on influencer recommendations, as well as consider them reliable. However, these demographics still see influencers as less trustworthy than other sources. An August 2019 survey from GlobalWebIndex shows that roughly one in five of Gen Z and millennial respondents from the US and UK made a purchase inspired… Read More
February 13, 2020 – Podcasts Are The New Black
It’s been widely acknowledged that podcasts have hit a tipping point. Usage is growing across all demographics, even older ones initially more resistant to the medium. And media companies are responding with content galore. As of December 2019, it was reported there are over 800,000 shows and over 30 million podcast episodes available — up… Read More
February 12, 2020 – How the Music Industry Is Fighting the Mental-Health Crisis
In a 2018 study from the Music Industry Research Association, 50 percent of musicians reported battling symptoms of depression, compared with less than 25 percent of the general adult population. Nearly 12 percent reported having suicidal thoughts — nearly four times the general population. According to a 2019 study published by Swedish digital-distribution platform Record Union,… Read More
February 11, 2020 – Content Ownership Is King: That’s Why Movie, TV and Music Libraries Are In Such High Demand
It’s Oscar season, a time when eyes all around the world focus on Hollywood and the stories – the content – that win the most golden statues. And, going in to Oscar night, Silicon Valley-born new media giant, Netflix, was the lead storyteller. Netflix boasted more Oscar nominations (24) than any other studio, a fact… Read More
February 10, 2020 – NEW MEMBER PROFILE: Dance Plant Records, Inc.
Please welcome Montreal-based Dance Plant Records, Inc. to the Music Business Association! The label was founded in 1986 by “two crazy guys who loved the music business,” with its roots in the Dance genre. Today, it is one of Canada’s most prestigious indie labels, with a diverse catalog including Rock, Pop, New Age, Instrumental, Country,… Read More
February 7, 2020 – The Future of What Episode #177: Where Do Black Box Royalties Go?
When you hear people within the industry referring to “The Black Box,” they’re most likely referring to the growing sum of undistributed and/or undistributable royalties that have been collected on an artist’s behalf by organizations like SoundExchange. What happens with this “Black Box” is a hotly debated topic within the industry, as every collection society… Listen
