Association News

Below, you’ll find the latest Association press releases, updates on our upcoming events, introductions to our newest member companies, links to the latest content from Music Biz and our partners, and more.

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May 1, 2020 – Music Biz President Portia Sabin Appears on Music Policy Forum’s Music Cities Together: Live

Music Biz President Portia Sabin was featured on last week’s Music Cities Together: Live program, hosted by the Music Policy Forum (MPF). Music Cities Together: Live serves to host intimate conversations between leaders across the globe to shine a light on strategies, initiatives and perspectives in this time of crisis with a strong focus on sharing resources across the community. Music Cities Together is a partnership between the MPF and Sound Music Cities that launched with the goal of supporting public officials,... Read More

April 29, 2020 – Record Store Day Announces RSD Drops to Replace June 20th Event

In response to social distancing guidelines, Record Store Day has announced the RSD Drops program, ensuring extra safety when music fans purchase the limited-edition releases intended for RSD 2020 over the course of three Saturdays: August 29th, September 26th, and October 24th. Event organizers are working with artists, labels and other relevant parties to spread out the releases with a mix of genres and artists for each drop. A new version of the Record Store Day list with designated dates for each release will be published on June 1st.... Read More

April 28, 2020 – [Keeping Tempo With Music Biz] — A Conversation on Mental Health in the Music Business with THRIV’s Dr. Chayim Newman

The global conversation behind mental health has dramatically changed over the past decade, with a greater focus than ever on elevating the voices of those in crisis and ensuring that resources are available to them. Our industry — one where artists spend most of their time sharing music that bears their hearts both on record and on stage — is acutely affected by issues of mental health, as long, stressful stretches of studio and touring time takes away from artists’... Read More

April 27, 2020 – The Future of What Episode #185 – Music Biz LIVE with Independent Record Retailers

It should come as no surprise that independent record stores have been particularly hard hit by the “shelter in place” orders established by many states around the country in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some retailers have pivoted to online sales and other creative means to keep customers happy, but for many brick and mortars, this move just isn’t enough to maintain community or their bottom line. To make matters worse, the revenue generated by Record Store Day will not be coming anytime soon,... Listen

April 20, 2020 – The Future of What Episode #184 – Music Biz LIVE with NMPA, RIAA, CMA, A2IM & NSAI

On this week’s episode, we’re revisiting another Music Biz LIVE event that features candid conversation about what music business trade associations are doing to help their specific constituencies navigate the COVID-19 quagmire. Joining Portia in conversation about the CARES Act and more are: Mitch Glazier and Michele Ballantyne of the RIAA, Richard Burgess of A2IM, Bart Herbison of the NSIA, David Israelite of the NMPA and Sarah Trahern of the CMA. Listen in to find out what relief is coming your way,... Listen

April 14, 2020 – [Keeping Tempo With Music Biz] — How Indie Records Stores Are Weathering the Storm: Interview with Schoolkids Records’ Stephen Judge

A month or so in, and the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis has already made a lasting impact on not just our industry, but on the ways the international community does business as a whole. As a segment of the industry largely reliant on foot traffic, the indie record store community is working tirelessly to ensure they can keep their doors open and serve their local communities with the music they so desperately look for to help cope in times of crisis.... Read More

April 13, 2020 – The Future of What Episode #183 – Music Biz LIVE with Instagram and Facebook

In the few weeks since our last episode, COVID-19 has changed the world and how we interact with one another, and that has had many impacts upon the music business as a whole. With venues and record stores closed to the public for the foreseeable future, musicians are having to find new ways to interact with their fans, and because of the quarantine, most of those interactions are happening virtually. To help with this transition to a digital-only reality,... Listen

April 2, 2020 – RIAA Launches MusicCovidRelief.com to Compile Music Industry Relief Resources

The RIAA, in conjunction with their partners in the U.S. Music Community, has launched MusicCovidRelief.com — a central hub designed to help music professionals access information and applications to receive benefits made available by the CARES Act. The site includes information on how to access unemployment benefits, small business loans and forgiveness on existing loans, grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and more. Click here to learn more.... Read More

April 1, 2020 – Music Biz to Debut New Livestream Interview Series — Music Biz LIVE

For more than six decades, the Music Business Association has served to unite members of the global music business and has supported a collaborative approach to growth and problem solving, in good times and in bad. To continue this work, we’re introducing Music Biz LIVE! This new weekly community check-in interview series held via Zoom will allow us to touch base with how the industry is responding to the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis and adjusting to what “the new normal” may look like going forward.... Read More

March 27, 2020 – U.S. Small Business Administration Offers COVID-19 Disaster Relief Loans

The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans to small businesses in designated states and territories suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Upon a request received from a state’s or territory’s Governor, SBA will issue under its own authority an Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration, as provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act. This program will apply to current and future disaster assistance declarations related to the COVID-19 crisis.... Read More