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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March 3, 2020 – Music Business Association Issues Statement Regarding Tornado in Nashville, Middle Tennessee
The Music Business Association has issued the following statement in the wake of the tornado which made landfall in Nashville and Middle Tennessee early this morning: “Our hearts go out to the victims who lost their loved ones and homes in the wake of last night’s devastating tornado in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. The loss of life is tragic regardless of the situation, and as a central hub in the global music business, what affects Music City affects us all.... Read More
February 28, 2020 – The Future of What Episode #180: Indie Label Spotlight — Ninja Tune
Matt Black and Jonathan Fine first joined forces in the late 1980’s, after a chance encounter at a local record shop. Now, some thirty-odd years later, the two are still working together in multiple capacities, and show no signs of stopping. They’ve released multiple albums as the electronic duo Coldcut, and helped produce several others, in addition to founding the highly regarded UK electronic label Ninja Tune, which is now in its thirtieth year of existence.... Listen
February 25, 2020 – MUSIC BIZ ATTENDEE ALL-ACCESS — How Industry-Focused Events Support the Evolving Music Publishing Space
In this Attendee All-Access interview, we asked Big Yellow Dog co-owner Kerry O’Neil and label services manager Kara Tusch about the rapidly changing music publishing space, how the company has incorporated label services into their offerings, and how industry events like the Music Biz Conference are supporting the rise of “full stack” music companies like BYD. Big Yellow Dog Music began as a Nashville-based independent publishing house. With the industry rapidly changing since you opened your doors 20 years ago,... Read More
February 24, 2020 – Kobalt’s Willard Ahdritz to Receive Music Business Association’s 2020 Innovator Award
February 24, 2020 — The Music Business Association (Music Biz) today announces that Kobalt Music Group Founder and Chairman Willard Ahdritz will receive the organization’s 2020 Innovator Award during the annual Music Biz Awards Dinner, taking place Wednesday, May 13 at the JW Marriott Nashville as part of the Music Biz 2020 Conference. Observing how technology rapidly transformed industries in the late 1990s, Ahdritz saw an opportunity in music and wanted to take the music industry into the digital age.... Read More
February 21, 2020 – The Future of What Episode #179: New Tools For Booking Tours
Touring has quickly become one of the most effective ways for bands and artists to earn money in the streaming era, despite the fact that getting around is more expensive than it’s ever been. Thankfully, some new technologies have made planning and booking a tour easier than ever, so that bands and artists can push into new markets, without the same level of financial risk that was associated with doing so in the past. Join us this week as we speak with Fabrice Sergent (BandsInTown),... Listen
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 embrace the artist in their lives? To best resonate with music consumers, it is paramount for artists and their teams to create a clear,... 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 than the unauthorized downloads of the past. So, will the industry coalesce around a standard blanket license to solve this issue?... Listen
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 that has one deals with these unclaimed royalties differently. Join us as we discuss the problem and its potential solutions with John Simson (American University),... Listen
February 6, 2020 – Music Business Association Announces CD Baby as Recipient of 2020 Music Biz Independent Spirit Award
February 6, 2020 — The Music Business Association (Music Biz) today announces that independent music distributor CD Baby will receive the organization’s 2020 Independent Spirit Award during the Music Biz 2020 Annual Conference, taking place May 11-14 at the JW Marriott Nashville. The award will be presented during the annual Music Biz Awards Dinner. CD Baby was founded in 1998 as a way to easily sell independent music on the internet, circumventing distribution deals of the time that made this difficult.... Read More
February 4, 2020 – [Keeping Tempo With Music Biz] — Uniting Everyone from Pros to Fans: How Jaxsta’s Platform Benefits All Players in the Music Business
The music business’ rapid embrace of technology has greatly helped flatten its structure, allowing everyone from emerging artists to legacy acts and industry executives to make lasting connections and collaborate. Of course, this counts on all parties having access to the same data resources, events calendars, and directories. In this interview with Jaxsta’s co-founder and CEO Jacqui Louez Schoorl, we discuss what opportunities industry professionals may be missing out on in our newly democratized industry that the company’s Jaxsta Pro platform can assist with,... Read More
