1. The CRB Rate Trial Explained: How Publishers, Digital Services Weighed In At The Time

    March 22, 2019 11:20 AM EDT It’s clear why the likes of Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman/CEO Martin Bandier , Warner/Chappell Music co-chairman/COO Carianne Marshall and NMPA president/CEO David Israelite are criticizing the decision by digital services to appeal the Copyr ...

  2. Google Celebrates Bach With First AI-Powered Doodle

    March 21, 2019 11:07 AM EDT In celebration of one of the world’s most impactful composers, Johann Sebastian Bach, Google Doodle has created their first ever AI-powered Doodle to encourage even the less musically-inclined to create Bach-like melodies of their own. At first, t ...

  3. Splice Raises $57.5M in Funding, Artist Payouts Hit $15M

    March 20, 2019 8:52 PM EDT The music creation and collaboration company has expanded its executive team with several recent hires. Music creation and collaboration company Splice has raised $57.5 million in a Series C funding round, the company revealed on Wednesday (March ...

  4. Maroon 5's 'Girls Like You' Reaches 2 Billion YouTube Views in Just 10 Months

    March 20, 2019 7:41 PM EDT Maroon 5's smash hit featuring Cardi B, "Girls Like You," caught a lot of attention for its cameo-filled nature, featuring the likes of Camila Cabello, Ellen DeGeneres, Gal Gadot, Jennifer Lopez, Behati Prinsloo and more. Not only d ...

  5. Tencent Music Stock Drops More Than 10% Following Mixed Earnings Report

    March 20, 2019 5:27 PM EDT Tencent Music (TME) stock dropped 10.29 percent on Wednesday (March 20), following the Chinese tech giant's first quarterly earnings report since going public in the U.S. The report was a mixed bag, noting revenue for the fourth quarter ended ...

  6. Spotify Reportedly Working on Hosting Songwriter Town Hall Meetings Following CRB Royalty Rate Appeal

    March 17, 2019 8:42 PM EDT Spotify is attempting to host songwriter town hall meetings in Los Angeles and Nashville in response to the streaming service's appeal of the Copyright Royalty Board's rate determination, according to an email from Mark Beaven , founder ...

  7. Ariana Grande's Director, Vevo Discuss the Power of Music Videos at SXSW: 'You Should Be Filming Everything'

    March 15, 2019 8:25 PM EDT Many of the past year's biggest pop culture moments have one thing in common: They revolved around music videos. There was Drake ’s “God’s Plan" video, where the rapper embarked on a million-dollar donation spree -- and inspired a meme i ...

  8. Spotify Calls Apple a 'Monopolist' Slamming Response to App Store Complaint

    March 15, 2019 6:21 PM EDT Spotify was quick to clap back at Apple on Friday (March 15), after the tech giant  issued a statement regarding the streamer's App Store antitrust complaint in Europe.  "Every monopolist will suggest they have done nothing wrong and wil ...

  9. Why Spotify's Appeal of The CRB Rate Decision Is A Huge Deal For Songwriters And Publishers

    March 15, 2019 2:01 PM EDT Is Spotify suing songwriters? The company says no. But it did file an appeal to the Copyright Royalty Board’s rate determination, which consists of a three-step formula that ultimately produces a royalty amount that is paid to publishers, and thus ...

  10. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Compares Apple App Store Rules to Playing Ping-Pong Blindfolded

    March 14, 2019 10:54 AM EDT Streaming music giant Spotify decided to file an antitrust complaint against Apple in Europe to avoid a marketplace with a "small group of dominant platforms," CEO Daniel Ek said in an appearance in Berlin, Germany on Thursday, comparing ...

  11. 'Disgraceland' Podcast Ready to Rock & Shock With Crime Stories About Winehouse, Cobain & More in Season 3

    March 14, 2019 12:00 AM EDT Series founder Jake Brennan tells Billboard he's also spinning off two new pods this year. Norwegian black metal murderers, bloodthirsty cannibal rappers, a meth-loving funk paranoiac, the most debauched band in hard rock history and a soul s ...

  12. Facebook Now Supports Music in 40 Countries With New Deals in India & Thailand

    March 13, 2019 7:38 PM EDT The social giant has signed new licensing deals with major labels in the Asian countries, as it expands its music products globally at a rapid pace. Facebook has now formed partnerships with leading rightsholders in 40 countries around the world, ...

  13. CD Baby Unveils Bespoke Advertising Options for Independent Artists

    March 13, 2019 6:11 PM EDT As companies like Spotify and TuneCore escalate efforts to engage unsigned clients, CD Baby is now offering unique audio and banner ad opportunities for self-managed and independent artists.      Users of the CD Baby marketing platform Show.co  re ...

  14. Verizon Says 5G Network Will Cost Customers an Extra $10 Per Month

    March 13, 2019 4:14 PM EDT A handful of Verizon customers could soon have faster wireless service -- but they’ll have to pay $10 a month more. Verizon says it’ll flip the switch next month on a much-hyped, next-generation “5G” phone network. Service will start in parts of C ...

  15. Facebook's Messaging Ambitions Amount to Much More Than Chat

    March 13, 2019 3:49 PM EDT Facebook, already the leader in enabling you to share photos, videos and links, now wants to be a force in messaging, commerce, payments and just about everything else you do online. The company’s ambitions harken to how WeChat has become the cent ...

  16. Spotify Files Complaint Against Apple With European Commission Over App Store

    March 13, 2019 6:18 AM EDT In a blog post today (March 13), Spotify CEO Daniel Ek wrote that his company has filed a complaint with the European Commission against Apple, alleging that rules governing its App Store "purposely limit choice and stifle innovation at the e ...

  17. Music Video Streaming App XITE Rolls Out In U.S.

    March 12, 2019 10:00 AM EDT Music video streaming service XITE has formally debuted on several platforms in the United States today (March 12), with a catalog including all three major labels -- Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group -- as wel ...

  18. Spotify Discounts Hulu Membership Bundle to Price of Premium Subscription

    March 12, 2019 8:00 AM EDT For $9.99 a month, users can now access both services. Spotify subscribers can now enjoy Hulu as part of their $9.99 Premium memberships, the companies announced on Tuesday (March 12) as an expansion of their existing partnership. The streaming se ...

  19. Apple Music's Women's Day Takeover Is About More Than Exposure: 'Hopefully It Drives Revenue Into the Pockets of Women Too'

    March 08, 2019 6:35 PM EST The celebration intends to go beyond raising awareness of women's issues, says global director of editorial Rachel Newman. If you didn't realize that Friday (March 8) was International Women's Day, a quick browse through Apple Music ...

  20. As Streaming Hits New High, Podcasting Goes Mainstream, Smart Speakers Take Hold & Pandora Dominates: Study

    March 08, 2019 2:06 PM EST Streaming reached a new peak this year, potentially driven by smart speakers and a surge in podcasting, new data from Edison Research and Triton Digital shows. According to the 2019 Infinite Dial study, Americans are spending more time listening t ...

  21. Google Doodle Honors Yoko Ono, Frida Kahlo & Many More on International Women's Day

    March 08, 2019 11:33 AM EST The intricate graphics were made by 10 international female artists and design studios. Google is celebrating International Women’s Day the best way they know how to -- with an interactive Doodle depicting inspirational quotes by trailblazing wome ...

  22. iPhone Sales Are Falling, Apple's App Fees Might Be Next

    March 06, 2019 8:00 PM EST Last year, every time someone paid $11 for Netflix through an iPhone app, Apple pocketed as much as $3.30. Multiply that by every charge made through iPhone apps and you can see why Netflix and other companies are fed up about what they consider A ...

  23. Best Coast, Sigur Rós & Ziggy Marley Launching New Podcasts With Signal Co. No1

    March 06, 2019 6:05 PM EST 'Serial' co-creator Julie Snyder is joining the company as producer-at-large. Music podcast label Sigal Co. No1 is growing its ranks with the recruitment of  Serial  and  S-Town  producer Julie Snyder , plus a slate of new podcasts to co ...

  24. SiriusXM Creates First-Ever Pandora Content Team to Produce Podcasts, Playlists & More

    March 06, 2019 4:35 PM EST SiriusXM chief content officer Scott Greenstein heads up the new initiative. In SiriusXM's latest update to Pandora since  acquiring the digital streamer  last month, the satellite radio giant on Wednesday (March 6) announced the first-ever d ...

  25. Ticketmaster Partners With Academy Music Group to Rollout Digital Ticketing Across UK

    March 06, 2019 3:37 PM EST London's O2 Academy Brixton and Shepherd's Bush Empire are among the venues making a switch towards mobile ticketing. Some of Britain's most famous venues, including London's O2 Academy Brixton and Shepherd's Bush Empire, ...

  26. Univision Rebrands Uforia Audio Network

    March 05, 2019 10:38 AM EST Univision plans to produce more live events such as the 2019 Uforia Music Series. Univision Communications Inc. has announced a major changes and rebranded the Uforia platform, bringing together the company’s vast music and audio properties under ...

  27. Spotify Racks Up 1 Million Unique Listeners In India In Less Than A Week

    March 04, 2019 2:04 PM EST Spotify has clocked more than 1 million unique users in India across its free and premium tiers since launching less than a week ago, the company confirmed to Billboard . After protracted negotiations with the major record companies, the Swedish s ...

  28. Desi Arnaz is a Google Doodle: 6 Things to Know About the Cuban Musician & TV Icon

    March 02, 2019 6:18 AM EST Watch the actor, singer and percussionist sing “Babalú." Desi Arnaz would have been 102 years old today (March 2), and he’s being celebrated with a Google Doodle. Here are five things to know about the bandleader, singer and percussionist, fa ...

  29. Garrett Levin Joins Digital Media Association as CEO

    March 01, 2019 12:05 PM EST The Digital Media Association (DiMA) trade group that was an integral music industry ally to get the Music Mordernization Act passed into law last year has tapped Garrett Levin as its new CEO. For the last 26 months, Levin has served as senior vic ...

  30. Spotify Taps Liz Gateley in Podcasting Push

    February 28, 2019 5:50 PM EST The former Lifetime programming executive has joined Spotify, as head of creative development, where she is expected to help shape the company's original podcasting strategy under a new mandate to offer listeners broader audio programming. Ve ...

  31. Gracenote Partners With Muzooka to Include Artist Images in Music Metadata

    February 27, 2019 9:13 PM EST Gracenote is now adding photos to its music metadata, thanks to a new partnership with Muzooka. The companies announced the arrangement on Wednesday (Feb. 27), meaning artists and their teams will now have more control over how they appear on vari ...

  32. Warner Music vs. Spotify: India Launch Muddied As Court Defers Injunction Over Licensing Negotiations

    February 26, 2019 12:29 PM EST The legal battle between Spotify and Warner Music Group over the streamer's impending launch in India hit a few snags at Bombay's High Court on Tuesday. A day after WMG filed for an interim injunction against the streaming service from u ...

  33. Smart Speaker Ownership Grows to 36% of American Consumers

    February 26, 2019 9:00 AM EST Thirty six percent of consumers now own smart speakers, according to a new study by Adobe Analytics. Of those who own the devices, 75 percent report using their smart speaker "at least daily" or "multiple times per day." These ...

  34. Pandora's New 'Stories' Tool Lets Artists Attach Voice Commentary to Songs

    February 26, 2019 9:00 AM EST With the new feature, artists can intersperse voice tracks between songs on a playlist, adding commentary ranging from personal stories and inspirations to calls-to-action. Pandora hopes to fuse the benefits of playlists and podcasts with the laun ...

  35. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's 'Despacito' Reaches 6 Billion Views on YouTube

    February 25, 2019 11:35 AM EST Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ’s "Despacito” has set a new record on YouTube, becoming the first video in YouTube history to reach six billion views. According to streaming platform, the original video reached the billionaire digit on Feb. 24 a ...

  36. Youtube Walks a Tightrope With Its Video Makers, Advertisers

    February 22, 2019 8:52 PM EST YouTube’s year-in-review video is usually a celebration of video creators who upload free clips -- sometimes wacky, sometimes personal, sometimes offensive -- that the company then sells ads against. But this time, the video-sharing network provok ...

  37. Billie Eilish & YouTube Partner to Help Launch Platform's New Short-Form Mini Series Initiative

    February 22, 2019 6:41 PM EST YouTube Music announced a new original content series initiative on Friday, partnering with Billie Eilish for the launch. Throughout the forthcoming series, YouTube Music will team with artists to develop mini-series' for their YouTube channe ...

  38. Eminem Re-Releases 'The Slim Shady LP' On Streaming Services For 20th Anniversary

    February 22, 2019 12:39 PM EST In honor of the 20th anniversary of his first major label album, The Slim Shady LP ,  Eminem re-released the project on streaming services with bonus tracks today (Feb. 22). "From the vault! Re-issue of the Slim Shady LP Expanded Edition is n ...

  39. Tidal Launches $1 Million 'Unplugged' Endowment to Support Developing Musicians

    February 21, 2019 10:00 AM EST With support from venture capitalists and philanthropists Mark Lampert and Robert Nelsen, the grant program will kick off in Detroit next month. Tidal on Thursday (Feb. 21), along with venture capitalists and philanthropists Mark Lampert and Rober ...

  40. Sample Licensing Startup Tracklib Adds Two Spotify Veterans to Advisory Board

    February 21, 2019 9:00 AM EST Sample licensing startup Tracklib has expanded its advisory board with the addition of Spotify veterans Petra Hansson and Niklas Ivarsson , the Stockholm-based company announced on Thursday (Feb. 21). Hansson previously served as Spotify's ge ...

  41. Audiomack Launches Spanish-Language App, Names Maximo Souffrain Jr. Director of Latin Strategy

    February 20, 2019 4:36 PM EST Youth-focused, free music streaming service Audiomack has announced the launch of a Spanish-language version of its app. The initiative is spearheaded by newly appointed director of marketing and Latin strategy Maximo "Max Escobar" Souff ...

  42. LANDR Brings Music Mastering to the Cloud, Helping Major Labels & Bedroom Acts Alike

    February 19, 2019 6:04 PM EST As Gwen Stefani prepared to debut the video for her single "Make Me Like You" at the 2016 Grammy Awards, her team needed the track mastered -- fast. Facing a 24-hour turnaround, Stefani's label, Interscope, consulted the web-based m ...

  43. PledgeMusic Majority Shareholder Charged With $25M Penny Stock Fraud

    February 19, 2019 12:41 PM EST The charges are unrelated to the crowdfunding platform, which has been facing scrutiny recently over late and missing payments to artists. PledgeMusic majority shareholder Joshua Sason , founder and owner of Magna Group, has been charged with orch ...

  44. SoundCloud Unveils New Tool Allowing Artists to Distribute Directly to Spotify, Apple Music & More

    February 19, 2019 9:00 AM EST Tatiana Cirisano Digital and Mobile Digital and Mobile bbbiz ...

  45. Settlement Approval Motion Filed in Rhapsody Class-Action Case

    February 18, 2019 12:29 PM EST Almost three years after the law firm Michelman & Robinson filed a putative class-action lawsuit against Rhapsody International on behalf of David Lowery and fellow songwriters Victor Krummenacher and David Faragher for infringing their mechan ...

  46. Hi-Res Streaming Service Qobuz Arrives in U.S., Hoping To Super-Serve Audiophiles Stateside

    February 14, 2019 12:48 PM EST With the $9.99/month subscription streaming model for music now firmly entrenched as the dominant revenue driver for the music industry, many of the major players are now looking to differentiation to keep the gravy train moving. Whether that has ...

  47. Deadmau5 Apologizes After Being Called Out for 'Homophobic' Rant on Twitch -- UPDATE

    February 14, 2019 1:16 AM EST UPDATE: After this story was published, deadmau5 returned to Reddit to apologize for using a homophobic slur on Twitch. “I needed a little cool down there for a few and seriously reflect on all this,” he wrote. “I know what I said was wrong, and m ...

  48. European Union Agrees on Copyright Directive Text, Pushing Legislation Towards Final Vote

    February 13, 2019 3:41 PM EST The proposed text will now go before the European Parliament's legal affairs committee before a final vote on the directive can take place. The European Union's plan to reform copyright legislation -- and potentially transform how user g ...

  49. Beatport & DJcity Team Up to Form Beatsource for Open-Format DJs

    February 13, 2019 3:00 PM EST The new company will offer DJs access to a wide catalog of hits and pre-release exclusive content typically serviced through the promo pool industry. Leading DJ music source Beatport and subscription-based digital DJ record pool DJcity announced o ...

  50. Spotify's Acquisition of Gimlet & Anchor Does to Podcasts What It Can't Afford to Do to Music

    February 08, 2019 6:34 PM EST Now the streaming giant can finally bring its vision of becoming a "two-sided marketplace" to life -- just not for music first. Over the past several months, Spotify’s relationship with record labels and distributors has been murky at be ...

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