Sinking Synchronizations? MusikPitch, MusicRevolution Latest Entrants…
If an artist scores a major sync inclusion, the upside can be enormous (see Feist, Phoenix, Ingrid Michaelson, the list goes on). But as an industry segment, the fundamentals on the sync space are getting turned upside down. Thanks partly to economic pressures, top-line synchronization payments have been dropping, yet more publishers, artists, labels, and startups want in.
The SoundExchange Blitz: More Payout Figures Emerge…
SoundExchange has been intensifying its matching and payout efforts this year, and sharing more data in the process. In a discussion last month, SoundExchange executive director John Simson pointed Digital Music News to some plum payouts for artists at the top, though noninteractive royalties are still a developing pot. Specifically for internet-based streams (US-based, excluding satellite and cable television), Simson [...]
Universal Licenses Songs for Conduit Labs Social Music Games
Universal Music Group announced on Tuesday that it partnered with social music gaming firm Conduit Labs, to provide players of games like “Music Pets,” “Super Dance” and “Loudcrowd” to access Universal songs.
Internet Radio Attracting 60 Million Americans…
Internet radio stations are now attracting 60 million listeners – a week – in the US, according to the latest from Bridge Ratings. That sounds like a lot of people, though the ramp-up will hit 77 million by 2015, if the projection proves correct.
Call It a Comeback: Why Train Is Rolling Again…
Nine years after the Grammy-winning “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me),” Train is rumbling forward with another smash. According to data aggregated by BigChampagne, “Hey, Soul Sister” is currently the top-ranked download on the iTunes Store in the US (an hour-by-hour chart). The song is also most-downloaded on Napster, and ranks 2nd on walmart.com.
The Drib-Drab of Major Label Layoffs…
Major labels have been downsizing for years, though huge layoffs are rarely part of the process. Instead of shuttering entire offices, dissolving sub-labels or pink-slipping thousands, the preferred path is a gradual pare-down of the ranks.
Not All Bad: EMI Scores a Few Chart-Toppers…
EMI Music and its owner, Terra Firma, are battling an overwhelming swarm of problems. Lingering defaults, exiting bands, nervous partners, and near-term takeover possibilities are hardly the elements of productive stability. But positives still exist, and the more stable EMI Music Publishing offers the easiest example.
2010: A Rebound Year for Radio? One Optimistic Firm Says Yes…
Is the radio sector in the midst of a rebound? Judging by the stocks of most terrestrial conglomerates, the ‘hope factor’ is weak, though one research group is calling for modest gains this year. Media advisory firm BIA/Kelsey is now forecasting a 1.5 percent revenue gain in 2010 for US-based stations, followed by 2-4 percent improvements over the next few [...]
Bizarre Bieber Twitter Case Continues…
Justin Bieber has more influence over teenage girls than most parents – and, for that matter, the police. On Wednesday, Bieber manager Scooter Braun was formally charged on a number of misdemeanors related to an overcrowded mall appearance in November of last year. Braun was not at the mall, but was phoned to cancel the dangerously-packed event through a Bieber [...]