Category: General

Spotify, the leading streaming music platform, is revamping its royalty model to keep up with the rapid increase in new music releases. These changes include introducing a minimum threshold for royalty qualification, penalties for streaming fraud, and restrictions on short “noise” tracks. The music industry is witnessing a seismic shift as technology-driven innovations, such as generative AI, contribute to an unprecedented surge in music production.

The sheer volume of music being uploaded daily poses challenges for both artists and the streaming service. Despite the growing audience, the proportion of new music consumption is shrinking, affecting the visibility of emerging artists. With over 120,000 new tracks uploaded daily, the streaming service is becoming saturated, making it harder for fans to discover new music.

Spotify’s decision to implement a minimum play threshold for royalty payments aims to reduce the influx of bulk-generated and amateur-produced tracks, decreasing its data management costs. The platform also plans to address streaming fraud, which has become a significant concern, as it dilutes royalty pools for legitimate artists and labels. Another issue is the proliferation of short “noise” tracks that inflate royalty payments, prompting Spotify to consider imposing stricter guidelines for such content.

In response to these challenges, major record labels are advocating for artist-centric royalties, rewarding artists based on individual user subscriptions rather than a collective pool. However, the transition to this model poses technical and financial challenges for streaming services. Only a few platforms, such as Deezer and SoundCloud, have adopted artist-centric royalties.

As the music landscape continues to evolve, major streaming services may consider limiting their repertoire or exploring alternative royalty schemes. While these changes are necessary, they are likely to spark debates and may not fully satisfy all stakeholders. Such transformations are expected to define the future of music distribution.

 

Sourse: www.forbes.com

Around 10 percent of music streams may potentially be fraudulent, according to a recent report that delves into the state of the streaming industry. The report, written by Anna Nicolaou for The Financial Times, primarily explores Universal Music Group (UMG) and Deezer’s “artist-centric music streaming model.” UMG and Deezer intend to introduce this new model, targeting “professional artists” with at least 1,000 monthly streams, initially in France later this year.

A significant concern in this collaboration is the presence of what UMG labels as “non-artist noise content” and a deluge of uploads that lack meaningful engagement on music streaming platforms. The idea behind the proposed model is to discourage such uploads in the future.

JPMorgan analysts, cited in the FT piece, provide examples of individuals attempting to manipulate the system favored by Spotify and other major streaming platforms. Executives estimate that as much as 10 percent of all music streams could be “fake,” originating from so-called “streaming farms.”

The use of such deceptive tactics has been a prominent industry issue for years, with artists frequently voicing their concerns. In 2019, reports indicated that artists and labels might have lost hundreds of millions of dollars due to fake streams. Fast forward two years, and Pigeons & Planes conducted an in-depth examination of the significance of identifying counterfeit data in the industry, including key indicators for distinguishing between genuine and fraudulent streams.

Taking a broader perspective, an ongoing concern within the streaming era, especially concerning Spotify, has been the matter of royalties. For instance, amid the coverage of the WGA writers’ strike, Snoop Dogg voiced his support and drew parallels between the streaming industry and the challenges faced by artists.

Snoop questioned the compensation model, expressing bewilderment about how artists could amass a billion streams yet receive less than a million dollars. This financial disparity has been a major point of contention among artists, who often feel that despite achieving substantial streaming numbers, their earnings do not align with their success.

As a response to these issues, some artists have chosen to bypass the traditional streaming model altogether. Instead, they opt to release their music independently through direct-to-fan platforms, seeking greater control and fair compensation for their creative work.

Sourse: https://www.ft.com/

Hip-hop celebrates its 50th birthday today (11 August 2023)!

Hip-hop is a cultural movement that originated in the African American and Latinx communities in the South Bronx, New York City, during the early 1970s. It has since become a global phenomenon with a significant impact on music, dance, fashion, art, and social activism. The birth of hip-hop can be attributed to several key elements:

 

 

• Block Parties and DJ Innovations: The tradition of throwing block parties in the Bronx during the 1970s was a crucial setting for the birth of hip-hop. DJs like Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash began playing music at these events, and they started experimenting with techniques like “breakbeat” mixing, extending instrumental sections of songs to create a continuous beat that dancers could groove to.
• MCs and Rapping: Emceeing (MCing or rapping) became an essential part of hip-hop as artists started using rhythmic speech and rhymes over the beats provided by the DJs. This added a lyrical and poetic element to the music, with artists addressing social issues, telling stories, and engaging with the audience.
• Breakdancing: Breakdancing (also known as b-boying or breaking) is a form of street dance that became an integral part of hip-hop culture. Dancers, known as b-boys and b-girls, showcased their skills at block parties and other hip-hop events.
• Graffiti Art: Graffiti art was another key element of hip-hop culture. It allowed artists to express themselves visually and share their messages in public spaces.
• Social and Political Context: The birth of hip-hop took place in a challenging social and economic environment in the South Bronx. Poverty, crime, and urban decay were prevalent, and hip-hop emerged as a creative outlet and a means of expression for the marginalized youth of the area.

The growth of hip-hop was greatly facilitated by the dissemination of music through radio, the rise of record labels, the emergence of iconic artists, and the development of various hip-hop subgenres (such as gangsta rap, conscious rap, and more).

Hip-hop’s influence has expanded far beyond its origins, and it has become a global cultural force with a significant impact on music, fashion, language, and youth culture around the world.

Is voice licensing for artists a new revenue stream in the era of AI? Enter VoiceSwap by DJ Fresh.

AI voice cloning can re-create an artist’s voice using machine learning and hours of samples. Unauthorized mash-ups, such as the Drake and the Weeknd collaboration, gained popularity on social media and streaming platforms before being taken down due to copyright issues. In response to this trend, DJ Fresh and software developer Nico Pellerin have created VoiceSwap, a platform that aims to create AI voice models authorized by artists.

Artists who sign up and agree to have their voices used receive a 50% share of the revenue generated by their voice model. Currently, VoiceSwap features vocals from five artists, with plans to expand to include more in the future. The platform claims to accurately recreate an artist’s voice with approximately 25 minutes of singing or eight a capella tracks. Artists retain ownership of AI-generated recordings that use their voice model and can choose whether or not to license or feature on any recordings created using the platform.

VoiceSwap also emphasizes a robust rights and permissions framework, using patented technology to trace vocal recordings and prevent piracy. The service is currently available through subscription tiers ranging from $5.99 to $29.99 per month, with a free trial option available.

Source: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com

Here’s an interesting development to share…

Until recently WAV files really did not display cover art anywhere. This was in spite of the fact that we were always able to embed covers for you properly into WAV files. Players simply did not show them.

This is finally changing… Now, the MAC displays covers embedded in WAV files and the latest version of the VLC player does so on PC as well.

There is still progress to made as Windows Media Player and mobile devices still do not. So keep sending in BOTH an MP3 and a WAV for embedding. Doing both formats is best practices in any case, as you will find that the different purposes that you use your audios for, like distribution, radio submission, synch licensing, website, social media, copyright registration, etc. call for one version or the other.

Spotify’s dominant position in the streaming and social platforms has become a key indicator of success for artists in today’s music industry. Spotify For Artists, the platform’s own analytics tool, has proven to be a valuable resource for artists to understand their Spotify data. However, once artists have become proficient in using Spotify’s analytics, there are various additional services available that can help take their data analysis to the next level. These services offer opportunities to explore market-level data and expand the scope of insights beyond Spotify’s native tool.

Chartmetric is a leading platform for music statistics and trends, providing a comprehensive suite of tools. The platform offers various metrics and insights backed by data science, allowing users to analyze their Spotify artist data as well as the data of other artists. Users can easily access specific statistics such as playlist inclusion and global listener trends and compare them with other artists in Spotify’s music economy.

Songstats is the first music analytics app on the market, offering a straightforward way to identify the impact of playlists on releases across Spotify. It provides comprehensive statistics and deeper insights into the data. Songstats simplifies tracking success by notifying users in real-time when their content moves and when they enter the Spotify Charts.

Viberate has focused on revolutionizing the music industry’s use of data in 2023. The platform offers two separate suites, catering to both artists and A&R professionals, with an overhauled pricing plan. Viberate’s Premium tier provides access to charts with discovery filters, comprehensive artist and track analytics, alerts on updates and shifts, playlist performance analysis, fanbase demographics, benchmarking and reporting tools, and more. They also offer a “Lite” tier as a demo of their platform.

Whether you are an independent artist or a music industry professional, these platforms dominate the sector by offering comprehensive analytics. The choice of platform depends on personal preference and individual needs.

Source: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com

The major record labels, including Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music, are losing market share on Spotify, according to recent reports. Spotify’s latest annual investor report revealed that the combined market share of the major labels and Merlin, a global digital rights agency for independent labels, decreased from 87% in 2017 to 75% in 2022. This decline can be attributed to the rise of independent and DIY artists who are increasingly self-releasing their music on streaming platforms.

The growth of the independent artist sector has been fueled by the accessibility and affordability of digital distribution and marketing tools, which allow artists to release and promote their music without the need for a traditional record label. As a result, many artists are opting for independent routes instead of signing with major labels, as they seek to retain ownership of their copyrights and have more control over their careers.

In response to this trend, the major labels have been investing in independent artist-friendly alternatives to their traditional labels, such as label services operations. These operations, including Universal Music’s Virgin Music Group, Sony Music’s The Orchard and AWAL, and Warner Music’s Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) and Level Music, provide distribution, marketing, and other services to independent artists while allowing them to retain ownership of their music. These label services operations have grown in market share and strategic importance for the major labels, as they seek to maintain their presence in the changing music industry landscape.

One example of the success of label services operations is Sony Music’s The Orchard, which has reportedly doubled its market share in the United States from 2019 to 2023. Other major labels have also been focusing on their label services operations to attract independent artists and maintain their streaming market share. As the music industry continues to evolve, it is expected that major labels will increasingly rely on these alternative models to stay relevant and adapt to the changing needs and preferences of artists and consumers alike.

Source: www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

For the First Time Ever, Annual Music Streams Top 1 Trillion — In the US Alone

According to Luminate, a data firm that powers the Billboard charts, music streaming in the US alone surpassed one trillion streams in 2022. The top five songs in the US were:

1. “As It Was” by Harry Styles
2. “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals
3. “Wait For U” by Future
4. “Super Gremlin” by Kodak Black
5. “Me Porto Bonito” by Bad Bunny and Chencho Corleone

Music streaming has disrupted illegal distribution, but analysts warn that anti-consumer behavior, like too many exclusives, may lead to piracy becoming more appealing. The market size of music streaming increased to $30.33 billion in 2022, with a total of 776.2 million users, and is expected to reach a total market size of $43.63 billion in 2027 with an overall increase to 1,083.1 million users. Streaming services like Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and YouTube Music are focusing on different strategies to attract users.

Source: www.digitalmusicnews.com