There was a lot of buzz in the biz last week about the Music Modernization Act passing the Senate by unanimous consent. As the dynamics of the industry shift, so, too, must the rules of engagement.The MMA is complex, but the debate breaks down along these basic lines: artists, producers, and engineers are for it while companies like Sirius XM and certain publishers are against it. Those entities say it will cost them a lot of money. The artists, for their part, call it fair pay.Here’s the cliff’s notes:◦ Under the MMA, all rights holders will get fair payment (the “willing buyer, willing seller” rate) for online streams. Streams didn't exist when current copyright laws were enacted, so this aims to clean them up.◦ The Senate version of the MMA includes The Classics Act, which overrides a 50-year statute that made older works “public domain.” Payments will now be required for online streams of songs released before 1970.◦ This version of the MMA also includes The AMP Act (Allocations for Music Producers), which enables producers and engineers to participate in SoundExchange. This will boost the royalty payouts made to them for their work. According to the SoundExchange website, the law will “codify SoundExchange’s longtime practice of honoring Letters of Direction from artists who want to share royalties with studio producers and other creative participants who work with them.” It would be the first time producers and engineers are mentioned in copyright law.Before its trip to the Senate, the MMA enjoyed unilateral support in the House where it will now return for a final vote. Passage would be a big win, one that represents a transfer of wealth from the companies who exploit artists to the artists themselves, all without affecting fans.Chalk one up for the creators!
BEATS
SiriusXM’s Acquisition of Pandora Is The Latest Sign That Tech Is Taking Control of The Music IndustryThe satellite radio company’s purchase of the online streaming service could further loosen the grip of record labels as music industry gatekeepers. (Victor Luckerson – The Ringer)
Spotify Tests Tool For Artists To Upload Their Music DirectlySpotify is testing a tool that will enable independent artists and labels to upload their music directly to the streaming service, without having to go through a distributor. (Musically)
Industry Reacts To Music Modernization Act Passage: AIMP, BMI. A2IM, NMPA, SoundEx, ASCAP, MoreThe music industry was quick to react to the United States Senate's unanimous passages of S. 2823 the Music Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill cosponsored by more than 80 Senators that brings the music licensing system into the digital age. (Hypebot)
Bad Bunny & J Balvin – La Nueva Religión Together, Balvin and Bunny are leading the charge in bringing reggaeton to the American market once again. The best part about that is they’re doing it on their own terms—a new sound, painted fingernails, eccentric outfits. We haven’t seen anything like them before, but if you ask them, that’s the point. (Rapetón Angel “El Guru” Vera – Complex)
Touring in China Remains Unpredictable As Gov't Keeps A Watchful Eye on Music IndustryChina is the ultimate enigma for the music business: It has seemingly unlimited potential as the most populous country in the world, but artists and their concert promoters are still facing unique obstacles to growth there. (Fred Hwang – Billboard)
How Teens Influence Music Industry Trends in 2018While the constant connectedness of today's youth has been well established, just what impact that has on the music industry is somewhat less well documented. One thing which is certain however is the popularity of music videos among the younger demographic, leading to what some are calling the ressurection of the MTV generation. (Hypebot)
Modern youth consider music to be the most important category of popular culture in their lives, presenting brands the opportunity to connect with young consumers through the songs and artists they love. The following non-music brands collaborated with talented artists and producers to release original songs, demonstrating how any company can tap into youth’s passion for music. (Cassandra)
Mid-Year 2018 RIAA Music Revenues Report Music continues its comeback story, powered by great new music, talented artists and a re-invented record industry. A business growing again, driven by a competitive paid streaming market, means new investments in more artists and more music. That is fundamentally what we're all about. (RIAA)
A Music Exec Who Lived Through The Industry's Darkest Period Reveals What To Do When A Technological Tsunami Is About To Crush Your BusinessNapster, the file-sharing service cofounded by Shawn Fanning, launched in June of 1999. Sherman and his staff immediately recognized it as a threat but didn't appreciate how big of a threat it was. "I think everybody underestimated the speed at which it would grow and the size that it would grow to," Sherman tells Business Insider. (Business Insider)
Apple Music Gains Global Market Share, but Spotify Is Still Far AheadIn the first half of 2018, music subscribers grew by 16% and Apple Music gained two points of market share while Spotify maintained its formidable global lead, according to mid-year data published Thursday by analysts Midia Research. (Variety)
Instagram Expands Its Shopping Features Through Stories and Explore Section The rumours were true: Instagram is getting new features focused on shopping. They were announced yesterday (sept. 17th), and will be focused on two specific areas of Instagram’s app: its stories section, and its Explore homepage. The former is an expansion rather than ‘new’ news, mind. “We began testing Shopping in Stories in June, and today we’re rolling it out globally and expanding it to businesses in 46 countries. Now when you’re watching behind-the-scenes Stories from your favourite brands and see something you love, you can quickly tap on a product to learn more,” explained Instagram. (Musically)
Aural Sex: Why Is Pornhub Becoming A Fringe Music Destination? Are artists collaborating for the free membership, or is there another reason for the site's unlikely musical expansion? (El Hunt – NME)
5 Ways to Help Your Music Get Discovered in the New Digital AgeAdvice for artists looking to increase their chances of being discovered online — because the music industry is a topsy turvy world these days and nothing is really straightforward. (Jeremy Young – Soundfly)
Why Tyler, the Creator Curating ‘The Grinch’ Soundtrack Is a Radical MoveJudging by the trailer as well, it seems that Illumination’s going for innocence over quirkiness this time around. With this in mind, the announcement that Tyler, the Creator is curating the soundtrack reveals the binary code in our worldly simulation. A rapper once deemed a moral scourge by concerned parents, his inclusion on the project is a complete flip from past ways of thought for an additional revenue stream. (Trey Alston –
Highsnobiety
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How Streaming Is Erasing The History Of Mixtape Rap Producers Like DJ DramaWe Talk To Mixtape Heroes About Being Left Behind By Spotify (Luke Winkie – Vinyl Me, Please.)
Ticketmaster Responds After CBC Report Alleges The Box Office Giant Recruits ScalpersCBC News and the Toronto Star dropped a doozy of a report alleging that Ticketmaster recruits professional scalpers to grow its resale business by collecting fees off of the inflated resell tickets. (The Hustle)
BYTES
When Daniel Ek founded Spotify, he did what no disruptor had done before: He worked WITH the industry he was trying to reinvent. By hacking shortcuts to trust with all his constituencies (users included), Ek built long-term relationships – and a 140M-user strong music-streaming platform.
The dawn of social media was a more innocent time, when finding a new favorite band was as easy as stumbling into the MySpace rabbit hole and into wonderland.
TuneMoji is the only MusicGIF Network out therethat lets you share music, meme, and movie sound GIFs on your favorite messaging apps instantly (WhatsApp, iMessage, Facebook Messenger, Snap, Twitter, Skype and more).
Self Esteem, a.k.a. British solo artist Rebecca Lucy Taylor, finds herself asking rhetorically "what I might have achieved, if I wasn't trying to please" on her catchy new single "Rollout." The groove-laden pop song is filled with a bittersweet regret and a healthy dash of optimism, the kind only found in your saddest moments.
This week's newsletter was carefully curated by the Nue Agency staff and our editor Maria Tejada If you think we missed something this week or have any suggestions/comments for next week's newsletter, let us know!