Bits & Bytes 6/1

INFLUENCING EMERGING MUSIC TECH CULTURE

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THIS WEEK IN MUSIC x TECH 

JUNE 1, 2015

Licensing and dealing with the major labels is a gift and a curse for Music Tech companies. If you have a  deal with the labels, it seems like your valuation is crippled. But without the licensing from the labels, who control so many of the major artists music, it's hard to offer a robust service. This current situation really hampers the creativity for entrepreneurs passionate about music. While Warner and Universal have secured deals with Tidal, Sony lags behind. Makes you wonder - will Sony take Bey's music off of Tidal? They have yet to do so, but that may change if they don't receive their Tidal advance. If labels are turning down an advancement of $1B from Spotify, who knows what it will take to get Sony on board. Then again, as a consumer, who cares? Tidal is claiming that they have exclusive content, but lets be real... this is the internet age. What does exclusive content even mean?All eyes are on Apple, the kid with clout and strong relationships who may really pull this off, which may be the big break for the streaming music. Can Apple take streaming from being niche to the masses? They may be the last ones to have a chance to get it right. 

-Jesse K // CEO, NUE Agency

In tech journalism, rumors are like editorial gambits. Some seem like a sure thing, some just smoke and mirrors, while others still are very real but very far off. There were a few things that were curiously missing from the Google I/O that we were expecting to see. Can you guess what? 

Music labels are hoping to convince Apple to hand over an unusually large slice of the monthly subscription fees from its soon-to-arrive paid streaming service.

Since March, Tidal has secured licenses from 2 major labels: Warner & Universal. Sony continues to hold out for an advance payment but remains on the platform. 

50 Cent is letting people know they don't need to pay upward of $9.99 a month for music that will be available elsewhere, including rival streaming services. 

Apple is in talks with Drake to have him as a guest DJ on iTunes Radio as it gives its music business a huge PR push alongside the launch of the streaming service. 

Every indie artist working in music today needs to educate themselves about how to monetize their beats in this economy. But how can CD Baby & Rumblefish help?

Here's speculation about 10 companies that might make for appealing targets for Apple, as it strives to build a new music subscription business.