REWIND: The new music industry’s week in reviewLast week was a busy week by any definition, and the music industry was no exception, with almost a third of musicians skipping meals to survive, ten up-and-coming artists to. Continue reading
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BLUE ÉLAN RECORDS RELEASES CHARITY ALBUM 'PRECIOUS TO ME'Blue Élan Records, in collaboration with KZZ Music, have once again joined in partnership with the Alliance for Children's Rights to benefit this worthwhile organization. Released today, PRECIOUS TO ME, will bring awareness to a shared vision in which all children have safe permanent families with the support they need to thrive. All proceeds from the album will directly benefit The Alliance. You can follow this link to pre-order the album and get a digital copy instantly.

Listen to Precious to Me

The Alliance provides services to impoverished, abused, and neglected young people; providing free legal services, advocacy, and programs that create pathways to jobs and access to education.  The Alliance levels the playing field and ensures that children of all ages within the foster care system are able to fulfill their potential. Blue Élan/KZZ Music founder, Kirk Pasich, explains the significance of this project to the label: “We chose to revisit classic songs from over the years.  Some are just songs we and the artists love - “Call Me The Breeze,” “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” “Bennie and the Jets.” Others are songs that we thought said something in their own way about helping children - “Runaway Train,” “It’s A Hard Life Wherever You Go,” “When The Children Cry.” Label artists Soul Asylum, Gerry Beckley (of the band America), Ozomatli, Chelsea Williams, and label alumni Bob Gentry, Cindy Alexander, Mustangs of the West, Bryan Stephens and Scout Durwood, were joined by label friends Sam Morrow, Ginny Luke, Maiya Sykes, Mary Scholz and Bernie Barlow to record the 15 classic tracks, handpicked by producers Pasich and Colin Devlin. Recording sessions took place over a period of time and slowly the album began to take shape. The idea to gather this collection and benefit such a worthwhile charity as The Alliance for Children’s Rights was born. Blue Élan has supported the charity with various releases over the past few years and looks forward to bringing awareness to the work that they do to help children succeed and flourish. Precious to Me Track Listing:

"Runaway Train" -  Chelsea Williams

"Call Me the Breeze" - Sam Morrow

"It's a Hard Life" - Natalie Gelman

"Big Rock Candy Mountain" - Soul Asylum

 "Always Midnight" - Ginny Luke

"Bennie and the Jets" - Maiya Sykes

"The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" - Gerry Beckley (of America)

"Willie and the Hand Jive" - Ozomatli 

"You Make Loving Fun" - Mary Scholz

"Stuck in the Middle with You" - Bernie Barlow

"Crazy for You" - Bob Gentry

"In This Life"  - Cindy Alexander

"Crystal Blue Persuasion" - Bernie Barlow & Chelsea Williams

"Precious to Me" - Mustangs of the West

"When the Children Cry" - Bryan Stephens, Ginny Luke & Scout Durwood

 For more information contact:Blue Élan Records / MAD InkPRMelissa Dragich - mdragich@blueelan.comWhy the Alliance for Children’s RightsSince 1992, the Alliance for Children’s Rights has provided services to impoverished, abused, and neglected young people. By providing free legal services, advocacy, and programs that create pathways to jobs and access to education, the Alliance levels the playing field and ensures that children who experience foster care are able to fulfill their potential. Blue Élan and the Alliance for Children Rights share a vision in which all children have safe, permanent families with the support they need to thrive. Your support will help provide free legal services and advocacy for children in foster care, training and education for those who work with or care for these children, and system-wide reform to change policies to improve children’s lives. The Alliance cuts through the bureaucracy of the courts, healthcare system, school districts, and government agencies to secure a brighter future for children in need. Their staff and extensive network of pro bono attorneys advocate directly for individual children and work toward broader policy solutions to expedite adoptions out of foster care, secure medical coverage, critical therapies, housing, and education, support children recovering from trauma and those with disabilities, and assist young adults aging out of foster care as they grow into independence and self-reliance. Learn more about the Alliance for Children's Rights here: https://found.ee/PghX

HUMAN ARTISTRY CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES, Announces AI PrinciplesA broad coalition announced the launch of the Human Artistry Campaign to ensure artificial intelligence technologies are developed and used in ways that support human culture and artistry – and not ways that replace or erode it. With more than 40 members including major unions, trade associations, and policy experts representing individual creators and rightsholders from across the entire tapestry of creative endeavor, the Human Artistry Campaign is positioned to be a leading voice in the rapidly unfolding debate over the costs and benefits of different forms of AI.The group outlined principles advocating AI best practices, emphasizing respect for artists, their work, and their personas; transparency; and adherence to existing law including copyright and intellectual property.The campaign urges supporters to sign a petition to advance these fundamental principles.The launch was announced at SXSW in Austin today at an event featuring voice actor and prolific songwriter Dan Navarro, GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Jessy Wilson and UT Austin professor and immersive technology expert Erin Reilly – and moderated by Rob Levine, Billboard's Deputy Editorial Director.

Core Principles for Artificial Intelligence Applicationsin Support of Human Creativity and Accomplishments1. Technology has long empowered human expression, and AI will be no different.

For generations, various technologies have been used successfully to support human creativity. Take music, for example... From piano rolls to amplification to guitar pedals to synthesizers to drum machines to digital audio workstations, beat libraries and stems and beyond, musical creators have long used technology to express their visions through different voices, instruments, and devices. AI already is and will increasingly play that role as a tool to assist the creative process, allowing for a wider range of people to express themselves creatively.Moreover, AI has many valuable uses outside of the creative process itself, including those that amplify fan connections, hone personalized recommendations, identify content quickly and accurately, assist with scheduling, automate and enhance efficient payment systems – and more. We embrace these technological advances.

2. Human-created works will continue to play an essential role in our lives

Creative works shape our identity, values, and worldview. People relate most deeply to works that embody the lived experience, perceptions, and attitudes of others. Only humans can create and fully realize works written, recorded, created, or performed with such specific meaning. Art cannot exist independent of human culture.

3. Use of copyrighted works, and use of the voices and likenesses of professional performers, requires authorization, licensing, and compliance with all relevant state and federal laws.

We fully recognize the immense potential of AI to push the boundaries for knowledge and scientific progress. However, as with predecessor technologies, the use of copyrighted works requires permission from the copyright owner. AI must be subject to free-market licensing for the use of works in the development and training of AI models. Creators and copyright owners must retain exclusive control over determining how their content is used. AI developers must ensure any content used for training purposes is approved and licensed from the copyright owner, including content previously used by any pre-trained AIs they may adopt. Additionally, performers' and athletes' voices and likenesses must only be used with their consent and fair market compensation for specific uses.

4. Governments should not create new copyright or other IP exemptions that allow AI developers to exploit creators without permission or compensation.

AI must not receive exemptions from copyright law or other intellectual property laws and must comply with core principles of fair market competition and compensation. Creating special shortcuts or legal loopholes for AI would harm creative livelihoods, damage creators' brands, and limit incentives to create and invest in new works.

5. Copyright should only protect the unique value of human intellectual creativity.

Copyright protection exists to help incentivize and reward human creativity, skill, labor, and judgment -not output solely created and generated by machines. Human creators, whether they use traditional tools or express their creativity using computers, are the foundation of the creative industries and we must ensure that human creators are paid for their work.

6. Trustworthiness and transparency are essential to the success of AI and protection of creators.

Complete recordkeeping of copyrighted works, performances, and likenesses, including the way in which they were used to develop and train any AI system, is essential. Algorithmic transparency and clear identification of a work's provenance are foundational to AI trustworthiness. Stakeholders should work collaboratively to develop standards for technologies that identify the input used to create AI-generated output. In addition to obtaining appropriate licenses, content generated solely by AI should be labeled describing all inputs and methodology used to create it -- informing consumer choices, and protecting creators and rightsholders.

7. Creators' interests must be represented in policymaking.

Policymakers must consider the interests of human creators when crafting policy around AI. Creators live on the forefront of, and are building and inspiring, evolutions in technology and as such need a seat at the table in any conversations regarding legislation, regulation, or government priorities regarding AI that would impact their creativity and the way it affects their industry and livelihood.

Human Artistry Campaign – Member Commentary

“Artists shape our culture and help build a richer, more meaningful world. We simply cannot hand over that great responsibility to computers. AI is a wonderful tool, but it needs to complement human creativity, not replace it. We will not sit on the sidelines while Big Tech once again defines the rules for a new creative frontier.” – A2IM President and CEO Richard Burgess“Black songwriters, producers, and artists already face an uphill battle for ownership, credit, and proper payment in the music industry. Although AI can be an incredible tool, without the protection of real human artistry AI could devastate the Black creative community that leads so much of popular culture.” – Black Music Action Coalition Co-founder and Co-Chair Willie “Prophet” Stiggers“Artists and all creators are determined to lead on this issue and make sure we have a thoughtful, serious debate about both the risks and the benefits of AI. And the time for that debate is now.” – Susan Genco, Board Member Music Artists Coalition“Incredible music originates from individuals. As we face growing AI capabilities, we as an industry are united around the fact that human artistry must be protected by strong copyright law and policy and that AI tools are developed in ways that do not undermine the value of songwriters' work.” – NMPA President & CEO David Israelite.“There is so much potential with AI. But it also presents risks to our creative community. It's crucial that we get this right early on so we don't risk losing the artistic magic that only humans can create.” – Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr.“Human artistry is irreplicable. Recent developments in AI are remarkable, but we have seen the costs before of rushing heedlessly forward without real thought or respect for law and rights. Our principles are designed to chart a healthy path for AI innovation that enhances and rewards human artistry, creativity, and performance.” – RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier“It comes down to respect for creative workers and their craft. We have long fought for protections against misappropriation of our members' voices, likenesses and performances, and we are excited to continue that vital work in conjunction with our coalition partners. As technology continues to improve storytelling, we want to ensure humans are always at the center of the story.” – SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland“Artificial intelligence is a powerful, still-emerging technology that presents unique challenges as it matures in the creative arts space. We embrace the responsible use of AI, but recent advancements in AI have underscored the need to develop consensus on responsible use and to address important intellectual property concerns. Our culture and our technology must respect the foundational role that all creators play in AI's ultimate output.”– SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe

About the Human Artistry Campaign: The Human Artistry Campaign was launched at SXSW 2023 for open dialogue and guidance from the united creative community in shaping the AI debate. Visit HumanArtistryCampaign.com to join.Members include: AFL-CIO; American Association of Independent Music; American Federation of Musicians; Americana Music Association; American Photographic Artists; Artist Rights Alliance; Artist Rights Watch; ASCAP; Association of American Publishers; Authors Guild; Black Music Action Coalition; BPI; Christian Music Trade Association; Church Music Publishers Association; Concept Art Association; Department of Professional Employees, AFL-CIO; European Composer and Songwriter Alliance; Folk Alliance International; Future of Music Coalition; Georgia Music Partners; Global Music Rights; Gospel Music Association; Graphic Artists Guild; IFPI; International Federation of Actors; #IRespectMusic; Living Legends Foundation; MLB Players Association; Music Artists Coalition; Music Managers Forum – US; Music Tech Policy; Music Workers Alliance; National Music Publishers' Association; News Media Alliance; NFL Players Association; NHL Players' Association; Professional Photographers of America; Recording Academy; Recording Industry Association of America; Rhythm & Blues Foundation; SAG-AFTRA; SESAC, Songwriters of North America; SoundExchange and The Trichordist.

# # #

www.HumanArtistryCampaign.com contact@humanartistrycampaign.com

From Believe’s $800m in annual revenues to HYBE ending its SM Entertainment takeover bid… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories on MBW from the past seven days
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In a shock move, Meta has pulled music by Italian songwriters from its platforms. Is this connected to Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘Year of Efficiency’ ?A mega dispute is brewing in Italy between music publishers and Mark Zuckerberg's Meta
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40 trade groups form Human Artistry Campaign to shape AI for creativesA broad coalition has come together to launch the Human Artistry Campaign with the goal of ensuring that artificial intelligence (AI) is developed and used to support human culture and artistry and. Continue reading
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50 short video content ideas for musicians on Reels, TikTok, YouTubeAre you feeling stuck and looking for content ideas? For this week’s Flashback Friday, we resurface a post by our friend and music marketer extraordinaire Michael Brandvold with content ideas. Continue reading
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SoundExchange Joins Human Artistry Campaign to Protect Royalty Payments for CreatorsSoundExchange, the premier music-tech organization, powering the future of music, announced during SXSW 2023 in Austin, Texas, the founding of the Human Artistry CampAIgn along with more than 40 organizations, including the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), The Recording Academy, AFL-CIO, and SAG-AFTRA. 

The coalition brings together organizations from music and other industries potentially impacted by artificial intelligence (AI) and outlines foundational principles for supporting human creativity while embracing opportunities presented by AI. 

“Artificial intelligence is a powerful, still-emerging technology that presents unique challenges as it matures in the creative arts space,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange. “We embrace the responsible use of AI as a tool that spurs the continuing evolution of human-created works. At the same time, recent advancements in AI have underscored the need to develop consensus on responsible use and to address important intellectual property concerns. Our culture and our technology must respect the foundational role that all creators play in AI’s ultimate output.”

Organizations interested in signing the petition can do so at www.humanartistrycampaign.com. 

France is ‘struggling’ to reach the paid subscription levels of other major music markets. Is TikTok partly to blame?SNEP report highlights slowdown in subscription streaming growth in key global territory
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RIAA and over 30 other groups launch AI campaign to support human creativitySignatories include the RIAA, the Recording Academy, SAG-AFTRA, SoundExchange and more
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Bandcamp workers launch bid to form unionBandcamp workers across multiple departments want to unionize and are calling on the company and owner Epic Games to allow a “timely and fair election.” The effort has affiliated with. Continue reading
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Recorded music market 2022 | Reality bitesFollowing a spectacular year of growth in 2021, global recorded music revenue growth slowed significantly in 2022 due to the combined impact of global economic headwinds and growth slowdown in mature streaming markets. Context, though, is everything – not many industries can deliver solid growth while the global economy is in turmoil, ad markets are falling and many emerging tech sectors are in crisis.

Global recorded music growth has oscillated in recent years, slowing in the pandemic, booming in 2021, and then returning to more modest growth in 2022.

2022 was a year of realignment for much of the global economy, and the music business had to contend not only with the wider trend of the cost-of-living-crisis, but also rising interest rates softening music catalogue M+A demand and the long expected streaming slowdown kicking in. It is testament to the solidity of the recorded music market that, despite these multiple headwinds, global revenues grew by 6.7% to reach $31.2 billion in 2022. While this was significantly down on the 24.8% registered in 2021, it illustrates the strong role music plays in consumers’ lives, especially in uncertain times when escapism and identity are more important than ever. The persistent value of music was even more strongly illustrated by music publishing, which grew by 16.6% in 2022.

Streaming was again the main driver of industry growth, with revenues up by $1.5 billion in 2022 (8.3% growth), though this was less than half the $4.2 billion added in 2021.  The slowdown was underpinned by a) slowing subscriptions growth in mature markets; b) a slowdown in ad-supported revenues, reflecting wider advertising market dynamics. Music subscriber growth was markedly stronger, up by 13.7% to 652 million, however, the more mature North America and Europe regions accounted for just a third of the growth. Emerging markets will become a progressively larger part of global streaming growth, but due to lower ARPU and low shares of Anglo repertoire, the divergence between growth revenue and subscriber growth rates seen in 2022 will become a long-term market characteristic.

Independent labels and artists direct both strongly out-performed the wider streaming market, growing streaming revenues by 13.9% and 17.9% respectively. In terms of total recorded music revenues, 

UMG added more recorded music revenue in 2022 than the other two majors, adding $0.5 billion to reach $9.2 billion, giving it a 29.5% share of the global recorded music market. UMG’s percentage growth (6.2%), though, was slower than SMG’s (8.7%), with SMG gaining 0.4 points of market share.

Artists direct (i.e., artists who release without labels, directly via a distributor) were the big success story once again, growing by 16.6% in 2022 to generate $1.7 billion of recorded music revenue, giving it a 5.7% market share, up from 5.2% in 2021. 

Independent labels also outgrew the wider market (up by 7.1%), and the combined market share of artists direct and independent labels reached 34.6% in 2022, up from 34.0% in 2021. Though it is worth noting that this does not include the additional revenue from independent labels distributed by major labels.

Combined, independent labels and artists direct, were the largest single market segment with $10.8 billion.

Though overall market growth was down in 2022 compared to 2021, 2021 was in many respects a year of artificially accentuated, post-Covid growth, while 2022 was at the opposite end of the scale, with a host of economic headwinds. In this context, 6.7% growth for 2022 could be considered even more of an achievement than the 24.8% achieved in 2021.

The full report and dataset (with quarterly revenue by segment and format going back to Q1 2015) will be shortly available to MIDiA clients. If you are not a MIDiA client and would like to learn how to get access to our research, data and analysis, email stephen@midiaresearch.com

Redefining independent artist success: Their narrative is not your narrative [Keith Jopling of MIDiA]Keith Jopling from MIDiA Research discusses how important it is for artists to keep control of their own careers apart from industry expectations and demands, along with advice on how. Continue reading
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Stephen Dusenberry & Ricky Ken on how (and when) music changed their lives foreverThe pivotal performances that convinced two renowned artists to build their lives around music are not what you might expect. by Michael Gallant of Disc Makers Blog Some artists may. Continue reading
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