How to set up a Bandcamp Listening Party and why you (still) shouldDespite its recent sale and staff cutbacks, Bandcamp, for now at least, still has an audience and toolkit worth paying attention to. Brian Hazard explains from firsthand experience how beneficial. Continue reading
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50 Years of Music Industry Revenues: The Highs & LowsAn informative graphic overview of music industry revenue lows and highs broken down by format over the last half a century. by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0 There are so. Continue reading
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DIY Spotlight: Vera BloomAlternative rock/punk singer, songwriter and musician Vera Bloom saw her musical journey start when she was just six years old.

“I’ve always been a bit of a rebel without a cause, so as I grew up I spent a lot of my practice time improvising and writing my own songs instead of practicing what I was supposed to,” Bloom says. “Since I could write, I’ve been an avid writer of poetry and journaling, and it was my father who introduced me to the idea of songwriting and adding lyrics to music. The piano was my instrument for writing, but I made the switch to guitar at age 18 and something really clicked. I performed in classical piano recitals throughout elementary and middle school, but in high school I performed my own song on the piano with a drummer in the school talent show and won first place. That’s when I knew this could be something and that my songs could reach people.”

She describes her sound as unpredictable, skirting around the punk sub-genres. That can all be heard on the recent It’s Me EP.

“It’s Me is a compilation of six songs I had written over a year and a half that all belong in the same chapter of my life,” Bloom says. “The common themes are self-love, owning and recognizing self-worth, and reflection and growth. All the songs except "Boxes" were recorded here in Nashville at Battle Tapes Studio, and engineered by Jeremy Ferguson, who also recorded my first EP. The lead guitarist on the songs, Jacob Carey, engineered "Boxes" in his home studio. The tracks feature Brian Chinino on drums, Levi J Miller on bass guitar, Jacob Carey on lead guitars, and me singing and playing rhythm guitar.”

For Bloom, “DIY” means being true to yourself and keeping it real.

“It means doing what you like versus what you think you should do or is expected of you,” she says. “I really strive to maintain this in my music and my music videos, and I think that’s something that people really like about me. That’s why my sound is a bit unpredictable, really, because I do what I want and what I like and what the songs want versus shaping it into something that fits in a box to ‘stay on brand.’” 

For more, visit verabloom.net.

Paul Burger and Andrew Wilkinson resign as Hipgnosis Songs Fund non-exec directors ahead of tomorrow’s continuation voteThe comes in the same month that HSF confirmed the Chairman of its current board, Andrew Sutch, will step down from his role
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Spotify is embracing elements of Universal Music Group’s ‘artist-centric’ royalties model – following a new multi-year licensing deal between UMG and Daniel Ek’s platformSpotify's plans fit with the broad hopes of Sir Lucian Grainge's wishes as outlined at the start of 2023
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Spotify says new model will shift $1B to ‘working artists’ in 5 yearsSpotify is making major changes that it says will shift $1 billion in royalty payments over the next five years to ‘legitimate’ artists and rightsholders. Spotify has confirmed to multiple. Continue reading
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$500,000 Cash or Lunch with JAY-Z? The rapper/entrepreneur weighs in [VIDEO]Would you be smarter to take $500,000 in cash or have a private lunch with JAY-Z? The rapper and entrepreneur offered his own answer during ab interview with Gayle King. Continue reading
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Musician, ABC News Anchor Dan Ashley on the Importance of AuthenticityDrawing from his experience on camera and stage, Dan Ashley joins the Music Biz Weekly to discuss storytelling, engaging with your audience, and being authentic. Ashley fronts an indie Americana. Continue reading
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School of Rock Opens 350th Location in ChileSchool of Rock, a leader in performance-based music education, unveiled its 350th worldwide location in Providencia, Chile, last week. The milestone marks School of Rock’s progression to a scale that few franchises achieve and underscores the company’s position as the premier music education brand with more than 62,000 active students and hundreds of thousands of alumni rocking around the globe.

“Opening the 350th School of Rock location in Chile is a significant milestone in our journey. It reflects not only our desire to continue international expansion but also the unparalleled passion and dedication of our franchise partners, instructors, and students all over the world,” said Rob Price, CEO of School of Rock. “Music has the power to unite and inspire the creative spirit in us all. As we hit this milestone, we're not just counting schools, we're celebrating the countless stories and dreams that have found a home within our walls.”

School of Rock Providencia marks the 13th school in Latin America under master franchisee Matias Puga Hamilton, who was recently named as a 2023 Franchisee of the Year by The International Franchise Association. The new school in Santiago will be owned and operated by Danilo Giakoni. Giakoni's connection to music traces back to inheriting his maternal grandmother's grand piano, which became the centerpiece of their family gatherings. His father's passion for rock and roll, specifically Elvis Presley, also played a significant role, with Giakoni inheriting his father’s extensive vinyl record collection. Today, Giakoni’s family home reflects their musical heritage, housing the piano, his mother's accordion and multiple guitars.Giakoni’s journey to open a School of Rock was inspired by a desire to contribute to the development of children and adolescents, while still leveraging his background as a finance manager. After discovering the School of Rock model for adults during a live performance by a friend and subsequently reading about it in a Chilean newspaper, Giakoni felt a connection to the idea of opening a school in his culturally rich hometown of Providencia. 

“Opening this School of Rock is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me. It's been an incredible journey to this point, allowing me to connect with an amazing team of talented musicians and teachers, create a vibrant cultural hub within the community and witness firsthand the transformative impact this concept has on young individuals,” said Giakoni. "Being a part of this incredible organization and opening School of Rock's 350th location is a truly special experience.”

The opening of this 350th location punctuates two years of dramatic growth for School of Rock, with highlights including:

Footprint growth from 245 domestic schools and 55 international schools in 12 markets to 276 domestic schools and 74 international schools in 15 markets, with new flagship schools in Mexico, Ireland and Portugal;

Increased total active enrollment from 22,000 students in 2016 to nearly 62,000 students today, along with a 7.6% average annual growth in student enrollment;

Acknowledged among best in the industry for franchisee and corporate culture; 

Named the Grand Champion of 2023 by Global Franchise Awards, top 50 Most Profitable Franchises, top 100 Most Innovative Franchises and Top Recession-Proof Business for 2023 by Franchise Business Review

International Franchise Association (IFA) named Matias Puga Hamilton, master franchisee of School of Rock in Latin America, as a 2023 Franchisee of the Year; 

School of Rock is actively seeking expansion opportunities, both nationally and internationally, as it looks to grow beyond its 350 locations. For more information on School of Rock, visit www.SchoolofRock.com or call 866-695-5515.

To learn more about School of Rock franchise opportunities head to schoolofrock.com/franchising

Spotify stock closed up 10% Tuesday on strong Q3 Report, solid Q4 forecastSpotify [NYSE: SPOT] stock was up 10.36% Tuesday, closing at $170.63 after a strong Q3 earnings and user growth report. It was the streamer’s first profitable quarter since 2021. In. Continue reading
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Believe generated $234m in Q3, up 9.1% YoYParis-headquartered music company Believe has published its financial results for Q3 2023
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Chart data collection change will under-report physical sales by 95%, say indie music storesIndie music stores and labels are sounding the alarm over plans by Luminate, the music data provider for the Billboard charts, to change how it calculates physical sales at independent. Continue reading
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Six ways every indie musician can organically grow a fanbaseThese six essential strategies will help not only to boost numbers but also strengthen connections with fans. by Dotted Music To achieve sustainable growth as an artist, it’s essential to. Continue reading
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‘We operate at the intersection between creativity and culture for our artists.’Warner Music's Bob Workman on brand partnerships, and working on high-profile campaigns for superstars like Ed Sheeran…

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Two-tier licensing is about to become a reality With the dust still far from settled on the UMG / Deezer streaming royalty proposal, something even bigger is coming: Spotify is turning the concept into reality in Q1 2024. The behind-the-scenes conversations have been ongoing for some time, but the details were stated publicly on panels at last week’s ADE conference, meaning that the information is now firmly in the public domain. Obviously, nothing is official at this stage, so consider this ‘as reported’ information. Even if the final details end up varying, what is clear is that two-tier licensing is about to become a reality.

Things are moving fast, going from ‘limited trial’ to ‘actually happening’ in the proverbial blink of the eye. If Spotify is indeed set to launch two-tier royalties just months from now, it begs the question as to what the Deezer trial was about in the first place? If decisions had already been made elsewhere, then the likelihood is that it was a way of softening up industry opinion before the big news hit next year, to acclimatise the industry community to the concept ahead of launch.

Streaming democratised access to the means of distribution, enabling an unprecedented growth in artists and releases. But the brake is now being firmly applied. Streams may have all been created equal, but now some streams are becoming more equal than others. 

There are, of course, compelling arguments for ‘fixing’ streaming royalties (arguments that we have discussed at length). But if consumers are choosing to listen to long-tail artists, or if the algorithms consider long-tail artists to be the right fit for their tastes, then the ‘problem’ lies with consumption patterns, not royalties. (And of course, what consumers are listening to is also the most precise way measure where and how subscribers allocate the value pf their subscription.)

Between 2019 and 2022, artists direct streaming revenue grew by 130% while the majors grew by 58%. Long-tail artists are growing their share of ear (even accounting for the fact that algorithms are not neutral agents). In 2022, artists direct accounted for 8% of global streaming revenue and at current trajectory would reach 10% by 2025. Consider that WMG’s share was 16% in 2022, and it becomes clear just how significant the long-tail pool is.

But here is where the cynical genius of the two-tier system comes into play. Right now, streams and revenue are effectively synonymous, but by this time next year, they will mean very different things. The majority of artists direct artists will no longer be paid for their contribution to the value of the $11.99 subscription. The c.10% of consumption they will generate will disappear from the streaming revenue map. They will be othered, their revenue becoming a new black box for the biggest artists to share between themselves. Which means that, hey presto, all that annoying artists direct market share suddenly gets reallocated to everyone else. Market share erosion? What market share erosion?

The two-tier system does not even try to turn back the clock on the rise of independence, it simply funnels the growing revenue from this cultural paradigm shift to the bigger artists who are losing share. If DSP streaming was the only game in town, then the risks of antagonising long-tail artists (label and direct) would be relatively low. But the music consumption and creation landscapes are changing. Non-DSP streaming revenue is outgrowing DSP streaming, while creators choosing to release only on non-DSP platforms is growing twice as fast as artists releasing onto DSPs.

Perhaps it would serve bigger labels and artists well, to have smaller artists and labels focus their attention elsewhere. But if they do so, then they will take audience attention and cultural capital with them. At some stage or another, that kind of shift will start to bite into DSP acquisition and retention rates. By which stage it may be too late to halt the decline.