By Kevin Cornell
Another month is coming to a close, and TuneCore is here to fill all you independent artists in on some of the headlines you may have missed.
Whether it’s music streaming, publishing, product updates, studies and reports, or op-eds, we’re rounding up some music industry must-reads for all of you looking to stay in touch with the business and advance a career!
Yandex.Music Moves Into Israel
Russian streaming service and longtime digital service partner of TuneCore Yandex.Music stepped outside of its territory in October. Launching in Israel, Yandex.Music will be available in English and Russian and feature a Hebrew search function. We’re always happy to hear about music services we distribute to expanding! Read more here.
The Genius Apple Partnership Hip Hop Heads Will Love
Genius, the encyclopedic lyric resource for hip hop lovers everywhere, has partnered with Apple to make Apple Music its official streaming service onsite. While Genius’ partnership with Spotify remains in place, it points to Apple’s interest in providing song lyrics to users and could make way for further content collaborations with the popular brand. Read more here.
India Sets Its Sights on the 2022 Music Market
In October, IMI published its Vision 2022 report, wherein it suggests that India is on course to entering the top 10 music markets in the world within four years. If you have been following industry news as streaming has been adapted by fans in new territories, it shouldn’t surprise you. What should excite you as an indie artist the great opportunity that lies ahead for promoting your music to new fans in India! Read more here.
Deezer Announces New Launches in Middle East & Northern Africa
Only four headlines in and October has proven to be a big month for global expansion! Another longtime digital service partner of TuneCore, Deezer, launched across more than ten countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Signalling an increasing demand for streaming services in these territories, we cannot reiterate enough: these are new markets you can be promoting your music in when you distribute through TuneCore! Read more here.
YouTube Partners With Eventbrite
Hot off the heels of a Ticketmaster partnership this time last year, YouTube and online event platform Eventbrite partnered this month in an effort to integrate live event ticketing and promotion into the streaming video and music giant. According to Nielsen, 26% of millennials discover live music events on YouTube – making this a great way to reach new fans with your upcoming dates. Read more here.
In the Radio Vs. Streaming War, Passion Matters
While no one is going to be shocked in streaming services’ jump on terrestrial and satellite radio providers, it can’t be forgotten that the latter have a HUGE audience to reach. However MusicWatch’s recent study shows that listeners simply possess a greater passion for streaming services like Spotify, and that matters. Read more here.
Spotify Touts Increase in Listening Diversity & Payouts
Celebrating its 10th anniversary in October, Spotify was excited to announce some of its big benchmarks since 2008. On their blog, the streaming service notes that between the 180 million monthly active listeners in 65 countries, they’ve paid out over 10 € billion to rights holders. Their blog post also includes an overview of their “Decade of Discovery”. Read more here.
Sellfy Calculator Points Creatives Toward Mech for More $$$
MusicAlly recently used “Sellfy” – a platform for writers, filmmakers and musicians to sell products from their own store – to test out the service’s claim that merch sales can be a serious extra revenue stream within your YouTube channel. This is a cool discovery for indie artists who are already utilizing YouTube and need to consider their merch strategies. Read more here.
Google Maps Looks to Add Music To Your Commute
This month Google also announced that it’ll be integrating music streaming services into their popular Google Maps app. Whether you’re driving in the country or walking in the city, Google Maps is used by a ton of folks who rely on their mobile devices for navigation assistance. It’s explained an effort to remind people that their commute doesn’t need to be silent, and we’ll look forward to what it means for potential discovery for artists. Read more here.