2021 has already proven itself to be a busy year for the music industry and beyond. 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 your career.
Nearly a Third of all Streams in the US Last Year Were of Hip-Hop and R&B Artists
2020 was a big year for hip hop artists: over 30% of all on-demand audio and video streams in the United States last year were of tracks recorded by R&B and hip-hop artists, according to new statistics from industry monitor MRC Data, compiled with Billboard. This means that the ‘R&B/hip-hop’ category increased its market share of total ‘album-equivalent sales’ in the US in 2020, which takes into account physical sales, digital sales, and streaming.
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TikTok’s New Creator Portal has Tips for TikTokers Old and New
Just this past week, TikTok has revamped its educational materials with the launch of the TikTok Creator Portal. Geared towards creators old and new, it offers best-practice guides as well as “articles that help interpret community trends, dive deeper into the use of sound and music, and spotlight creative effects”. For those unfamiliar with all of TikTok’s sophisticated tools and features, this will be an extremely useful tool for creators who are looking to improve their artistic content.
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Tunecore Celebrates 15 Years Of Empowering Independent Artists
TuneCore, the leading digital music distribution and publishing administration company for independent artists, celebrated its 15th-anniversary last month. The company will be making donations across the globe to organizations formed in order to keep live music venues afloat while providing relief for staff, including NIVA (the National Independent Venue Association), whose legislative efforts led to the passing of the SaveOurStages Bill in early 2021.
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Gibson’s New Guitar-learning App Uses Video And AR Technology
Gibson has launched its new guitar-teaching app for iOS and Android, featuring video lessons, a tuner feature and a catalogue of songs to play along with. The company has also worked with Swedish startup Zoundio to add an augmented reality feature to its guided lessons, including offering feedback on the user’s playing. Additionally, users can book free one-on-one video consultations with Gibson guitar techs “covering a variety of basic guitar tune-up and maintenance tasks”.
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