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!
Music Modernization Act Passes in House of Representatives
As independent artists and songwriters, you may have been following the much-talked-about Music Modernization Act as it moves through Washington, D.C. This month, an initial celebration was held as it passed through the House of Representatives, on its way to the president. The act is aimed at updating current copyright law to “be more workable in the age of digital streaming”. Read more here.
Article 13 Approved By European Parliament
A major piece of legislation on behalf of rights holders has passed in the European Parliament. It concerns which party should be held responsible when users upload or share copyrighted material online: the user of the platform. Wired does a great job breaking down this divisive legislation and what it means for artists/copyright holders. Read more here.
Spotify Holds Onto That #1 Streaming Market-Share Spot
Up almost 40% year-over-year in subscribers, Midia Research reports that Spotify remains on top of the streaming music market at 36% (83 million subscribers) of the total 229.6 million global subscribers. It’s easy for independent artists to keep this kind of data out of mind, but it’s always helpful to understand where people are listening most. Read more here.
Tidal Scores Another Telecom Partnership in Brazil
Wondering where Tidal subscription rates could jump up next? Look no further than Brazil, where the streaming platform is offering ‘exclusive subscription offers’ for telecom provider Vivo’s 75 million customer base. MusicAlly breaks it down further. Read more here.
SiriusXM to Acquire Pandora
Two household names announced some major acquisition news this month! Both seen as an alternative to terrestrial radio, and both revolutionary in their own right, one can’t help but wonder what this means for the artist community and music industry at large. Thankfully, Billboard takes a stab at this. Read more here.
Apple Music Adds More Top 100 Charts – This Time by Country
TuneCore Artists have long sought (and in many cases, achieved!) placement on iTunes and Apple Music’s ‘Top Charts’. In an effort to segment further and cover the entire planet, Apple introduced 116 country-level Top 100 charts. As a global distributor, we see this as further potential exposure avenues for our artists! Read more here.
Independent Hip Hop’s Rise in India
“Hip hop is the hottest independent music genre in India in 2018, and it’s only going to get bigger.” This month, MusicAlly provided a wonderful feature on the fast-growing nature of hip hop across India, its big profile artists, its branding potential, and some cool commentary from members at TuneCore’s digital music partner, Saavn. Read more here.
Feature.fm is Letting Artists Reward Their Fans When They Engage
Feature.fm – an Artist Service partner of TuneCore’s – added a new feature that is sure to delight independent artists hoping to engage further with their fan bases on Spotify and Apple Music. “Action Pages” were introduced this month, aimed at helping artists earn pre-saves, follows, and acquire fan email addresses. Read more here.
Music Collaboration App Vampr Partners with Emanate
You may remember the app Vampr from an interview we did here on the TuneCore Blog with founder Josh Simons. Described as ‘Tinder for musicians’, the app helps artists and producers find collaborators. This month, Vampr entered into a joint venture with Emanate, a blockchain and cryptocurrency solution, to help users ‘monetize projects with ease.’ Read more here.
Tags: apple music article 13 featuring industry news music modernization act pandora siriusxm spotify tidal vampr