Where is the music industry heading?

This blog shares articles and reports that I deem relevant and thought provoking in how this industry is evolving.  I do bits and pieces in the music industry (mainly recorded, publishing and societies, but have been known to dabble in live, merch and tech). Focus on music industry trends and change, and how businesses adapt to it.

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Hundreds of artists are now earning $100k+ per year from streaming via Kobalt’s AWAL - Music Business Worldwide

Willard Ahdritz says indie artists today can "Get rich… and not die trying"

Go Kobalt

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Festivals go upmarket to avoid image of ‘beery lads singing with their shirts off’

Promoters of this year’s big music events are going invitation-only or avoiding mainstream acts to try to create a more exclusive vibe

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People In Their Thirties Can't Stop Hoarding CDs

It’s so haaaard to say goodbye…to outdated physical media.

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Men Explain Music to Me - Noisey

“Are you buying this for your boyfriend?"

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The most trusted voice in music.

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Why Brexit is not music to the ears of British bands touring Europe

In the wake of the EU referendum, British live music faces an uncertain future as visa and carnet costs could make playing shows across Europe unsustainable

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A study into the incidence of musicians’ mental health

Help Musicians UK commissioned this report (the first UK academic study on the incidence of mental health and musicians) in response to the charity’s observation around the rise in the number of calls and applications from musicians with mental health problems and is seeking to understand and quantify their significance as well as find solutions to this issue within the industry. This report is part one of a more extensive research project that will follow in 2017.

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Bruno Mars: The Private Anxiety of a Pop Perfectionist

Go behind the scenes with Bruno Mars as he puts the finishing touches on new LP '24K Magic' and continues his quest for the next "Uptown Funk."

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The most trusted voice in music.

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The Unbearable Silence of Harry Styles - Noisey

Over the past few years, pop's number one marketing tool has been one that says nothing at all.

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Sonos Says The Music Industry Is About To Explode Again, And It's Ready

Over a decade ago, Sonos smartly bet on music-over-Wi-Fi. Now CMO Joy Howard looks ahead to a future where music is built into every home.

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The ticket resale giant, which once again increased revenues in Q3, says it's actively trying to reinvest in music – and that high secondary prices aren't good for anyone

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The Pandora group has lost close to a quarter of a billion dollars this year, although ticketing revenues increased 25% year-on-year

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Despite strong growth predicted through 2021, South Africa needs a shot in the arm from business and government to "redress the damage done to live music by apartheid"

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Dollar Shave Club is a textbook example of how the new Internet economy will destroy value in incumbent industries.

Probably the most important fact when it comes to analyzing Unilever’s purchase of Dollar Shave Club is the $1 billion price: in the world of consumer packaged goods (CPG) it is shockingly low. After all, only eleven years ago Procter & Gamble (P&G) bought Gillette, the market leader in shaving,

for a staggering $57 billion.

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Why Spotify's Discover Weekly is getting really boring

I really like what Spotify has been doing since it acquired music data company The Echo Nest. But their flagship feature is getting really boring.

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Michael Huppe: Standing Up For The Value Of Music - Nekst

SoundExchange's Michael Huppe covers the AM/FM Artist Loophole, the DMCA Safe “Ocean,” internet enabled auto dashboards and the org’s ISRC online searchable database. […]