[NEWS DUMP] Monday, March 26 | 2018

• Spotify is going public on April 3. I'm sure you've seen the news and wondered how the hell it will impact you? Honestly, hopefully not much. However, we know that once a tech giant goes public all eyes are on that stock price. You might want to check into these 10 key points from the investor day.
• iHeartMedia owes people some money. We know they are bankrupt, but this radio giant owes pretty much every sort of collection agency (BMI/ASCAP, SoundExchange, etc) some cash. Watching to see how this plays out.
• SoundExchange has now paid out over $5 BILLION to artists. If you haven't signed up with SX, what the HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR. 
• Artist advocacy group, C3 submitted 3 ways that the Music Modernization Act could be improved upon. In case you missed it, one of our fearless leaders (Ron Pope) was on a panel discussing the MMA at the Nashville Entrepreneur center a couple of weeks ago. He kicked ass and stood up for independent artists. 
• Social Media use declining overall. Seems people are a little tired of their lives being broadcast all day, seeing their crazy cousin's political rants, and having FOMO. Another reason to boost your email list. 
• Don't follow your passion? Seems a little off brand for us, but we dig this general advice from billionaire, Mark Cuban. "But in order to be one of the best, you have to put in effort. So don't follow your passions, follow your effort. I am going to give you one other secret: The one thing in life that you can control is your effort." 

Last week's motivational quote: 

"I want to grow. I want to be better. You grow. We all grow. We're made to grow. You either evolve or you disappear." - Tupac Shakur

Go get after it! 

Each Monday we post relevant news stories from the previous week that you should be paying attention to as an indie artist. We'll mainly focus on streaming platforms, artist pay rates, and what's going on in the world of social media so you can access your fans better. What you won't find here: top level executive changes at major labels, big money marketing partnerships with giant artists, and things of that nature. As always, send us comments, suggestions, or things we may have missed!

[NEWS DUMP] Monday, February 26 | 2018

We took last week off since it was good old President's day here in the U-S of A. Now we're back and ready to sling some more news at you! Once again, streaming platforms are dominating the industry news headlines. Being totally honest, this ever-changing world is a pain in the ass to keep up with, but that's why we felt the need to start these news posts! Hope you've found them helpful. Let's get into it.

• VERO. This is a new social media platform that's been buzzing. Honestly, I'm not sure if it will end up doing anything but you might want to go ahead and grab your profile. It will eventually be a paid service, but the first million members will never pay. Some users have pointed out that there may be some unpalatable things in their T&C, but ultimately, you're the one who will decide what you post, so at this point there really isn't anything to lose. Fast Company has an overview if you want to know more.
• Spotify getting into hardware? No, not nails and things. SPEAKERS! There are reputable reports that they may be getting into they speaker game (and beyond?). Honestly, it's not incredibly surprising given that subscribers on Apple Music and Amazon Music have seen a nice boost due to their "home" systems. 
• YouTube Red. Every once in a while they like to remind us that they are a thing. I think this news that they are a music service is really a launching point to start discussing Remix (which was announced in December). At this point, YT Red is expanding into more countries
• Pandora is... growing? That's the word on the street. They are showing growth in paid subscribers which has translated to a boost in revenue. Their stock is totally in flux though... 
• Amazon getting into ticketing. Amazon unveiled that they will be launching their ticketing platform via Alexa sometime in or around 2019.  

That's all I've got for today! 

FOR YOUR HATERS:

[NEWS DUMP] Monday, February 12 | 2018

This past week it was all STREAMING PLATFORMS! Who am I kidding, what's new? Either way, read on for what's relevant... 

• Apple Music paid subscribers set to surpass Spotify this summer (US only). Globally, Spotify is still killing it, but this is really big news. This means that the paid-only platform is working. 
• Apple's Homepod was released. Apple is just churning out the news these days. Homepod was released and that could have a significant positive impact on the Apple Music subscriber base. Per the linked review, Homepod does not acknowledge any other music service, so Apple Music is the only go-to. Apparently the sound out of this little guy is incredible. Not sure how the device will stack up overall in the smart home speaker market (is that what's it's called?), but I'm sure we'll see updates and rollouts within the next year or so. 
• Deezer going deeper into Asia. Do not count out Deezer on a global scale. And if you're not thinking about Asia in some capacity, it's time to roll that into your brain. The market is huge and they love music.
• Playlist creation starts on Amazon's Alexa. Users can now start up playlists and add to them with voice prompts. As of right now it only works with Amazon Music. 
• AWAL's guide to pitching playlists. Handy guide for people just jumping into the playlist game. 
• The Quincy Jones interview. I mean... it's not about independent artists, but it's an entertaining read. 

BOTTOM LINE THIS WEEK?? Even more evidence that Spotify should not be the only thing you worry about! 

RELEVANT:

Each Monday we post relevant news stories from the previous week that you should be paying attention to as an indie artist. We'll mainly focus on streaming platforms, artist pay rates, and what's going on in the world of social media so you can access your fans better. What you won't find here: top level executive changes at major labels, big money marketing partnerships with giant artists, and things of that nature. As always, send us comments, suggestions, or things we may have missed!