Month: July 2015

Pandora Cuts Ads For Free Users – If They’re Willing to Play With a Sponsored Video First

For all of the criticisms levelled at amount of royalties it pays artists and songwriters, Pandora is one of the more innovative streaming services when it comes to making money from ads. First we heard rumbles that the US digital radio service was readying a 24-hour ad-free budget subscription. Now it’s launched a new feature where…


HBO Scores Pair of U2 Specials

HBO is getting a taste of U2’s current Innocence + Experience world tour. The premium cable network has scored a pair of specials from Bono and company, both set to air in November. The Time Warner-owned cabler, ahead of its time at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour, announced that it would debut a…


Lana Del Rey and Her Managers Team Up With Career Artist Management’s Jordan Feldstein on New Venture: Exclusive

Jordan Feldstein’s Career Artist Management (CAM) is expanding. The longtime home of Maroon 5 and Robin Thicke is adding Lana Del Rey managers Ben Mawson and Ed Millett of Tap Management to its executive team under a new strategic venture. The two companies will maintain independent staffs but share resources on strategic projects….


WFMU Wants to Change How Media Talks to Its Audiences and Raises Money — For Free

“It’s super ambitious — and a culmination of my life’s work,” Ken Freedman, general manager of beloved independent radio station WFMU, tells Billboard. He’s referring to Audience Engine, a free and (truly) open-source piece of software, developed by Bocoup that Freedman oversaw the creation of. Audience Engine’s goal is no less than changing how media outlets from radio stations…


5 Reasons Music Compilations Belong On Your Radar

With the increased presence of “mood” playlists on streaming services like Spotify, musical compilations have been becoming more and more popular. These compilations could represent one of the best ways for an artist to gain notice in 2015….


Hot 100 Chart Moves: Demi Lovato’s ‘Cool’ Cruises, X Ambassadors Climb

As previously reported, OMI’s “Cheerleader” parties at No. 1 for a third week on the Billboard 200, while The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” sits tight at No. 2 for a second week. Meanwhile, Fetty Wap’s “My Way,” featuring Monty, zooms 87-7 thanks to its belated commercial release. Who else makes notable news on the Hot 100 this week?…


Neil Young & 10 More Artists Saying No to Streaming

Two weeks after writing an anti-streaming Facebook post, Neil Young has pulled the majority of his music from streaming services. On July 15, Young let his fans know that “streaming has ended for me” — not because of monetary reasons, but because the sound quality is subpar. “AM radio kicked streaming’s ass. Analog Cassettes and 8 tracks also…


Imagine Dragons to Stream Life on the Road to Twitch Channel

The rock band Imagine Dragons is using the Telestream Wirecast software to give fans a glimpse at life on the road by streaming their League of Legends matches, interviews and live impromptu performances on their newly launched Twitch channel….


TuneCore Quarterly Payments To Artists Top $35 Million, Up 6%

TuneCore today announced that it paid artists using its music distribution platform more than $35 million in the second quarter of 2015, a 6%  increase over the same time in 2014. Since 2006, TuneCore Artists have earned more than $576 million from over 18.7 billion downloads and streams….


Will Fans Recognize Your Music?

As the world of online music remains an extremely cluttered place, music identification apps such as Shazam and SoundHound that help fans pick songs out of the crowd continue to gain popularity, along with some competition from the likes of Facebook….