Like it or not, the days of buying music are just about over. We are now entering an “interactive streaming” phase of music consumption with more people listening to more music in new ways by many more artists. In addition to the consumer shift, technology companies are using music to generate hundreds of billions of…

Last week’s announcement of a multi-year direct licensing agreement between Pandora and Sony/ATV was predictably short on details. A letter to songwriters from Martin Bandier, the publishing company’s chairman/CEO, continues that trend but does offer some insight into the deal….

While the music industry’s superstars certainly clean up when it comes to live shows and merch, some recent data indicates that, when it comes to album sales and streaming revenue, the industry is quite a bit more democratic than one would guess….

Beginning early next year, China’s music streaming market may be a lot less interesting. The government has released a list of rules — “Notice on Further Strengthening and Improving the Management of Online Music Content” — for streaming services to follow, which include self-regulating catalog in accordance with the Ministry of Culture’s dictates around song content. The…

  Although Spotify was able to get its foot in the door early, the presence of companies like Apple Music, Amazon Prime, and others means that the historically un-profitable streaming service either needs to find away to differentiate itself from the competition or risk crashing and burning….

Apple Music has 6.5 million paying subscribers and Beats 1 has become a media darling.  But Connect, the other new Apple music service released at the same time, appears to be getting only moderate traction with both fans and artists. There are signs, however, that Apple may be about to up its game….

U2 may seem like high-and-mighty rock and roll legends (and, hey, they are), but their drummer hasn’t forgotten the plight of young musicians in today’s digital free-for-all. In an interview with RTE 2FM’s Larry Gogan Show, Larry Mullen, Jr. was blunt: “Companies like Spotify, the new Apple service, and all the others are really going to have…

Music industry legend Irving Azoff will be honored at the 2016 Pre-Grammy Gala at the Beverly Hilton, organizers announced today. Azoff, chairman and CEO Azoff MSG Entertainment, will be presented with the President’s Merit Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the music industry and his numerous philanthropic endeavors….

Justin Bieber is giving his fans on the west coast of the U.S. a chance to buy his new album Purpose a few hours early — as long as they need to get somewhere….

Two related characteristics exemplify the new music industry: music catalogs can run into the tens of millions of songs, and playlists are an increasingly importantmedium for enjoying these catalogs. Short of buying a music intelligence company like The Echo Nest, as Spotify did last year, you might not have the proper tool to craft playlists that take advantage…