hypebot

Webdoc Announces Deals With SoundCloud, Songkick & Topspin @ #Midem

From Cannes by Stuart Dredge for Midem content partner Music Ally. Find them at musically.com and @musically.

Swiss startup Webdoc is making a splash at Midem, announcing deals with SoundCloud, Songkick and Topspin to integrate them into its rich-media web-posts platform.

Sony Music Exec Says Streaming Does Not Cannibalize Sales #MIDEM

(UPDATE) Stuart Dredge from Cannes for Midem content partner Music Ally. Find them at musically.com and @musically.

The new president of Sony Music’s global digital business, Denis Kooker, defended streaming music services against accusations that they are cannibalising download sales, during a Midem press conference today. “We are constantly watching our business very closely and looking at how different channels are affecting and impacting each other,” said Kooker.

REWIND: The New Music Industry's Week In Review

Spotify Hits 3 Million Paid Subscribers, 20% Conversion Rate.

• Startup Murfie Gets $1.4 Million To Rip Used CD's, Sell  Downloads.
• Gobbler Gets $1.75 Million To Expand Musician File Management.
• Indie EU Trade Group IMPALA Comes Out Swinging In EMI Sale Fight.
• Rhapsody Expands Into Europe With Purchase Of Napster UK, Germany.
• Tom Silverman On The 1st Anniversary Of The Resurrection Of The Music Business.

MORE:

MusicThinkTank.com Weekly Recap - Spotify: Millions Of DJs & More

Where

The Music Industry

Thinks Out Loud

• Simon Tam: The Real Reason Why SOPA Didn’t Pass: Marketing
• Wes Davenport: The 5 Most Important Skills Twitter Teaches Us
• Shane Jones: Digital Piracy Vs. The Music Industry [Infographic]

MORE:

 

Will Anonymous Attack Facebook Today?

A video of unknown origin, but allegedly from hackers Anonymous calls for a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack Facebook, this Saturday 1/28/2012.  Some have question the authenticity of this latest threat, but, after Megaupload was shut down in global sting operation late last week, Anonymous swung into action temporarily bringing down the US Department of Justice, RIAA, UMG, WMG and MPAA sites.

Spotify Hits 3 Million Paid Subscribers, 20% Conversion Rate

During an appearance at at Universal Music Open Day in London, Spotify Chief Content Officer Ken Parks announced that the music streaming service now has 3 million paid subscribers. That's up from 2.5 million just 2 months ago and would mean that 20% of an estimated 12.5 million users are converting from free to paid subscriptions.

Tom Silverman: 1st Anniversary Of The Resurrection Of The Music Business

Guest post by Tom Silverman, music industry veteran, thought leader and founder of the New Music Seminar.

As I sat and planned the program for the June 2012 New Music Seminar, it occurred to me that we are approaching the first anniversary of the music business resurrection. After ten years of decline, the music business hit bottom in the second week of February 2010 and began to rise the week of February 14th. There have been many reports of the music business comeback and many have tried to figure out what was responsible for this upturn. Some have credited Adele, others the shuttering of Limewire, still others the Walmart $5 dump bins.

Let's look at the good news.

The Week In Music Publishing 1.27.12

There may be trouble afoot for EMI and its two separate businesses - recording and publishing - are heading towards merger with Universal and Sony respectively. With EMI set to meet with lenders in New York City to discuss the $1.8 billion loans needed to support the Sony Corp acquisition, there are rumblings that of a battle with independent labels to halt the deal - Universal's acquisition of EMI would give them near 40% market share of the recorded music industry. If Universal loses this battle, it may effect both Universal and Sony's ability to merge with the branches of EMI.

MORE:

Occupy Movement Inspires New Compilation Albums & Bruce Springsteen [VIDEO]

A variety of record albums related to the Occupy Movement are set for release including "Occupy This Album" from Music For Occupy with a star-studded list of participants, "Folk the Banks" from the newly formed Occupation Records in London and media claims that Bruce Springsteen's newest work is the voice of the movement though the songs were mostly written before it existed.

Kanye West’s New Venture Will Fail. Here's What We Can Learn From It.

(UPDATED) Kanye West recently announced via twitter that he is hiring for a new creative company. Named Donda after his late mother, the company will purportedly have 22 divisions and in his own words “Galvanize thinkers and put them in a creative space to bounce their dreams and ideas” with an aim to "pick up where Steve Jobs left off.” Kanye’s ambition certainly seems as big as his inflated ego.

David Dufresne On Spotify: Millions of DJs

Many artists have already expressed their concerns with Spotify and other streaming services. There’s concerns over the small amount of revenue, the unfairness felt by many indie artists/labels versus major ones, and lack of transparency. However, on Music Think Tank, David Dufresne, CEO of Bandzoogle, expresses his opinion of Spotify and how having your music on the service can possibly help you. What is your opinion on Spotify and is your music on Spotify?

Is A Music Industry MBA Right For You?

The Henley School of Business in Reading, England has announced an MBA focused on the music industry. However, given its corporate focus and the fact that MBA's often move between industries, it is clearly not a program that would suit all with music business aspirations.

Major Labels Take HMV Equity Stake In Plan To Save Music Retailer

U.K. music retailer HMV has sold an equity stake in the company to suppliers, including Universial Music in an effort to solidify their financial position for the next three years. According to The Guardian, HMV has sold a 2.5% stake to their suppliers in the form of warrants, but the company declined to comment on the other terms of the agreement, which likely entail a shifting of some risk to suppliers.

NEWS BRIEF: Midem, LyricFind, Google Music, Intel + RealNetworks, Reznor Interview, YouTube & More

The music industry action shifts to Cannes and MIDEM this weekend and Hypebot will have lots of coverage including via a special partnership with Stuart Drudge of MusicAlly.

• One of the first MIDEM announcements comes from LyricFind who have signed what they say is the world’s first global lyrics deals with all four major publishers.
• Google Music now lets you download MP3 copies of your stored tunes. (Verge) Sound like a small change, but its a feature that's likely to be hugely popular.

MORE:

Zoe Keating Shares Her YouTube "Claiming" Experience

In response to yesterday's post "Warner Music Orders YouTube Takedown Of Slow Motion Crochet Video With No Music", successful d.i.y. artist Zoe Keating shared her own experiences identifying and claiming videos YouTube videos. "I can't actually claim the soundtrack of any video on my own," says Keating "It is only done by the Google bots automatically when a 3rd party uploads a video."

Indie Trade Group IMPALA Comes Out Swinging In EMI Sale Fight

European independent music trade group IMPALA today issued a strong statement opposing the sale of EMI to Universal and Sony. "Neither the USA nor Europe wants to see the music sector become a two-horse race, devoid of competition from any other companies,” stated Helen Smith, Executive Chair of IMPALA.

Beyond Oblivion Files Bankrupcy, Owes Sony, WMG, Others Up To $500 Million

More details of the demise of digital music startup Beyond Oblivion were revealed in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition this week. The company had announced it would wind down operations after burning through at least $25 million of a pledged $87 million of investor cash. But according to court documents, the company's liabilities are in the $100 - $500 million range including at least two major labels.

Lana Del Rey Leaves Early Adopters Behind

I have to admit, I ignored the Lana Del Rey phenomenon for a variety of reasons including the fact that great musical artists rarely look like beautiful movie stars and most of the hardcore hype was on sites I don't follow. But somehow the now controversial Saturday Night Live appearance broke through the walls and, upon closer examination, I realize that Del Rey is a fascinating example of America's unrealistic expectations for authenticity from performing artists even when they should know better. She is also an example in the arts of what the tech world calls "crossing the chasm" from early adopters to mainstream adoration.

Startup Murfie Gets $1.4 Million To Rip Used CD's & Sell Them As Downloads

Murfie, an online marketplace that rips and sells the downloads of used music CD's, has closed a funding round of $1.4 million led by DaneVest Tech Fund along with angel investors including Barry Silbert, CEO of SecondMarket. The Madison, Wisconsin based startup has also been selected for the TechStars Winter 2012 Boston Program.

How To Open For A Major Artist Or Band

If you’re the opening act for a major artist, your music will be able to reach more fans and can help build up your career, but how do you get that coveted spot? On Music Think Tank, Simon Tam talks about ways to get a chance to open for artists.