Snapchat hit the celebrity jackpot when it came time tolaunch its long-rumored new music feature, Sounds. In the wee hours of Thursday morning, a snippet of “Lonely,” Justin Bieber‘s not-yet-released single with producer Benny Blanco, became exclusively available in Snapchat’s “Featured Sounds” list — almost 24 hours before its official …
Read More »Data Shows 90 Percent of Streams Go to the Top 1 Percent of Artists
In its early days, streaming offered a glimmer of a utopian free-for-all: A music landscape where all artists had equal chances of making it big, where a $9.99-per-month endless buffet of music would drive listeners away from the mainstream and into the niche. Wired editor Chris Anderson was so optimistic …
Read More »Thanks to Another Internet Challenge, Young T & Bugsey's 'Don't Rush' Is a Surprise Hit
Like most humans, Michael Powell, program director for the Washington D.C. rap radio station WKYS, has been spending extra time on Instagram while locked down at home. “There’s nothing else to do in quarantine,” he says. “That’s become my pastime.” Roughly three weeks ago, Powell came across a new trend: …
Read More »I Remixed Grimes into the Pop Star of My Coronavirus Dreams
“What’s Grimes?” My boyfriend looked at me with utter confusion — and a warranted tinge of fear — when I, a person with no audio mixing skills whatsoever, told him I wanted to spend a good chunk of our weekend remaking the futuristic songstress’ latest single. He knew what this …
Read More »Record Companies Aren't Safe From the Coronavirus Economic Fallout
Earlier this month, I wrote that music-rights companies — not least Warner Music Group — could end up as attractive prospects for stock-market investors, as they would be largely insulated from the economic effects of coronavirus. (Warnerannounced its intention to IPOin February, but is nowpostponing that event.) Last week, the …
Read More »A New App Wants You to Dance With Artists' Holograms
Those who dream of dancing alongside popular musicians may finally get the chance — sort of — thanks to the latest byproduct of the music industry’s ongoing love affair with holograms. Jadu, a Los Angeles startup that launched on Wednesday morning, is just the most recent in a music industry …
Read More »Korean Music Festival in Los Angeles Postponed Amid Coronavirus Scare
Amid coronavirus-scare travel restrictions, the annual Korea Times Music Festival has been postponed, festival organizers announced Tuesday. “It is with deepest regret that we announce the postponement of the 18th KTMF scheduled on April 25th, 2020, due to current travel restrictions in Asia,” organizers said in a statement. “We truly …
Read More »Why a Grammy-Nominated Music Producer Is Suing the Major Music Companies
Grammy-nominated producer Michael Stokes has filed a lawsuit against numerous major music industry entities for copyright infringement, conversion and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, unfair business practices, unjust enrichment and financial elder abuse. Stokes, also known as a composer, writer, musician and publisher, has worked with the likes of …
Read More »Amazon Music Jumps Into the Hi-Res Audio Game
Hi-fi music streaming is officially mainstream. Tech giant Amazon announced on Tuesday that it is launching Amazon Music HD, a new tier of its existing music-streaming service that delivers lossless audio streaming — at both higher quality and a higher cost. The new service, available immediately in the U.S., UK, …
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