Netherlands venue bans smoking.
Following an indoor smoking ban across the country, De Helling has become the first venue to completely ban smoking at events. The 400-capacity venue will turn its indoor smoking area into another stage. People can still smoke outside De Helling.
Australian music sales continue to rise.
For the first half of 2018, total music sales in the country grew 6% to $195.6 million ($139.4 million in the US). The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) also revealed digital sales jumped 14.2% to $162.5 million ($115.8 million).
Streaming music services (Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music) accounted for 67% of ARIA’s sales, up from 54% last year. Subscription revenue rose 35.1% to $105 million ($74.8 million). Ad-supported streaming revenue rose 31.9% to $12.7 million ($9.04 million). Video streaming jumped 41.1% to $14.6 million ($10.4 million). Digital tracks and albums sales plummeted 31.8% and 36% to $14.5 million ($10.3 million) and $13.4 million ($9.6 million), respectively.
In addition, APRA AMCOS, an Australian collecting society, has revealed group earnings rose 8.7% to slightly over $420 million ($302.6 million). Foreign revenue hit a new record – $43.7 million ($31.5 million).
You likely subscribe to a streaming music service. Either that, or you use someone else’s account.
In a study shared with Billboard, MusicWatch estimates 51 million Americans pay for a monthly streaming music subscription. MusicWatch reported 26 million subscribers at the end of 2016. The research firm also estimates 20 million users now share a paid account. At least 29 million are on a free trial or are subscribed to an ‘automatic’ bundled music service, like Amazon Prime Music. 157 million Americans stream music for free on services similar to YouTube, or Spotify’s ad-supported tier.
Looks like Australians love smart speakers more than Americans do.
First launched in late July 2017, Edison Research has found smart speaker owner penetration reached 5% after the first 9 months. In contrast, it took smart speakers 3 years to reach a 7% owner penetration rate in the US. Telsyte, an Australian research firm, estimates 3 million homes will own a smart speaker by 2022.
Filmchella lawsuit won’t end so easily.
US District Judge R. Gary Klausner has denied Coachella’s request for a partial summary judgment against Filmchella. The popular music festival accused the film festival of infringing on its trademark. A jury will now decide whether consumers confuse Filmchella with Coachella.
Can brands enhance a live music experience?
Surveying 22,500 people aged 13 to 49, Live Nation found 90% of live music fans believe brands can elevate a festival or concert experience. 78% labeled live music events as “highly emotional experiences.” 67% of these said during these emotional experiences, they felt more open to new ideas.
68% said they felt connected to the purchases they made, 66% would make purchases from a sponsor, and 63% would connect more with brands. In addition, two-thirds of Generation X, Y, and Z respondents regularly attend a live music event each year.
Indian music consumption grows thanks to YouTube.
Per Billboard, Nielsen’s latest India Music 360 study reveals people in India consume 20 hours of music per week on average. This is lower than the 32 hours Americans spend but higher than the 16 hours Chinese fans spend enjoying music. The majority of the 20 hours come from streaming services.
Breaking down streaming consumption, music videos and audio streaming make up 21.6% and 16.9%, respectively. YouTube ranks at the most popular streaming service in India. Nielsen surveyed 1,570 online consumers aged 16 to 45.
Dutch government vows to further fund music venues.
The government in the Netherland will give an additional €3.4 million ($4 million) to the Performing Arts Fund (Fonds Podiumkunsten or FPK). Funds will be used towards the Fast Forward initiative, which promotes local talent on an international stage.
Columbia Records signs soundtrack deal.
Striking a deal with Gutsy Animations, Sony Music’s label will produce the soundtrack of an animated series, per MBW. Each of Moominvalley’s 13 episodes will feature a track from an artist on Columbia’s roster.
UMG’s Caroline announces a worldwide distribution partnership.
Under the partnership, Caroline will release music from artists on VFILES, a global youth social networking platform. VFILES has scheduled a weekly release of singles from female performers through October 12th.
LSO Live signs a global distribution deal with [PIAS].
London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) Live, an in-house label of the LSO, can now leverage [PIAS]’s resources around the globe. LSO’s family of labels, including Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, Mariinsky, and Colin Currie Records, will join [PAIS]’s label roster.
Johnny Katovsich joins Ninja Tunes.
Per MBW, Katovsich, an experienced music supervisor, will serve at Ninja Tune, an indie label. He’ll represent artists including Bonobo, ODESZA, Young Fathers, The Heavy, Amon Tobin, and more.
Nick John passes away.
After years battling pancreatic cancer, Nick John, manager of heavy metal bands Mastodon and Gojira, succumbed to the disease. He started his career at Def American over 2 decades ago.