Dylan Smith

Ludwig Ahgren Suspended by YouTube — Three Days After Signing His Exclusive Deal

December 3, 2021

Earlier this week, popular streamer Ludwig Ahgren announced that he’d be leaving Amazon’s Twitch after signing an exclusive contract with YouTube. Now, only three days after inking the much-publicized deal, t... Read More...

A fake Wu-Tang Clan member has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Feds Uncover Alleged $20 Million Music Royalty Scam — 50,000+ Songs Illegally Claimed

Dylan Smith

December 3, 2021

Two individuals are facing a number of charges for allegedly operating a music royalty scam. Photo Credit: Emiliano Bar Two individuals are facing charges including conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly usi... Read More...

Comedy-Focused Royalty Company Word Collections Announces $3.5MM Raise After Spotify Removes Stand-Up Albums

Dylan Smith

December 3, 2021

Two-time Grammy nominee David Cross, who's signed a deal with Word Collections. Photo Credit: Nightscream Earlier this week, Spotify removed several comedy albums amid a rumored dispute over royalties and rig... Read More...

BTS Members RM, Jin, and J-Hope Sell Over $8 Million in Hybe Stock As Military-Enlistment Deadline Approaches

Dylan Smith

December 2, 2021

J-Hope, who, along with fellow BTS members Jin and RM, has sold millions in Hybe stock. Photo Credit: HopeSmiling Back in September of 2020, ahead of their agency’s long-awaited stock-market debut, all seven ... Read More...

NetEase’s Cloud Village Shares Slip During First Day of Trading Amid Continued Regulatory Scrutiny

Dylan Smith

December 2, 2021

Photo Credit: NetEase NetEase has officially launched its over $400 million Cloud Village IPO, and the Chinese streaming service’s shares suffered a small valuation dip during their first day of trading. Cl... Read More...

Believe Acquires 15% of Philippines-Based Viva Music and Artists Group As Part of ‘Strategic Partnership’

Dylan Smith

December 2, 2021

Manila, Philippines, as seen from Fort Santiago. Photo Credit: Michael Buillerey Days removed from its acquisition of South Indian film-soundtrack label Think Music, Believe has purchased a 15 percent interes... Read More...

Spotify Removes Multiple Comedy Albums Amid Rumored Rights Dispute

Dylan Smith

December 1, 2021

Photo Credit: Haithem Ferdi Spotify is removing comedy content – including projects from standup stars John Mulaney, Jim Gaffigan, and Kevin Hart – amid a reported battle over rights. Outlets including The ... Read More...

Sony Music and Pinkfong Unveil Baby Shark NFTs Auction — Bidding Starts Tomorrow

Dylan Smith

December 1, 2021

Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and SmartStudy, the creator of children’s educational brand Pinkfong and “Baby Shark,” have officially partnered to launch non-fungible tokens (NFTs) based upon the ultra-popula... Read More...

Days After Removing His YouTube Videos, NBA YoungBoy Is Named SoundCloud’s Top Artist of 2021

Dylan Smith

December 1, 2021

NBA Youngboy Official Logo (Photo Credit: NBA YoungBoy) SoundCloud has officially revealed its most popular artists and tracks of 2021, and NBA YoungBoy, whose music videos were recently removed from YouTube,... Read More...

BMG Purchases ‘Entire’ Recorded Catalog of Mötley Crüe In Its ‘Largest Single Catalog Acquisition’ Ever

Dylan Smith

November 30, 2021

Mötley Crüe performing live in 2012. Photo Credit: Bjornsphoto Following high-profile IP deals with Mick Fleetwood, Tina Turner, and other prominent artists, BMG has closed its “largest single catalog acquisi... Read More...

Tuned Global Announces ‘Major Relaunch’ of Ivory Coast-Based Streaming Service WAW MUZIK

Dylan Smith

November 30, 2021

Images of the new WAW MUZIK app, which uses Tuned Global technology. Photo Credit: Tuned Global Over the summer, Tuned Global inked a deal to power music streaming in LYKA, a social-media app that’s pursuing ... Read More...

Will Omicron Cripple Touring? Live Nation Stock Rebounds After Variant-Driven Falloff

Dylan Smith

November 30, 2021

Fans enjoy a Logic concert. Photo Credit: Nicholas Green Last week, as cases (and media reports) of the Omicron COVID-19 variant surfaced, the per-share price of Live Nation stock (NYSE: LYV) dipped from abou... Read More...

Here Are Some of the Latest — and Most Significant — Sync Music Deals

Social Media Is Transforming Sync — Here’s How I’m Scoring Placements in the Digital Age

Meet the Sync Superstar Behind the Ad for Nissan’s 2023 Z

Robyn Cage Discusses Sync Licensing Tips for Beginners on Songtradr

Sync Licensing Is Helping This Tropical Music Star Find Fans on the Global Stage

Here’s How a Volume-Based Sync Licensing Approach Helped These Musicians Score a VRBO Placement

Here’s What Drives Sync Licensing Success — According to a Veteran Creator Fresh Off a Samsung Placement

One of These Three Companies Will Change Live Concerts Forever

Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music Are Only Getting Bigger — Which Is Great News for Niche Streaming Platforms (Our Latest Podcast)

Meet the Artist Who Is Literally Saving His Fans’ Lives — Our Latest Podcast

How to Game the Billboard Charts (And Why You Shouldn’t) — Our Latest Podcast

Stop Chasing Playlists and Start Building a Music Career — Our Latest Podcast

‘Bone Conduction’ Headphones Don’t Go Over Your Ears — But Still Transmit Sound to Your Inner Cochlea

Now That the Music Modernization Act Has Passed, Who’s Gonna Run the Damn Thing?

Ludwig Ahgren Suspended by YouTube — Three Days After Signing His Exclusive Deal

Feds Uncover Alleged $20 Million Music Royalty Scam — 50,000+ Songs Illegally Claimed

Comedy-Focused Royalty Company Word Collections Announces $3.5MM Raise After Spotify Removes Stand-Up Albums

BTS Members RM, Jin, and J-Hope Sell Over $8 Million in Hybe Stock As Military-Enlistment Deadline Approaches

NetEase’s Cloud Village Shares Slip During First Day of Trading Amid Continued Regulatory Scrutiny

Believe Acquires 15% of Philippines-Based Viva Music and Artists Group As Part of ‘Strategic Partnership’

Spotify Removes Multiple Comedy Albums Amid Rumored Rights Dispute

Sony Music and Pinkfong Unveil Baby Shark NFTs Auction — Bidding Starts Tomorrow

Days After Removing His YouTube Videos, NBA YoungBoy Is Named SoundCloud’s Top Artist of 2021

BMG Purchases ‘Entire’ Recorded Catalog of Mötley Crüe In Its ‘Largest Single Catalog Acquisition’ Ever

Tuned Global Announces ‘Major Relaunch’ of Ivory Coast-Based Streaming Service WAW MUZIK

Will Omicron Cripple Touring? Live Nation Stock Rebounds After Variant-Driven Falloff

Author Dylan Smith