Digital Music News (digitalmusicnews.com)

Are Music Consumers Stepping On Us?

February 24, 2011

That was the question posed on Thursday by NPD analyst Russ Crupnick at Digital Music Forum East in Manhattan. "Consumers are flipping us the bird," Crupnick declared while trotting through slide-after-slide... Read More...

Most YouTube Revenues Come from a ‘Handful of Songs’

Paul Resnikoff

February 24, 2011

The Long Tail hangover is officially a migraine. During a morning presentation at Digital Music Forum East in New York on Thursday, BigChampagne CEO Eric Garland trotted out stats showing an incredibly hit-d... Read More...

Subscription Revenues Are Actually Declining In the US

Paul Resnikoff

February 23, 2011

This is another reason why US-based labels have been so hesitant on Spotify. Sure, the licensing climate on Spotify is softening somewhat, but part of the huge delay has come from a 'been there, done that' problem in the US, according to our sources. In ot... Read More...

The Latest: Apple Succession, SeatGeek, 24-bit, Nimbit, DMFE, Hollywood

Paul Resnikoff

February 23, 2011

*Apple shareholders have voted against a detailed succession plan, a strong nod to Steve Jobs. *SeatGeek has just received an undisclosed invesment from A Grade Investments, which counts participation from A... Read More...

The Album Release Schedule Is Back!

Paul Resnikoff

February 23, 2011

You're probably too young to remember this, but... Back in the late-90s at Sony Music Entertainment, we had these incredibly detailed setup schedules for albums. That included everything from getting artwor... Read More...

An Open Letter to Neil Portnow, NARAS and the Grammy Awards

Paul Resnikoff

February 18, 2011

The following open letter to the Grammys was written by hip-hop entrepreneur, manager, and marketing expert Steve Stoute. It was published in a full-page advertisement in the New York Times, Sunday Styles section, page 9 (newstand price of $6 in Los Angele... Read More...

Monster Amounts of Funding Await Spotify

Paul Resnikoff

February 18, 2011

Some think we've entered another internet bubble, of which music is just one component. Well, this could provide all the evidence they need. According to a tip from TechCrunch, Spotify is about to receive a v... Read More...

Why Topspin Jumped the Shark

Paul Resnikoff

February 18, 2011

It was so elegant on paper, so delightfully buzzy. But the model of "ProTools for Music Marketing" never made sense. As seductive as the idea was, it turns out that modern-day music marketing is far more co... Read More...

The Number of New Releases Is Suddenly Nosediving

Paul Resnikoff

February 18, 2011

Just 1,215 albums sold more than 10,000 units in the US last year, according Nielsen Soundscan stats. But now it turns out that the number of new albums released was also sharply down last year. That is, down 22 percent to approximately 75,000 releases, acco... Read More...

The History of Recording Industry Sales, 1973-2010

Paul Resnikoff

February 17, 2011

The following shipment figures are from the RIAA, dating back to 1973. The first shows album unit sales across four formats: 8-tracks, vinyl, CDs, and digital albums. The second shows singles across four for... Read More...

It’s Done! Spotify Inks EMI

Paul Resnikoff

February 17, 2011

Spotify has now closed EMI in the US, a licensing march that now leaves WMG and UMG remaining. The Wall Street Journal got the tip-off, and an official announcement may be forthcoming. Sony Music Entertainm... Read More...

Breaking: House Republicans Move to Block Net Neutrality Rules

Paul Resnikoff

February 17, 2011

Late Thursday, House Republicans voted to bar the FCC from imposing net neutrality guidelines on broadband providers. As part of an amendment attached to a larger spending bill, the FCC would be prohibited from using federal funds to force ISPs to comply wi... Read More...