Music news digest for May 7 -11
- CMG finds ‘lost’ online revenue for musicians
- Amazon Prime bumps up annual rates to $119.00
- MusicBiz 2018 hits Nashville, May 14 – 17
- NAMM’s ‘Make Music Experience,’ June 30
- Vinyl album sales on the rise – again
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CMG finds ‘lost’ online revenue for musicians
If you are a recording artist or songwriter and you believe that your precious copyrighted intellectual property – e.g. your songs – are being utilized illegally online, you might want to know about a company called Create Music Group (CMG). The company started out tracking down and collecting revenues from music posted at YouTube and continues to do that successfully.
They have also expanded to locate other overlooked opportunities in the music business such as mixtape monetization and are moving into creating original video content. According to an interview in Billboard (04/21/2018) CMG uses software to identify clips that have used music without permission. They can then claim the client’s ownership and monetize views with advertising. Their patented software can detect parts of unlicensed songs that have been minimally sped up or slowed down to escape YouTube’s own internal rights-tracking system. Find info on CMG here.
Amazon Prime bumps up annual rates to $119.00
If you are an Amazon Prime member, stand by for a rate hike. Membership increases to $119.00 annually for new subscribers; existing subscribers will be notified of the increase when their membership is due for renewal after June 16. Amazon does not anticipate a drop in membership as a result of the increase. Purchases by non-Prime members actually decreased year-over-year while Prime purchases increased. Amazon is investing more in digital video and music available only to Prime members with 2018 spending estimated at $5 billion. See more at Variety here.
MusicBiz 2018 hits Nashville, May 14 – 17
MusicBiz 2018 is only days away and 2,000+ attendees are expected to be here in Nashville for what organizers call ‘the four most important days on the music industry calendar.’ Scheduled for May 14 – 17, 2018, the seminar will cover topics such as Career Development Workshops, Entertainment Technology & Law, Indie Artist and Songwriter Forum, Music Business Educators Meetup, Music and Money, and more. Presenters will include some of the most respected and successful people in the music industry. If you’re interested in attending (I’ll be there!) you’d better hurry! Find out more or register to attend here.
NAMM’s ‘Make Music Experience,’ June 30
…and hot on the heels of MusicBiz 2018, It will be time for the National Association of Music Merchants’ Summer NAMM in Nashville. On Saturday June 30 at Music City Center, Summer NAMM will host the inaugural Make Music Experience, an all-day, all-access pass for consumer and prosumer audiences who want to demo the latest music and pro audio gear, meet with top music manufacturers, and explore career-enhancing education and networking opportunities with the music industry’s top insiders.
The Make Music Experience day is an invitation to musicians, songwriters, music educators and students, as well as sound and studio professionals to experience the members-only Summer NAMM show, the annual mid-year gathering of the music products and pro audio industry, June 28-30 in Nashville. NAMM will open the doors to the trade-only event for MME’s full itinerary of professional workshops, opportunities to see and demo the latest in new gear from leading music brands, and a day full of live performances and events connecting music-makers of all skill levels.
Tickets to the Make Music Experience are now available for $10 online at www.namm.org/mme and will be available at the door for $20 on Saturday, June 30. Hours are 10AM to 5PM. Info and updates here.
Vinyl album sales on the rise – again
The vinyl sector of the music business continues to spin upwards. In 2017, vinyl album sales rose 9 percent to 14.3 million units in the USA. This was the twelfth straight year that album sales increased and the 2017 increase was the greatest since Nielsen Music began tracking album sales data. Understandably, growing interest in vinyl has resulted in increased sales of turntables. But demand has also meant more business for record pressing plants, including Jack White’s Third Man Records vinyl pressing facility in Detroit. Many more current artists are now releasing vinyl versions of new albums. More details plus a list of the top selling vinyl albums in 2017, courtesy of Billboard, here.
Preshias Harrisis a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com