Music Business/Law Tips - "YouTube Is King"

Industry sources indicate that YouTube is growing faster than all other music streaming platforms combined. Although you may hear a lot about Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music, Rdio, etc. in the world of streaming - YouTube in still the primary destination of choice for free music consumption. According to new data from Nielsen Music, video music streaming sites like YouTube (and to a lesser extent Vevo) are growing 60.6 percent faster than all on-demand audio streaming services combined, paid or free. Streaming is the fastest-growing way people are getting their music today. On the other hand, digital and physical sales are down. The trick will be to find a way to make streaming more lucrative to the content creators. Let's hope the growing volume will translate, and clearly an artist with new music should have a video on YouTube, etc. for the exposure and byproduct possibilities. Ben McLane Esq benmclane.com

Music Business/Law Tips - "Spotify Breaking Acts"

Spotify is the world's largest subscription service. Most people use its "freemium" model where they do not have to pay to listen. The good part about this is that Spotify has become a platform for new artists to be discovered, and on occasion Spotify will help promote and launch a new artist. Recently, Spotify helped break Hozier 's "Take Me To Church" and Major Lazer's "Lean On" into the Top 10 via its "Today's Top Hits" Playlist, adding the songs to its artist development platform called "Spotlight", and targeted banner placements in "browse" sections of the Site. By putting the focus on these tracks and exposing them to millions of potential listeners, this caused more repeated "listens", and listeners started to share the tracks and add them to their own personal playlists - where ultimately the songs became viral hits. Sounds like the new radio to me. Let's hope there is room for indies as well as major label backed artists to participate. Ben McLane Esq benmclane.com