This is a weekly digest of the top news at the intersection of the music industry, brand marketing and commerce courtesy of Carlos Diaz, VP Operations at Music Audience Exchange.
Featured
“This article Music Times that expands upon a study from Next Big Sound stating that 90.7 percent of ‘music artists are complete unknowns’ pisses me off. Whether the 90.7 number is off a little or a lot doesn’t much matter if you’re an artist who is frustrated.” Link
“The recent firestorm of controversy over Taylor Swift’s decision to pull her catalogue from Spotify is a classic red herring. While this strategy may work for a singular superstar, how many Taylor Swifts are there in the music industry?” Link
Brand Marketing & Music
To celebrate Mustang’s 50th birthday Ford & Hard Rock have chosen 10 up-and-coming artists to tour across the US. By Forbes: Link
Usher releases his new track ‘Clueless’ available exclusively in Honey Nut Cheerios boxes sold at Walmart amidst the prolonged wait for his new album ‘UR’. By Billboard: Link
McDonald’s presents the Global Spin Awards for the most talented DJ’s in the world which includes a 3 day music experience across NYC. By Business Wire: Link
American Eagle builds on the brand motto ‘live your life’ by running a music & dance competition on Instagram in Hong Kong for a chance to win a live performance. By Marketing Interactive: Link
‘95% of money brands spend on music is wasted’. By Creative Review: Link
Millennials want lifestyle brands to support the community, find adventure, connect, entertain, & align with their values. By Say Daily: Link
U.S. Army partners with Music for All & Youth Education to support marching bands across the country. By PR Newswire: Link
Music Industry
Bono defends Spotify and calls for more transparency from the record labels. “The real enemy is not digital downloads its transparency. We always wanted our music to be heard, and the idea that it might not be heard is terrifying. So we were just thrilled that we got this chance.” By The Guardian: Link
Emerging artist competition from Spotify: Link
YouTube is one of the primary ways consumers discover & listen to music. Google just took it to the next level with the launch of YouTube Music Key- subscription-based music service. By Marketing Land: Link
Interesting article about the digitization of music, & economy/ value of music as a service. By Harvard Business Review: Link
Why artists need to clean up their online presence. By Hypebot: Link
Warner Music & online giant Tencent strike a first of its kind distribution deal between a leading Chinese Internet provider and a major music company. By Hollywood Reporter: Link
Music Technology
Live Nation & Vice Media plan to launch a network for music programming that includes original shows & editorial content. By Variety: Link
The music industry should consider SMS marketing. Texts have a 98% open rate & artists can connect with their fans regarding concerts, appearances, album releases, etc. By Hypebot: Link
Carlos Diaz
Latest posts by Carlos Diaz (see all)
- Weekly Dispatch | February 1, 2016 - February 1, 2016
- Weekly Dispatch | January 25, 2016 - January 25, 2016
- Weekly Dispatch | January 18, 2016 - January 18, 2016
