cropped-01LOGO.jpg It’s OK. We know you probably don’t use Tidal’s $20 per month highest fidelity music streaming service.

Or hey, maybe you do, but the fact of the matter is most people don’t spend their hard-earned money on luxury streaming services. But level with us here— even though you might not be subscribed to a high-fidelity streaming service, are you really satisfied with your earbuds?

On this episode of Musonomics, we investigate whether there’s enough room for a profitable niche market supporting multiple competitors in the high-resolution music market.

We’ll talk to MQA CEO Mike Jbara, 7 Digital deputy CEO Pete Downton, and HDTracks CEO David Chesky to see what the future of high quality streaming could become. Is there a real future for these high-quality music streaming services, and, if so, what does that future look like? Let’s find out. As always, you can listen to the new episode above iTunes, or stream it on Soundcloud or YouTube.

From Adele to the streaming wars to a call for revision of arcane music licensing laws from the U.S. Copyright Office — in our final episode of the year Larry Miller talks with Neil Shah of the Wall Street Journal about the three most important music industry stories of 2015.

Continue reading “The 3 Most Important Stories of 2015”

Monday Reading List

What if artists have been thinking about streaming revenues in the wrong way? Steve Aoki thinks we should be thinking of streaming revenues as a type of “pension plan” for musical artists. In other music industry news from last week, Beats Music gets an official date of closure, Apple Music launches on android, Jean-Michel Jarre issues a statement on behalf of CISAC regarding the tragic events that took place last week in Paris, and a French photographer’s concert photos from the Eagles of Death Metal show that was attacked last week are released.

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hello

Adele’s highly anticipated album, 25, releases November 20th, but questions still remain. Will she release 25 on Spotify and other streaming platforms on the same day as the physical release, or will she bait more sales by staggering the release on streaming platforms?

Continue reading “To Stream or Not to Stream: Adele’s Question”

Monday Reading List

Welcome to the first installment of the Musonomics Monday Reading List!

Every Monday we’ll post a list of the previous week’s best reads. Amongst our curated list of the best music industry writing, you might find an explainer on the latest music industry merger, or a Q&A with an artist or an industry player of note — or maybe just a terrific essay penned by a music legend.

No matter what, our picks will always shed light on some unseen part of the industry, bring clarity to a hot-button issue, or provide a new perspective on an old problem.

Check out this week’s Monday Reading List after the jump:

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Episode four is here, and it’s just in time for the launch of Apple’s new music streaming service, Apple Music.

Apple Music launches Tuesday, and we’re taking a deep dive into what the app will mean for the industry. We look back at Apple’s prosperous relationship with music, from the first iPod ad through to last month’s WWDC keynote and launch announcement. We’ve got a ton of great guests.  Josh Friedlander of the RIAA chats with us about the emergence of the streaming industry, and artist manager Emily White gives us a view into Apple’s relationship with artists. Dick Huey of  the Toolshed marketing agency sheds light on what stats to watch in the wake of Apple Music’s launch, and David Pakman sits down for an insightful chat about what success will look like for Apple Music.

Continue reading “Apple, Music, and the Launch of Apple Music”

swift

 

Taylor Swift is more powerful than we could have imagined.

Sunday, Swift penned an open letter to Apple, condemning the Cupertino company’s decision not to pay artists royalties for music streamed during Apple Music’s 3-month free trial. She ended the letter with a firm charge for Apple’s decision-makers: “Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.”

Continue reading “Apple’s Swift Turnaround: Episode 4 is On The Way”

AppleMusic

Apple’s announcement of Apple Music, as anticipated, sent tremors of excitement, curiosity, and fear across the music industry. With the service set to launch in just 11 days, the lines of support and discontent are being drawn in predictable places.

Continue reading “Reactions To Apple Music Stream In!”

WWDC

I’m sure you’ve heard the news. A few days ago at WWDC in San Francisco, Apple finally announced a streaming service that might actually be a competitor. After years of research, posturing, acquisitions, and rumors, the Cupertino tech leader will launch Apple Music.

Continue reading “Apple’s Streaming Service Finally Unveiled, Promptly Under Investigation”