UK-born, global distribution and record label services provider Ditto Music is launching a new blockchain-backed suite of tools and applications for musicians called, Bluebox. Ditto has raised $1 million in private seed capital to create Bluebox, led by blockchain investment firm Kosmos Capital at a valuation of $20 million.
Source: Ditto to launch ‘Bluebox’ blockchain suite of tools and applications backed by $1m seed capital
Inside the conference rooms the conversation was dominated by — what else? — the television industry’s migration to streaming and on-demand platforms. While the stars worked to ingratiate themselves at the retail level of broadcast TV — local stations — executives pondered how the business of making, selling and distributing content is likely to evolve.
Source: NATPE 2020: TV Biz Looks Back and Forward as Streaming Wars Ensue
The Dugan drama has been a controversial and unsavoury curtain-raiser for the 62nd Annual Grammys, understandably attracting the ink of US entertainment staples from the Hollywood Reporter to the L.A Times, Page Six and Deadline. As such, it has rather drowned out any other industry conversations related to the Grammys – including that regarding the relevance of the show, versus the annual expense ‘Grammy Week’ incurs for the record industry.
Reports in the last 10 days from Sölve Dahlgren at Swedish book industry publication Boktugg were among the first indications that Penguin Random House was making widespread changes in its participation in subscription services. On January 13, Dahlgren reported that more than 1,000 English-language PRH titles had disappeared from audiobook subscription services including Storytel, Bonnier’s Bookbeat, and Nextory.
Source: PRH Exits International Unlimited Subscriptions, Fueling Speculation
Source: Amazon Prime Video Gives Amateur How-To’s, Conspiracy Theories a Stage
The novel’s copyright is set to expire at the end of 2020, meaning that anyone will be allowed to publish the book, adapt it to a movie, make it into an opera or stage a Broadway musical. No longer will you need to permission to write a sequel, a prequel, a Jay Gatsby detective novel or a Gatsby narrative populated with Zombies.
Source: Everyone invited: `Great Gatsby’ copyright to end in 2021
Amazon has announced a big milestone for its music-streaming business: more than 55 million users across all the tiers of its offering. In an accompanying interview with the Financial Times, music boss Steve Boom stressed that “nearly all” of the 55 million users are paying for a subscription, with only a small minority on the free, ad-supported tier that Amazon launched in the US last year.
Blockchain gaming has seen some considerable growth in 2019 compared with the year before. Blockchain gaming attracted 162% more users compared with 2018. In total there were more than 436 thousand gamers playing blockchain-powered games in 2019. Over fifty percent played these games on the Ethereum blockchain.
Source: Blockchain gaming sees 162% growth in 2019 – NEDEROB
Play MPE, the digital music distribution service owned by Vancouver’s Destiny Media Technologies with clients in the U.S., Australia, South Arica and Europe, is moving into Canada via Universal Music Canada, which will service its new releases through the Play MPE platform as of this Friday (Jan. 24).
Source: Digital Distributor Play MPE Launching in Canada With Universal Music Deal
How to describe YouTube? The now-15-year old video platform does not fit into a single box, but rather ticks all of them. Its positioning between consumer and business is a fascinating one, replicated in reach and capacity by no other platform. Despite its many run-ins with copyright over the years, TikTok has since mirrored its mediation strategy of a hands-off, apologise-later approach to content – to undeniable success.