If anyone is still wondering why the sharing economy has exploded as it has, the answer is simple: it rendered the middleman obsolete. And now the content industry is phasing out the middleman with the help of blockchain technology.

Source: Blockchain Means ‘Uber-izing’ Content, Eliminating the Middlemen

Spotify’s on a podcast binge… and it wants artists to feed its platform’s insatiable appetite for audio content. In a news post on Spotify for Artists published May 16, Spotify asked artists, “Do you need your own podcast?” The answer is an unequivocal “yes.”

Source: Spotify is encouraging artists to make their own podcasts using Anchor

Ms. Heap’s nonprofit research and development group, Mycelia, is working with International Business Machines Corp. and Evernym, an identity company, to launch a digital hub for musicians. Called Creative Passport, it will provide verified, searchable profiles where musicians can collect and control their data—from biographies and detailed song credits, to information about publisher and record label representation.

Source: Imogen Heap Is Building Tech to Change the Music Industry

The Commons heritage committee yesterday endorsed sweeping copyright reforms to raise by millions the royalties paid to authors, musicians and performers. The committee report Shifting Paradigms recommended Parliament repeal a 2012 amendment to the Act that allows universities, colleges and school boards to copy works free of charge under a “fair dealing” exemption.

Source: MPs Seek Copyright Reforms

Meme Factory, an ethereum-based marketplace for creating, selling and trading digital collectibles, goes live Thursday. Meme Factory is built on ethereum and allows users to create, issue and trade “provably rare” digital collectibles, according to an announcement.

Source: Blockchain-Based Digital Collectibles Market Meme Factory Launches Today – CoinDesk

The Post announced that it has added a suite of subscription tools to Arc, the publishing platform it began licensing to other publishers in 2016, including a registration system designed to capture audience email addresses and a paywall, which can be either hard or soft.

Source: The Washington Post adds subscription tools to Arc – Digiday

The value chain of filmmaking is constantly disputed with producers, rights holders, and others constantly forgoing previously-made bargains. In a new report of recommendations produced by French film producer Dominique Boutonnat, blockchain technology is outlined as the solution to this imbalance. The goal is to create a clear record of the entire value chain.

Source: French Film Industry Recommended to Adopt Blockchain Technology – BeInCrypto

From films to furniture, AI’s creative potential is getting more exciting and sophisticated every day. OpenAI’s MuseNet, for example, can generate four-minute musical compositions with ten different instruments, and can combine different musical styles from country to Mozart to the Beatles.

Source: Five creative jobs artificial intelligence can undertake

Multi-territorial music rights administrator Revelator has launched Artist Wallet, a mobile copyright app that usessmart contracts technology to turn future receivables into instant royalty payments. Slow, delayed and inaccurate distribution of royalty payments have long afflicted the entertainment industry.

Source: Revelator Launches Artists Wallet To Enable Real-Time Royalty Payments

How is Tencent going to drive more paying subscriber growth in the future? By placing premium music content behind a paywall on its services – a strategy which it says is already successfully encouraging free users of its platforms to upgrade to paid-for accounts.

Source: Tencent Music is ‘windowing’ premium music behind a streaming paywall – with ‘encouraging results’