Mysterious musicians have cropped up on Spotify, racking up thousands of listens and (perhaps) hundreds of pounds. It’s a phenomenon that experts say could indicate a security flaw. But while Spotify denies that accounts have been hacked, the music streaming site has not explained in detail how the playlists of some users indicate they’ve “listened to” musicians that nobody’s ever heard of.
January, 2019
Can Blockchain Fix Ad Fraud?
With fraud plaguing the digital advertising ecosystem, many advertisers hoped that blockchain’s open and distributed ledger would improve the way they filter and detect unscrupulous activity. But we don’t yet know if that’s possible. Why? Because not enough parties are using blockchain.
Source: Can Blockchain Fix Ad Fraud?
Royalty Exchange passes $50 million in transactions since 2016
According to Royalty Exchange, this figure was achieved through 535 separate transactions, including auctions, private syndicates, and other deals. Around 75% of the artists who listed catalogs on the marketplace were songwriters. Over the last 12 months, earnings from catalogs listed on Royalty Exchange ranged between $1,000 to just over $300,000.
Source: Royalty Exchange passes $50 million in transactions since 2016
Wattpad is launching a publishing imprint called Wattpad Books
Digital publishing platform Wattpad announced today that it is launching a dedicated book publishing imprint, Wattpad Books, which will use machine learning in part to select stories from the site for publication. Founded in 2006, Wattpad launched as an online platform for mobile reading, amassing a library of public domain ebooks, and it transformed into an online writing community where writers could post their work.
Source: Wattpad is launching a publishing imprint called Wattpad Books
Cleveland Museum of Art launches next-generation open access to artworks and data
The Cleveland Museum of Art today is joining a handful of leading American art museums offering unlimited online access to images and information about works of art in its permanent collection. The museum announced it is waiving digital rights to roughly 30,000 of the 61,328 objects in its permanent collection considered to be in the public domain.
Source: Cleveland Museum of Art launches next-generation open access to artworks and data online
Rumblefish extends 7digital partnership ‘to help music streaming services to launch and expand’
The extended partnership will see Rumblefish and 7digital collectively power and provide rights clearance and royalty administration services for gaming, AR/VR, mobile apps and other audio visual uses.
Source: Rumblefish extends 7digital partnership ‘to help music streaming services to launch and expand’
PledgeMusic Issues Statement On Late Payments To Artists
PledgeMusic has issued a statement attempting to calm the fears of the growing number of artists who are experiencing late payment or non-payment after their crowdfunding campaigns were completed. “It is our expectation that payments will be brought current within the next 90 days’” the company said in a statement.
Source: PledgeMusic Issues Statement On Late Payments To Artists With Vague Promise To Do Better In 90 Days
Investing In Music Catalogs? It Ain’t All Daisies & Butterflies
Investors are continuing to pile into slower-cooking music publishing catalogs for a more reliable return. But publishing assets come with headaches. “The problem is to get the money back from the different collection agencies, and it’s a nightmare,” said Thierry Baujard, founder of Europe-focused media investment firm Mediadeals.
Source: Investing In Music Catalogs? It Ain’t All Daisies & Butterflies — Our Latest Podcast
Sound Royalties Announces New Strategic Alliance With GLAD Empire to Fund Independent Artists
Sound Royalties, which specializes in music finance, announced Wednesday (Jan. 23) its new strategic alliance with GLAD Empire, which focuses on digital distribution and monetization of content on music and video platforms, and other specialized platforms in the Latin market. GLAD Empire’s new relationship with Sound Royalties will help continue to develop the careers of independent artists, through innovative funding alternatives.
Source: Sound Royalties Announces New Strategic Alliance With GLAD Empire to Fund Independent Artists
Dubset launches API that enables direct distribution of mixes to music streaming services
The company has released an API that allows remixers and DJs to clear and distribute their mixes to music streaming services directly from their preferred equipment or software. All remixes and mixes submitted via the API run through Dubset’s proprietary MixBANK technology that identifies and clears all parts of the new work.
Source: Dubset launches API that enables direct distribution of mixes to music streaming services