Crowdfunding has been one of the most popular capital-raising methods over the last few years, but the winds may be changing. The number of music projects that achieved funding on Kickstarter in 2012 was approximately 5,000. That number was down to just 2,2000 funded projects in 2017.
Source: It’s Not Just PledgeMusic — The Entire Crowdfunding Sector Is In Trouble
The terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to SoundCloud, “high-performing, emerging creators” will now have access to Repost Network’s invite-only tools and services like streaming distribution, analytics dashboards, content protection and more.
The deal is expected to close in the coming weeks.
Source: SoundCloud acquires rights management and distribution company Repost Network
Music was in the air Tuesday night (May 21) at the ASCAP Foundation’s 11th annual “We Write the Songs” event at the Library of Congress. And because showing is more effective than telling — and because the room was filled with lawmakers — so, too, was advocacy.
The onset of blockchain technology is possibly the most disruptive force in business today, even for the traditionally tech-averse art community. Among blockchain’s many proposed applications in art, one hotly debated use case is the tokenization of artworks.
Source: Is Buying Tokenized Artwork the Same as Owning Art? Experts Weigh In at Observer Art Forum
Tracklib says that it plans to use this funding to continue expanding its user base and music catalog. “This recent investment demonstrates the belief forward-looking investors have in our solution to one of the most complicated challenges in the music business: how to make sampling accessible, legal and affordable to producers and artists in all stages of their careers.
Source: Music sampling startup Tracklib raises $1.7m from Sony and WndrCo
Vezt, a music rights app developed on a blockchain has announced that it sold royalty interests on Beyoncé and The Weeknd songs faster than any other song in the application’s history. The song “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd raised $20,000 within twelve hours, while “I Been On” recorded by Beyoncé raised $25,000, making them the fastest royalty sellouts for Vezt.
Source: Royalty Interests for Beyoncé and the Weeknd Songs Sell Out on Blockchain Music Rights App
Blockchain-based live streaming service DLive has seen a 67 percent increase in users since popular YouTuber PewDiePie joined the platform in April. DLive now has more than 5 million monthly active users and over 70,000 streamers, Nikkei Asian Review reported Monday.
Source: PewDiePie Helps Blockchain Video Streaming Platform to 67% Hike in Users – CoinDesk
Many artists and bands see crowdfunding as a major avenue to their musical success. As we saw from the recent Pledge Music debacle, that’s not always the case. But even failing platforms aside, crowdfunding is a lot more difficult than you might think.
Source: 5 Crowdfunding Myths Exposed
Disney’s decision to plow billions of dollars into launching Disney Plus as the central TV hub for its gold-plated brands — Marvel, Pixar, “Star Wars” and Disney — has raised questions of how quickly it will begin to eschew international sales to feed its bold subscription venture.
Source: How Studios’ Streaming Services Affect Global Strategy, Sales at L.A. Screenings
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance will reportedly launch its Spotify and Apple Music competitor as soon as this fall in poorer countries, including India. According to sources, the Chinese conglomerate has over 100 people working on the app. The new Spotify and Apple Music competitor would launch in overseas markets “soon.”