May, 2021

IFPI and WIN’s new data exchange service RDx now ‘fully operational’

IFPI and WIN, working together on behalf of the global recording industry, have announced that their global repertoire data exchange service (RDx), built and run for Repertoire Data Exchange Limited by PPL, is now “fully operational.” RDx provides a supply chain for performance rights data among record companies and music licensing companies (MLCs) to help improve the accuracy of revenue distribution to rights holders when their music is used.

Source: IFPI and WIN’s new data exchange service RDx now ‘fully operational’

Sony’s spent $1.4bn on music acquisitions in the last six months

Speaking at Sony Corporation‘s Investor Relations (IR) day May 27, Sony Music chairman Rob Stringer confirmed the $1.4 billion figure while also discussing Sony’s investment activities and the wider music market. Grilled by an investor about what Sony Music Group plans on spending its cash on going forward – and where geographically it plans on investing – Stringer responded “everything and anywhere”.

Source: Sony’s spent $1.4bn on music acquisitions in the last six months… and Rob Stringer’s not stopping there

Experimental Composer Holly Herndon Sells ‘DAO’ NFT for $36,000 

Few musicians over the past decade have worked as closely with emerging technologies as Holly Herndon. Her latest experiment is a series of digital animations created with her partner, Mat Dryhurst, using generative software called Clip. An NFT tied to the first piece, “Crossing the Interface (DAO) I,” just sold for 13.0768 ETH (worth $36,466.75) on Foundation’s crypto art marketplace.

Source: Experimental Composer Holly Herndon Sells ‘DAO’ NFT for $36,000 – Decrypt

YouTuber CJ So Cool Is Auctioning 35% Of His Future Royalties For At Least $850,000 

Royalty Exchange, a marketplace where music artists can offer shares of future royalties in exchange for immediate funding from investors, has opened its business to YouTube creators. Prankster CJ So Cool, who has 8.7 million subscribers and nets an average of around 30 million views per month, is the first YouTuber to make an offering on the platform.

Source: YouTuber CJ So Cool Is Auctioning 35% Of His Future Royalties For At Least $850,000 – Tubefilter

What the Pandemic Has Done to the Arts

Surveys published last summer found that 90 percent of independent music venues were in danger of closing for good, but so were a third of museums. In a survey by the Music Workers Alliance, 71 percent of musicians and DJs reported a loss of income of at least 75 percent, and in another, by the Authors Guild, 60 percent of respondents reported losing income, with an average drop of 43 percent.

Source: What the pandemic has done to the arts

 

Broadway’s Hottest Marketing Tool: Streaming Shows

If all goes according to producers’ plans, then by the end of the year, filmed performances of three current shows — “Hamilton” on Disney Plus, “Diana” on Netflix and “Come From Away” on Apple TV Plus — will be available to stream at home while the live productions are running on Broadway at the same time.

Source: Broadway’s Hottest Marketing Tool: Streaming Shows

Livestream tech breaking down

Glastonbury’s Live at Worthy Farm event included lots of great artists and a special appearance by The Smile, the new band including Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. Lots of people, who had bought tickets, couldn’t make it into the livestream. The problem was that lots of the unique ticket codes were flagged as invalid. After almost two hours the solution was to remove the paywall to the event.

Source: Livestream tech breaking down

How to Avoid DMCA Strikes Against Your Twitch Channel

When Metallica’s live performance for BlizzCon was streamed on Twitch and replaced with some royalty-free MIDI music, it became obvious that Twitch has a music licensing problem. The Amazon-owned platform refuses to sign a music licensing agreement with the Big Three major labels (Sony, Universal, Warner), leaving streamers in a challenging position.

Source: How to Avoid DMCA Strikes Against Your Twitch Channel

As Moviegoing Returns, What Happens to the Exclusive Theatrical Window?

People in the industry are asking if 45 days is the new exclusive theatrical window for movies before they become available for streaming or subscription video on demand. So far three of the major studios — Disney, Warner Bros. and Paramount — have each signaled that’s their current plan. The 90-day window was shattered a couple years ago when the average time a movie spent exclusively in cinemas was cut to 70-75 days.

Source: As Moviegoing Returns, What Happens to the Exclusive Theatrical Window?

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