May, 2021
Video Game Music Streaming Is Still the Wild-West, Say Composers
Physical video game soundtracks have existed since the ’80s, but music streaming is kicking of fresh demand. Digital service providers (DSP) like Spotify and Apple Music have some game soundtracks, but it’s barely a fraction of the game music that exists. That’s because game developers don’t handle metadata well, which is integral for music distribution on DSPs.
Source: Video Game Music Streaming Is Still the Wild-West, Say Composers
European Songwriters Demand an Overhaul In Streaming Music Compensation
The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA), which is partially funded by the EU, has demanded a ‘fairer and more transparent’ streaming space for songwriters and composers. In a 3,500-word note, the 30,000-plus member group calls for “strong public policy actions and ambitious legislative initiatives to improve the situation of music authors and promote a sustainable future for music.”
Source: Songwriters Demand an Overhaul In Streaming Music Compensation
These art collectors are making their own metaverse through games
Sylvain Levy isn’t just an art collector. He’s a new type of video game patron, eager to explore what he calls our “digital twin” — our evolving online personae that have different appetites and behaviors. “It’s really important to understand that we have this double personality,” he says, especially as tech drives more human transformation. As digital spaces continue to define our post-COVID lives, the closer we come to what a metaverse could really offer.
Source: These art collectors are making their own metaverse through games
Waka Flocka Flame Says NFT Marketplaces Are Exploiting Artists
Rapper Waka Flocka Flame says NFTs are just a new way for artists to be exploited with unfair terms. So he’s launching his own NFT marketplace. “Instead of paying burdensome gas fees, Satoshi.Art takes only 2.5% for basic costs,” according to a spokesperson. The platform is designed to allow artists to keep a fixed percentage of sales each time they sell their NFTs in perpetuity.
Source: Waka Flocka Flame Says NFT Marketplaces Are Exploiting Artists
Bookwire Plans to Launch an NFT Marketplace for Book Publishing
The German digital book distributor is stepping into the blockchain discussion, creating what it’s calling a new NFT marketplace “for the publishing and creator industry.” Bookwire is announcing its intent to open its platform–sometime in the autumn–as an option for collectibles and digital originals “such as first editions, original manuscripts, and exclusive audio recordings.” At this point, the platform has not been completed or tested.
Source: Bookwire Plans to Launch an NFT Marketplace for Book Publishing
Jay-Z, Troy Carter and Andreessen Horowitz join $19m funding round for NFT marketplace Bitski
Launched in 2018, Bitski lets brands, game developers, and consumers create, sell, and purchase NFTs on its platform. The company says that this phase of investment will support its ambitions to “make the NFT economy more accessible for creators, brands and enterprises”.
Source: Jay-Z, Troy Carter and Andreessen Horowitz join $19m funding round for NFT marketplace Bitski
Deezer makes strategic investment in livestreaming company DREAMSTAGE
Amongst DREAMSTAGE’s founders are CEO Thomas Hesse, a former President of Global Digital Business and US Sales/ Distribution at Sony Music. The startup has delivered over 50 live shows since its launch in August 2020 and handles ticket sales and the delivery of the live audio/video signal to screens and devices.
Source: Deezer makes strategic investment in livestreaming company DREAMSTAGE
Is a reckoning coming to the way collection societies spend songwriters’ money?
Music rightsholders have long raised prickly questions about PRO expenditure and efficiency. At the same time, PROs have staunchly defended the chunk of cash they burn – pointing to, amongst other things, the trillions of lines of data they process annually in the modern era. Yet a storm might now be brewing at the heart of this conversation, propelled by two very topical factors.
Source: Is a reckoning coming to the way collection societies spend songwriters’ money?
Art World Players Rethink the Auction Marketplace
