Global digital distributor and label services company Ditto Music is to launch a new blockchain solution that, it says, will generate higher earnings for artists and creators. Called Bluebox, the suite will utilize blockchain technology to record data around songwriter, artist and producer rights and allow creators to instantly register copyright, publishing and mechanical splits at the point of creation.
Source: Ditto Music Unveils New Blockchain-Based Tools to Help Untangle Split Royalties
Amazon has announced a big milestone for its music-streaming business: more than 55 million users across all the tiers of its offering. In an accompanying interview with the Financial Times, music boss Steve Boom stressed that “nearly all” of the 55 million users are paying for a subscription, with only a small minority on the free, ad-supported tier that Amazon launched in the US last year.
Blockchain gaming has seen some considerable growth in 2019 compared with the year before. Blockchain gaming attracted 162% more users compared with 2018. In total there were more than 436 thousand gamers playing blockchain-powered games in 2019. Over fifty percent played these games on the Ethereum blockchain.
Source: Blockchain gaming sees 162% growth in 2019 – NEDEROB
Golden Age of Streaming who? Despite an influx of entertainment options on Netflix, Hulu and now Disney Plus, global box office receipts will surpass $42 billion in 2019, according to Comscore, cementing a new industry high. Though U.S. ticket sales slumped 4.4% to $11.4 billion, international audiences fueled the record turnout.
Source: Global Box Office Hits New Record in 2019 With $42 Billion
American listeners racked up more than 1 trillion music streams for the first time last year, fueled in part by breakout artists such as Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish, new data show. Total US music streams spiked 29.3 percent to 1.15 trillion in 2019 as services such as YouTube and Spotify continued to dominate how listeners get their tunes, according to Nielsen Music’s annual report.
Source: US listeners surpass 1 trillion music streams in 2019
The movie division has signed a deal with Cinelytic to use the latter’s AI-driven project management system that was launched last year. Under the new deal, Warners will leverage the system’s comprehensive data and predictive analytics to guide decision-making at the greenlight stage.
Source: Warner Bros. Signs Deal for AI-Driven Film Management System (Exclusive)
About 50% of M&E executives said their company cannot rely on traditional business models to survive the shifting landscapes, according to a new survey by consulting and professional services firm EY. Indeed, 34% of those surveyed indicated that their company will no longer exist in five years unless their business undergoes reinvention.
The rise in popularity of services such as Netflix, Amazon and Spotify prompted record spending on streaming music, films and TV shows in the UK last year to more than £3bn, as the digital revolution hammered high street sales of DVDs and CDs. The total UK entertainment market, which also includes the video games sector, grew by 2.4% to hit a record £7.8bn in 2019.
Source: UK spent a record £3bn on streaming music, films and TV in 2019
U.S. regulators are being urged to look beyond Google and Facebook to review how Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and others are leveraging consumer habits as a competitive weapon in the digital entertainment war. Government intervention could drop a bomb on the so-called streaming wars.
Source: Big Data Comes to Hollywood: The Brewing Antitrust Battle of the Streaming Era
The RIAA said that music streaming accounted for 80% of the music market in the United States, up from 7% in the beginning of the decade. In correspondence with the dramatic rise in music streaming, the number of paid streaming subscriptions has soared, too. In 2010, there were only 1.5 million such accounts, but by the middle of last year there were more than 600 million of them.
Source: Streaming Accounted for 80% of US-Based Recording Revenues in 2019