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Spotify’s Discover Weekly Playlists Have Been Streamed More Than 9 Billion Times

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Included with Spotify’s annual lists of artists, albums, tracks and trends that topped the service in 2016, was a mention that should make the music industry happy – the music streamer’s Discover Weekly playlists had been streamed more than 9 billion times as of the end of November.

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Discover Weekly Screenshot

Discover Weekly playlists have been streamed more than 9 billion times so far this year, according to Spotify. With the average Discover Weekly playlist ranging from 30-35 tracks each, that ‘s 270 – 315 billion tracks “discovered” so far this year.

If you’re still wondering why the labels want (need?) Spotify and other music streaming services, 300 billion tracks delivered is your answer.

Amazon Echo and Google Home Devices Are Currently In An Infinite Loop

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Amazon Echo and Google Home Devices Are Currently In An Infinite Loop

Adam Jakowenko tricks his Amazon Echo and Google Home devices into an infinite loop of asking each other about calendar events and will be doing this forever now.

Canadian Invents First Attachable Guitar Amp That Connects to Your Smartphone So You Can Shred Anywhere in Seconds

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Canadian musician Christopher Prendergast has created the JamStack, a brilliant handy lightweight amp that easily attaches directly onto the strap button of any electric guitar or bass and integrates with most smartphones to provide 10-watts of fully amplified sound. Prendergast is currently raising funds through Kickstarter in order to bring the JamStack to market,and has exceeded his goal, too.

The JamStack is lightweight, sounds incredible, and connects to any smartphone to open up an unlimited world of effects. Whether you’re jamming in the park, practicing in your apartment, or at your cottage, the JamStack is designed to be taken anywhere and everywhere.

Smithsonian Accepts Donation of Four Historic Instruments From Celebrated Musician Steve Cropper

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Smithsonian Accepts Donation of Four Historic Instruments From Celebrated Musician Steve Cropper

Guitarist and BMI songwriter Steve Cropper donated three solid-body guitars and an amplifier to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History during a special ceremony today, where he also gave a showcase performance of several legendary works he contributed to the American songbook using the instruments. The objects were all used by Cropper during his legendary 60-year career ranging from songwriting and live performance to hit records and movies.

All four objects were manufactured by Fender, one of the leading manufactures and design innovators in electric guitars. The first guitar, a 1961 Fender Esquire “Doc,” was played in the Otis Redding’s recording “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” (1967). The second instrument is a 1975 Fender Telecaster electric guitar that was played in a scene from the movie The Blues Brothers and used on two Levon Helm albums and the Blues Brothers’ album Brief Case Full of Blues. The third guitar is a Fender Telecaster electric guitar made in 1951–1952. It was gifted to Cropper by Jim Dickerson, a producer and recording artist from Memphis. The Fender Harvard amplifier, purchased between 1957 and 1958, was used by Cropper in his work with legendary instrumental R&B/soul band Booker T and the MGs, including on their hit instrumental “Green Onions” (1962).

Cropper, born 1941, is an inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and is a prolific recording artist. He wrote or co-wrote hundreds of songs, including “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” “Knock on Wood,” “In the Midnight Hour,” “634-5789” and more than 400 others. His songs have been recorded by Booker T and the MGs, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, James Taylor, Michael Bolton, Glen Campbell, Rod Stewart, The Staple Singers, Waylon Jennings, Aaron Neville, Eric Clapton and David Bowie.

“The instruments will be some of the first the museum collects that document the story of Memphis rock, R&B, and soul music,” said John Edward Hasse, curator of American Music, “these objects document a leading songwriter, who worked closely with a number of leading African American musicians and played on countless recordings.”

Out of all of his accomplishments, Cropper will always be known for co-writing and playing on the recording “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay.” When released in 1968, just after Redding’s tragic death in a plane crash, “Dock of the Bay” soared through the charts, becoming the first posthumous single to reach #1 on the U.S. record charts. The recording sold more than 4 million copies worldwide. In 1999, BMI named the song as the sixth-most performed song of the 20th century with more than 6 million performances.

Cropper’s guitars will join a large and diverse collection of musical instruments at the museum that includes John Coltrane’ssaxophone, Dizzy Gillespie’s trumpet, Prince’s Yellow Cloud electric guitar and Eddie Van Halen’s “Frank 2” guitar.

Through incomparable collections, rigorous research and dynamic public outreach, the National Museum of American History explores the infinite richness and complexity of American history. The museum helps people understand the past in order to make sense of the present and shape a more humane future. It is currently renovating its west exhibition wing, developing galleries on business, democracy and culture. For more information, visit http://americanhistory.si.edu. The museum is located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W., and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free.

DJ Khaled is (RED)’s first ever social media ambassador

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DJ Khaled is (RED)’s first ever social media ambassador

On World AIDS Day, December 1, DJ Khaled will step-up to join the fight against AIDS, becoming (RED)’s first ever social media ambassador. Using his unique style to rally his fans and followers, DJ Khaled will flex his social media muscle to raise awareness and heat around the AIDS fight, dedicating his Snapchat to (RED) for the first ever ‘(RED) SNAPATHON’.

The ‘SNAPATHON’ will turn his legendary Snapchat musings into a force to fight AIDS. Here’s how:

DJ Khaled will give his followers the inside scoop on the many different ways they can fight AIDS with (RED) this holiday season – including his winnable ‘jet ski and Snap with me’ experience on Omaze.com/Khaled

  • He will announce special (RED) Snapchat filters for his fans to find in select locations in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, available only on World AIDS Day, December 1
  • DJ Khaled – a new father himself – will tell his fans why he’s supporting (RED)’s goal of ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV!
  • He’ll share the low-down on what people should know about AIDS, and tell them why its important that everyone supports the fight
  • Finally, there’ll be surprises galore, as you would expect from the king of Snapchat…!

DJ Khaled’s World AIDS Day SNAPATHON is in support of (SHOPATHON)RED – a holiday shopping extravaganza to fight AIDS, offering people chances to win extraordinary celebrity experiences at Omaze.com/RED, and shop for hundreds of gifts that give back at RED.org.

(RED) was founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2006 to engage businesses and people in the fight against AIDS. (RED) partners with the world’s most iconic brands that contribute up to 50% of profits from (RED)-branded goods and services to the Global Fund. (RED) Partners include Apple, Bank of America, Beats by Dr. Dre, Belvedere, Claro, The Coca-Cola Company, GAP, Lokai, Salesforce, Girl Skateboards, Live Nation Entertainment, Moleskine, Mophie and Piaggio among many other brands.

As (RED) marks ten years fighting AIDS, it has generated $360 million for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, to support HIV/AIDS grants in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia. Global Fund grants that (RED) supports have impacted more than 70 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services.

iHeartRadio Launches First Ever — and Only – Interactive on Demand Radio

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iHeartRadio Launches First Ever — and Only – Interactive on Demand Radio

iHeartMedia, the creator of iHeartRadio – the all-in-one streaming music and live digital radio service – today announced the beta availability of iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster. This is the first service that uses on demand functionality to make radio truly interactive, as compared to all current players which simply add on demand functionality to the music collection experience. Available now in beta on iOS and Android devices, the two new services will be fully available on mobile and desktop in January 2017.

With more than 850 radio stations in 150 markets that reach over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners across the U.S., iHeartMedia has the largest national reach of any radio or television outlet in America and is the only media company that has the assets, platform and reach to drive massive consumer awareness and introduce these two new subscription services, built around real radio, to a large new audience on a national scale. In addition, 84 percent of iHeartRadio users do not currently subscribe to an on demand service – and now, for the first time, may be interested in subscribing to a service that provides them with the best of live radio combined with easy-to-use on demand functionality that makes radio programming truly interactive – and that they can connect directly to their music collection, something no other service or company has the assets to offer.

“10 times more Americans listen to radio every month than use a subscription service – so the debut of iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster is a unique opportunity to capture these non-music subscribers with an on demand service built around radio,” said Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. “Whereas the LP, CD and music downloads are the ancestors of all current on demand services, the ancestor for our new on demand offerings is broadcast radio. By combining radio’s popularity and reach with interactive on demand functionality, we have created the first fully differentiated streaming music service for consumers.”

iHeartRadio Plus, $4.99 a month, completely transforms live radio listening with the addition of:

  • Replay: Giving subscribers the ability to instantly replay songs from the radio and then return to the live radio station in progress;
  • Live and custom Artist Radio stations: Now equipped with a save button, allowing subscribers to instantly save songs from the radio directly to their My Music playlist for playback any time;
  • Search: Search and play any song from a library of millions of tracks;
  • Unlimited skips: Subscribers listening to custom Artist Radio stations will no longer have a limit on the number of songs they can skip.

iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster, at $9.99 a month, combines the interactive radio functionally of iHeartRadio Plus with a complete music collection and library that is linked seamlessly to the radio listening experience. Given that 70 percent of consumers — which includes users of on demand music services — have cited radio as their primary source of music discovery, there is finally a service that allows them the convenience and accessibility of merely pushing a button to add a song immediately to their music collection at the same time they hear it on the radio — something no other music collection service can offer. This new offering is the best of all worlds, combined in one service with the ability to:

  • Build subscribers’ personal music libraries: Completely create, control and curate playlists from a library of millions of tracks;
  • Give subscribers total flexibility to listen to their music the way they want, when they want: With no playback cap and the ability to reorder, delete and sequence their playlist experience as well as manage unlimited playlists;
  • Access offline listening: Subscribers can now enjoy offline listening and take their music and playlists with them everywhere they go, even when they don’t have a data connection.

“iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access powered by Napster are revolutionizing how we think of live radio,” said Darren Davis, President of iHeartRadio. “With features such as personal music libraries and playlists, the ability to search and play any song instantly, and the option to save and replay songs directly from live and custom radio listening, our new iHeartRadio on demand offerings are fundamentally changing the way consumers interact with live radio at an unprecedented level. We are introducing a service like no other to tens of millions of consumers across dozens of devices, and also driving massive awareness of the new service to more than a quarter of a billion Americans a month through our broadcast stations alone, which presents a major revenue growth opportunity for our very important strategic partners – artists and the music industry.”

iHeartMedia partnered with Napster to power the music technology back office behind iHeartRadio All Access. Napster brought their depth of experience in on-demand music delivery, customer billing, data and analytics and rights holders’ payments to complement the iHeartRadio-based application.

“iHeartMedia has a unique opportunity to shine a spotlight on the tremendous value premium streaming services bring to music fans, and to the music community at large,” said Mike Davis, Napster CEO. “We’re honored that iHeartMedia selected the Napster platform and brand to power a great music experience for consumers, and we’re excited to play a role in what will be a successful launch.”

Aside from the two new subscription on-demand services, iHeartRadio will remain free. iHeartRadio offers users thousands of Live Radio stations, personalized custom Artist Radio stations created by just one song or seed artist and the top podcasts and personalities. With over a billion downloads, iHeartRadio has had tremendous momentum — reaching 90 million registered users faster than any other radio or digital music service — and even faster than Facebook.

New BPI report into Artificial Intelligence and its impact on music

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UK record labels’ association, the BPI, today launches a new report that explores the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the potential this fast-emerging technology has to transform the composition, distribution and marketing of music.

Highlights from Music’s Smart Future: How will Artificial Intelligence impact the music industry?, which was written by music industry analysts Music Ally, were last night shared with industry executives attending the latest in the BPI’s series of Insight Sessions, the music industry forum which explores how emerging technologies are reshaping the music ecosystem.

The event featured presentations from record labels, such as Polydor Records, and companies including Jukedeck, Moodagent and IBM Watson, that are using AI across different aspects of their business ranging from music creation to marketing and music discovery.

The report introduction and case studies preceded a lively panel discussion, chaired by Music Ally’s Paul Brindley and including representatives from Sony Music Entertainment UK and Universal Music Group and tech company Quantone and law firm Reed Smith, which debated AI’s implications for the music industry.

Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive BPI & BRIT Awards, comments “Artificial Intelligence is no longer the province of science fiction. This fast-emerging technology is beginning to transform how music is created, discovered, shared and enjoyed.  AI is enabling the creation of hyper-personalised playlists using contextual data and deep analysis of the relationship between songs, while artists and labels are now using chatbots to engage fan-bases in campaigns. Algorithms are also beginning to influence the composition of music, as artists embrace the technology to enhance their own creativity. This raises profound questions about the nature of music and humans’ connection to it.

“Music’s DNA is closely entwined with technology and record labels are already exploring how AI can help to bring artists and fans closer together.”

2016 has witnessed a swell of investment and experimentation around AI and machine learning, with a big upswing in new tech-start-ups eager to redefine how we live our lives. The report – authored for the BPI by Music Ally’s Editor-in-Chief Stuart Dredge, and with a thought-provoking foreword by BPI & BRITs CEO Geoff Taylor – explores how AI is touching every facet of the music industry through four main areas:

The evolution of AI in music

The backdrop to AI’s increasing penetration of music is set out, including a look at some of its early RnD and first British AI start-ups, such as Jukedeck and Melodrive.

The emergence of bots that take requests on Twitter; WaveNet – technology generating speech that mimics any human voice; and Baidu AI Composer image-recognition software and neural networking that enables an image to be converted into a song.

Developments in AI-driven music composition on Flow Machines software; AI being used to create a music video for Brian Eno’s song The Ship; and Symphonologie, which uses AI to help create a symphony to be played by a human orchestra.

 How record label A&R and marketing teams are using ‘big data’ analytics to predict consumer reactions and shape campaigns.

 Gut instinct, passion for the music and human experience remain fundamental qualities in A&R and marketing, but the music sector should not ignore new tools that allow it to reach fans in exciting, new ways.

Humans and algorithms fuel smarter music recommendations

As streaming services grow, we are moving into a world of hyper-personalisation, in which consumers expect services tailored to their own tastes and preferences.  The power of ‘big data’ can be employed to better understand human behaviours and provide a more individualised experience.

Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer all use AI to analyse users’ behaviour and to understand the relationship between songs so as to mix in new relevant tracks among a user’s favourites.

A new strain of AI technology has emerged that can take account of contextual data: Google Play now mixes signals like location and the weather with machine learning about a user’s music listening to offer the right song at the right time.

DJ apps which put traditional DJ decks onto touch-screen devices are on the rise: Pacemaker and Serato.

Chatbots find a place in the music industry

Messaging apps have become an essential part of our mobile lives, and chatbots are A hot new communications tool – and again, music companies are already experimenting with them.

Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other services are not new – the first chatbots were developed in the 1960s and 1970s, with the first music chatbot of note introduced by Radiohead and Capitol Records in 2001.  However, their sophistication has now increased markedly.

They have become more important after Facebook opened up its Messenger platform to third-party chatbots in 2016. They are not just messaging apps, but platforms with hundreds of millions of users that developers can build on.  Written bots will in time be supplanted by voice interactions.

Labels and artists are embracing AI to engage fanbases. Bastille and their label Virgin EMI used a Facebook’s Messenger chatbot in a campaign to promote the release of their new album Wild World, while Robbie Williams with the ‘Robbot’ and Olly Murs have created their own chatbots to engage fans.

Media platform MTV used chatbots to engage with European Music Awards viewers, while tickets service Ticketmaster uses the technology to recommend upcoming concerts to fans.

Smart voice assistants from the big tech titans

The human-computer interface is also developing quickly, with AI powering a new generation of ‘smart assistants’.

 These include Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google Assistant – which understand human commands and make it easier and more intuitive for consumers to access music online.

These smart assistants are likely to evolve into our de facto musical concierges around the home and in the car.

OMDC Presents Exploring the Value Chain of Augmented and Virtual Reality Content Creation Session in London

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The market for augmented and virtual reality is anticipated to grow by 89%, to $16 billion globally in 2020. Content creators from across the Canadian VR sectors will speak about the challenges and successes they’ve had experimenting with this emerging form of content from financing and concept definition to development and marketing and distribution.

On Tuesday, December 6th at London’s LondonConvention Centre, Nigel Newton, Consultant for AR Innovation & Strategy will moderate this panel as part of OMDC’s Breakfast Sessions for the publishing, film, TV, digital media, magazine and music industries.

Panelists:
Bernie Roehl, CEO, Virtual Escapes
Damir Slogar, Founder and CEO, Big Blue Bubble
Keith Makse, CEO, Red Meat Games
Dr. Rhonda Bathurst, Executive Director, Museum of Ontario Archaeology

You can get tickets here.

1,100 artists and creators urge the Government of Canada to put creators at the heart of cultural policy

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Nearly 1,100 Canadian musicians, authors, songwriters, composers, music producers, poets, playwrights, film composers, actors, directors, and other members of the creative class have signed a joint letter addressed to the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, urging the government to put Canada’s creators at the heart of our cultural policy.

Canadians are consuming more digital content than ever before, and creators have led the shift – they have digitized their work, mastered the Internet, and become their own social media directors. Yet the laws and regulations that allow creators to monetize their works to make a living are now out of date. Without urgent attention from government, thousands of Canadian creators will not be able to tell their uniquely Canadian stories.

Focus On Creators is a coalition of Canadian musicians, authors, songwriters, and other members of the creative class, which was created to bring focus to the artists’ perspective in light of some major federal cultural policy activities.

“In an ever-changing digital climate that is working against creators to financially exist, it has never been more important for Canada to be leaders in copyright reform to not only save artists, but the voice of Canada,” says Royal Wood, professional musician.

“Canadian writers play an important role in creating, critiquing, and changing culture. I wish our time and labour was better compensated! Most Canadian writers don’t just create, but publicize and market our work too, using social media and other digital technologies. The vast majority of us need other paid work in order to make ends meet. This means that we juggle multiple jobs, and still manage to produce award-winning novels, poetry, non-fiction, short-stories,” says Farzana Doctor, author and Lambda Literary Award winner. “It should not be this way; legislators must ensure that writers can earn a living from their craft.”

In light of some major federal cultural policy activities, including the Canadian Content in a Digital World consultations, and the upcoming Copyright Act review in 2017, the Focus On Creators coalition was formed to bring focus to the artists’ perspective.

The initiative is supported by Canadian creative industry associations including Music Canada, the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), the Writers’ Union of Canada, the League of Canadian Poets, the Canadian Music Publishers Association, the Playwrights Guild of Canada and the Canadian Country Music Association.

“We’ve seen firsthand the respect that Canada’s music gets in other parts of the world. The support we’ve traditionally given our creators is also well-recognized,” says Suzie Ungerleider, who performs as Oh, Susanna. “But Canada should have an updated system that continues to treat artists fairly, especially as technological changes make it more difficult for them to be compensated for their work.”

“The digital shift has brought a wealth of opportunity to Canada’s writers and readers, but that opportunity is accompanied by serious economic challenges that must be addressed with sensitive, nuanced policy in order to maintain a distinct Canadian cultural identity and to ensure that Canadians continue to have access to Canadian stories,” says John Degen, author and Executive Director of The Writers’ Union of Canada.

The initial list of creators grew to nearly 1,100 individuals in a short time, but is expected to increase now that the initiative is launched. Canadian creators are encouraged to join Alanis Morissette, Brett Kissel, Blue Rodeo, Gord Downie, Gordon Lightfoot, Grimes, Metric, The Sheepdogs, Marie Claire Blais, Rudy Wiebe, Guy Gavriel Kay, Sharon Pollock, Daniel David Moses, Mary Vingoe, Garth Richardson, Gary Barwin, Alice Major, Maureen Hynes and many more Canadian creators in adding their names to the letter at FocusOnCreators.ca. Please help send this important message to policymakers in Ottawa.

A ourselves, about each other — can sustain us, because only the stories we tell each other create us as a society, as

Record Labels Spent $4.5 Billion for A&R and Marketing In 2015

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A new IFPI report has found that record labels remain the largest investors in music, investing more than US$4.5 billion for A&R and marketing in 2015.

The new ‘Investing In Music’ report by IFPI, in association with the World Independent Network (WIN), details record companies’ global investment in uncovering, nurturing and promoting artists and their music. It is also designed to highlight the work performed by teams of professionals at record companies supporting these efforts.

According to the report, record companies invest an average of 27% of revenues back into A&R and marketing, totaling US$4.5 billion in 2015. It also revealed that record companies managed to sustain this level of annual investment in spite of two decades of revenue decline in the industry.

Of that 27%, record companies were found to invest 16.9% of revenues in A&R –a higher proportion than the equivalent research and development (R&D) investment ratio of all the leading sectors included in the EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard 2015. This reports economic and financial information on the world’s top 2,500 companies that invested €607.2 billion in R&D over the last fiscal year.

Elsewhere, the report found the typical cost of breaking a worldwide-signed artist in a major market like the UK or the US to be between US$0.5-$2 million. The typical investment from labels in a new major artist was broken down as follows in the report:

Advances US$50,000-350,000
Recording costs US$150,000-500,000
Video production US$25,000-300,000
Tour support US$50,000-150,000
Marketing and promo US$200,000-$700,000
Total US$475,000-2,000,000

Via

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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