Thursday, July 31, 2014

What's Interesting About The Most Played Music Videos This Year

Shakira on stage image
Shakira has 2 songs in the top 10
YouTube has just come out with their list of the most played music videos of the year so far. The thing that's most interesting is that 7 out of the 10 feature a guest performer. This is an interesting video and music marketing trend in that a release can ride on the branding of two artists instead of one, which can become a major influence on the song becoming a hit.

In terms of view numbers, Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" has racked up over 500 million views so far (and still counting), while Shakira has topped 350 million with "Can't Remember To Forget About You." Here's the top 10.

1. Katy Perry, "Dark Horse ft. Juicy J"
2. Shakira, "Can't Remember to Forget You ft. Rihanna"
3. Shakira, "La La La (Brazil 2014) ft. Carlinhos Brown"
4. "We Are One (Ole Ola) [The Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Song] (Olodum Mix)"
5. Enrique Iglesias, "Bailando (Español) ft. Descemer Bueno, Gente De Zona"
6. The Chainsmokers, "#SELFIE"
7. Iggy Azalea, "Fancy ft. Charli XCX"
8. Frozen Soundtrack, "Let It Go"
9. Jason Derulo, "Wiggle ft. Snoop Dogg"
10. Enrique Iglesias, "El Perdedor ft. Marco Antonio Solís" 
YouTube views fluctuate a great deal, so these rankings could be completely upside down by year's end. That said, this is where the real valuations of popularity are, not on the Billboard charts.
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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

4 Reasons Why Music Careers Are Getting Trounced By Tech

Music jobs image
It used to be that if our best and brightest had any affinity for music at all, they would go to great ends to enter the business, with a long-term vision in mind. Not so today, as music careers are getting trounced by the tech industry when it comes to job choice and availability, and there’s no end to this movement in sight.

Where music was once seen by many as one of the highest callings possible, that perception seemed to die with the 90’s even as the music business hit its peak. It’s been all downhill since as the brain drain and lack of incoming talent has only helped to accelerate the industry’s fall to where it is today at about half its all-time high revenue.

So how could this happen? How could a business that was once the centerpiece of so many people’s dreams suddenly become as tarnished as a piece of neglected silverware? If you take a step back and look at the problem from a macro perspective, there seems to be four primary reasons.

1. There’s no glamor in music anymore. Once upon a time it was considered cool to hang out with musicians in general, and even cooler to hang with rock stars if the opportunity presented itself. Musicians held center stage in the entertainment universe, as they were always in the news and in the middle of the conversation on every college campus.

Today, music is a seldom featured asterisk to most people’s daily lives. It no longer has the cultural significance that it once had, rarely influences fashion or lifestyle, and has increasingly lost its cool factor, at least to the same degree that it once had.


Tech, on the other hand, is everything that music today is not. It regularly influences fashion and lifestyle, and it’s executives act like the execs of the music business of the 70s and 80s did, playing it (for better or worse) generally loose and free. Ironically most music execs these days now act more like the corporate suits that they tried so hard to avoid in years past. Read more on Forbes.
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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Country Music Acts Make A Lot Of Money Today

There are various studies that indicate that country music is either the most listened to, or the next to most listened to music in the US right now. This must be true given this Statista chart below, where the top 10 country artists made a total of $378 million in 2014 so far, according Forbes. Keep in mind that this doesn't include the summer touring months, which is the most lucrative time of the year for big touring acts.

This is no consolation to acts that aren't in the 1%, as touring is tougher than ever (check out this Wall Street Journal story) as venues of all sorts close. That said, life is sweet if you can make it to the top.

Infographic: Country Music Acts Earn Staggering Amounts of Money | Statista
You will find more statistics at Statista

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Monday, July 28, 2014

TuneCore Launches New Artist Services Portal

TuneCore logo image
TuneCore is expanding its services by launching their Artist Services Portal and debuting an analysis tool called Track Smarts. The company's new offerings are part of an effort to compete with other full-service artist portals like Bandcamp and Nimbit.

Artist Services provides tools for promotion, website building, merchandise management and fan engagement through third party services that are available at special pricing to TuneCore users.

Track Smarts is powered by SoundOut, which is a music research tool used by record labels and radio groups to help determine the market potential of new songs. Track Smarts can be used by an artist to help determine what songs on an album are the strongest, plus to help provide insights on the best demographic to target for the greatest success.

While there are many artist portals that already offer merch and fan management, Track Smarts is actually a pretty interesting feature. It's available in 3 tiers, ranging from the Starter at $15 per song, Enhanced at $40 per song, and Premium at $115 per song.

This might be a little too rich for most indie artists to absorb, but it's still less expensive than anywhere else for the same services, even directly from SoundOut. Either way, it's worth checking out.
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Sunday, July 27, 2014

Top 10 Dead Earning Musicians

Kurt Cobain image
The legacy of many star musicians still continues to bring in the cash as seen by this top 10 dead earning musicians list, according to ConcertTour.org.

Once again, Michael Jackson tops the list, although one has to wonder how much money actually made it to his heirs since his earnings are still being used to pay off the massive debts he piled up during his lifetime.

Kurt Cobain's estate earned a surprising $50 million last year, while Elvis, John Lennon and Bob Marley continue to earn well and round out the top 5. Here's the top 10.

1. Michael Jackson - 160 million last year
2. Kurt Cobain - $50 million
3. Elvis - $42 million
4. John Lennon - $24 million
5. Bob Marley - $18 million
6. George Harrison - $7 million
7. Johnny Cash - $6 million
8. Richard Rodgers - $6 million
9. Ray Charles - $6 million
10. Jenni Rivera - $6 million

The above earnings show why it's so important to protect your legacy. It's a way to keep your family living well long after you're gone.
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