news – Page 2 – Powderfinger Promotions

April 21, 2017September 21, 2021

Music Industry vs. YouTube

The battle between the music industry and YouTube continues.

According to new data from RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), revenues from recorded music in the U.S. grew 11.4% in 2016 to 7.7 billion. Paid streaming music subscriptions (such as Spotify and Apple Music) have instigated the music business to encounter its biggest gain since 1998. Streaming platforms have generated a majority of U.S.’s music industry revenues.

However, according to Cary Sherman (chairman and CEO of RIAA), not all streaming services are able to recognize the value of music. This is especially important because physical CD sales and download sales are declining. The remaining pillar of sales in the music industry (music streaming) needs to be sufficient enough to compensate for the loss of CD sales and downloads.

YouTube has been at the forefront of not compensating artists fairly. In a recent essay, Sherman wrote:

“For example, it makes no sense that it takes a thousand on-demand streams of a song for creators to earn $1 on YouTube, while services like Apple and Spotify pay creators $7 or more for those same streams. Why does this happen? Because a platform like YouTube wrongly exploits legal loopholes to pay creators at rates well below the true value of music while other digital services — including many new and small innovators — cannot.”

March 28, 2017September 21, 2021

Google Introduces Way to Connect with People Searching For Your Music

Google is formulating a new feature that will make it easier for musicians to connect with people searching for their music.

The feature is called “Posts on Google”, which allows a verified musician (or business) to create a post that will appear directly to search results. Likewise, the post will appear first in the Google results. If fans are searching for a band on Google, they will be provided with verified and reliable information through this feature.

March 17, 2017September 21, 2021

The Daybreakers Rock New England

Back in June, rootsy blues-rock band The Daybreakers released their first full-length album. Since the release of the album, the group has been playing shows frequently within the New England area and getting airplay on radio stations across the country. We discussed the band’s passion for playing live gigs and the process of recording their LP with bass player, Matt Schairer.

#bostonmusic #daybreakers #rockandroll #originalmusic With our debut album out, we've been humbled by the positive responses from you all! Thank you so much for your continued support! Www.daybreakersband.com

A post shared by Daybreakers Band (@daybreakersband) on Sep 10, 2016 at 11:26am PDT

You play both small pubs and crowds of 500 plus. Do you prefer the intimate gigs or the large ones?

The bigger the better for us. We are constantly striving to improve our reach and book bigger and better shows. The small intimate gigs are great as they provide the opportunity to showcase some different songs and subtleties, but the big shows are always the most exciting.

You’ve played many shows in New England. Do you have a favorite spot in the area to perform?

We have played the past three summers as an opener at Indian Ranch. That is always a great place to play. We have also had a lot of success at a local club in Franklin, MA called the Black Box. They have booked some big time acts in that room and we have had a fun time when we’ve had a chance to put a bill together there.

March 16, 2017September 21, 2021

City in the Cloud’s ‘The Content of Box 212’

College can be a demanding time for many. However, that hasn’t stopped City in the Clouds from releasing their debut album, The Contents of Box 212.

The NJ and NYC based college students demonstrate their versatile sound in The Contents of Box 212 – incorporating elements from several genres such as reggae, pop-punk, surf rock, and hip-hop.

City in the Clouds is comprised of brothers Jackson and Brendan Marquardt, joined by Luke London, and Marcus Grey. The Marquardt brothers have found themselves working among some key players in the music industry, previously recording with R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter, and touring the US and UK with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

The Contents of Box 212 tackles an extensive range of sounds, evident from tracks such as “Dirty Dan”, which delivers pop-punk and emo sounds, filled with edgy guitars and an electrifying dance beat. Other tracks, such as “Down to Earth”, contain alternative and surf rock vibrations. With influences ranging from Gorillaz to Beach Boys, its no wonder the group provides such a diverse sound.

March 7, 2017September 21, 2021

Spotify Hits 50 Million Paying Subscribers

Spotify confirmed it has 50 million paying subscribers. The company announced the milestone in a tweet.

Thank you to our 50 million subscribers. #Spotify50 pic.twitter.com/eXkOV71bwu

— Spotify (@Spotify) March 2, 2017

The company’s paying subscriber count has boosted throughout the past year. The paying subscribe count went from 30 million subscribers in March, to 40 million in September. Now, it is at 50 million this month. Spotify has increased its paying subscriber count by 10 million in only six short months. It is likely that the paying subscriber count will continue to increase as time goes on.

March 6, 2017September 21, 2021

Father John Misty Performs on Saturday Night Live

This past weekend, artist Father John Misty took the stage on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. This was the singer’s debut on the program.

Father John Misty played his newest single, “Pure Comedy”. The singer also debuted a new song titled “Total Entertainment Forever”. Both songs will be featured on his upcoming album, Pure Comedy, which is expected to drop April 7.

March 1, 2017September 21, 2021

SoundCloud Announces 4.99 Subscription Plan

SoundCloud has unveiled a new $4.99 per month music subscription service, SoundCloud Go.

The company is hoping to attract potential subscribers with the new low cost. The new subscription service option allows for users to access 120 million songs, without any ads. Additionally, users can listen while offline.

February 28, 2017September 21, 2021

Spotify Releasing Three Original Music Themed Podcasts

Spotify is pushing to release more original content on the platform. While Spotify is known primarily as a source for music, the company is adding three original music themed podcasts to their streaming service.

The company notes: “With each series, listeners will get an intimate look into music’s most notable, interesting and often untold stories.”

February 24, 2017September 21, 2021

Music Industry Displays Frustration Over DMCA

A collection of fifteen notable music organizations have come together to express their dissatisfaction in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

In a letter to congress, the organizations note that the current DMCA safe harbor laws are “failing”. The organizations include the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), SoundExchange and National Music Publishers’ Association. Safe harbor laws currently allow internet services to avoid liability for users who post copyright infringement content on their sites. Presently, users cannot be penalized if they upload copyrighted material.

February 22, 2017September 21, 2021

Google Cutting Back on Music Piracy in U.K.

Searches for illegal MP3 downloads is going to become difficult for people in the U.K.

There are a plethora of websites on the internet that provide free downloads to copyrighted music. When searching for music on Google, websites containing illegal content can sometimes appear within the first page of search results. Not only does this keep musicians and songwriters from being paid for their work – it also puts Google users up for the risk of spam. The user may have been searching for a safe result in the first place. A new change for Google users in the U.K. may put a halt to downloading content without paying for it.