Amazon’s Quest for Country Music Streaming Supremacy

Amazon’s quest for country music streaming supremacy — www.tennessean.com 
 Amazon Music has quietly made a sizable impact on the country genre after flying below the radar in the noisy world of music streaming.

Illinois pitches sales tax for Netflix, Spotify, other streaming services — www.illinoispolicy.org

A new proposal from state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Chicago Heights, would tax internet streaming services in Illinois, much like the potentially illegal internet streaming tax implemented in Chicago.

What have the music blockchain pioneers been up to recently? We found out. — medium.com 
 But what is blockchain, what can we expect, and what are the most recent developments? We answer these questions in anticipation of c/o pop 2017. Blockchain is the technology powering Bitcoin. It…

Ed Sheeran obliterates Spotify records with 68.7m streams in a day — www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

Hopes are high for the commercial performance of Ed Sheeran’s third album, ÷ (Divide) — and it didn’t disappoint on its first day. Spotify has confirmed that the LP’s tracks drew 56.73m streams worldwide yesterday (March 3) — a new record for first-day plays of an LP on the platform.

Music matchmaker: Plano startup that connects brands and bands raises $6 million — www.dallasnews.com 
 Dallas News: your source for breaking news and analysis for Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas and around the world. Read it here, first.

Spotify and SXSW team up offering new music discovery, playlists and “Special Experiences” — routenote.com 
 Spotify have joined up with the SXSW music festival to offer a bunch of curated and enhanced music opportunities as well as some special opportunities with SXSW artists.

4 ways blockchain can disrupt the live industry — www.iq-mag.net 
 Hailed as a game-changer for the recorded biz, the Bitcoin-derived tech also has wide-reaching applications in ticketing, live streaming and licensing…

Music Business Regains Confidence In the Chinese Market — platformandstream.com 
 Chinese digital music platforms are gaining more and more attention from music entertainment firms in other countries.

‘The Art of Listening’ explores how we experience music — www.cnet.com 
 The Audiophiliac checks out Michael Coleman and Emmanuel Moran’s documentary about how we listen to music.

Saavn, India’s Spotify, Blurs the Line Between Streaming Service and Record Label — www.billboard.com 
 Saavn, India’s leading streaming service and its domestic version of Spotify, is breaking down the barriers between streamer and record label. Will the West follow suit?

Spotify now has 50 million paying subscribers — many more than Apple Music and Tidal. But here’s why it’s still unprofitable — qz.com 
 New year, new milestone. Music streaming service Spotify announced proudly on March 2 that it now has 50 million paying subscribers — more than double the latest figure boasted by Apple Music, its closest competitor, and representing a 25% increase over Spotify’s own numbers from six months ago.