Billboard Charts in the Streaming Age; Drake’s Latest is First to Stream 1 Billion Times in a Week

Billboard’s charts used to be our barometer for music success. Are they meaningless in the streaming age? — www.washingtonpost.com 
 Kanye West released five seven-track albums, and Drake dumped 25 tracks all at once, hinting that pop artists might be using some savvy trickery to manipulate the charts.

Spotify’s Artist Platform Runs Op-Ed On Reasons Not to Sign to Record Labels — www.billboard.com 
 Greg Puciato, the lead singer and frontman for The Dillinger Escape Plan and, more recently, The Black Queen, penned an op-ed for Spotify’s artist platform on leaving record labels behind — right at a time when Spotify’s relationships with labels are under a microscope.

Drake’s new album is the first to stream 1 billion times in a week — www.engadget.com 
 We know, we know — you’re probably tired of hearing about Drake’s new album setting records and otherwise dominating the internet. However, this is one record…

Watch Ben Affleck predict Spotify and Netflix streaming back in 2003 — mashable.com 
 Ben Affleck rambled on about subscription services that he imagined were only five years away. He was right.

Can Kobalt’s AWAL rewrite the rules of A&R? — www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

In the annals of labels around the globe, you’ll find plenty of statistics that prove, when it comes to frontline signings, there are many, many more commercial disappointments than there are commercial Despacitos.

Which artists benefit from Amazon Music? — www.getrevue.co

Smart speakers remove the friction required to activate the first stream, not necessarily the friction required to achieve long-tail content discovery.

Stem Offers Digital Music Distribution Alternative — www.hypebot.com 
 Founded in 2015, Stem.is is a unique digital aggregator which submits your music to all major streaming services and, unlike most other digital aggregators, has a more streamlined payment process, meaning you and your collaborators can earn royalties with fewer accounting hassles.

An Anime-Focused Streaming Music Service Is Coming In August — www.digitalmusicnews.com 
 Want your favorite anime music without having to tune in to any shows? Now, a highly-specialized streaming music service called Aniuta is coming to America.

Sendmate generated 53.8% click-through rate for Imogen Heap — musically.com 
 Artist Imogen Heap is heading off on a world tour soon under her ‘Mycelia’ banner — you may remember us reporting on the plans from her launch event in December — and she’s been testing a new tool to let fans know about it.

YouTube Music ✕ Soundsgood — medium.com 
 Hey guys, you have been a lot asking for YouTube Music on Soundsgood. Well… it’s done! Here are a few notes and tips to get the most of out Google’s new music streaming service. When sharing the…