Smart Speakers, Virtual Assistants and the Music Biz; What is Hi-Res Audio, and Should I Care About…

How Apple’s Homepod, Amazon’s Echo and voice recognition are changing the music industry as we know it — www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

How Apple’s Homepod, Amazon’s Echo and voice recognition are changing the music industry as we know it — www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 months you will be aware of the unprecedented development and take up of virtual assistants and smart speakers. Make no mistake: these devices and this technology will have a profound effect on our industry across all sectors.

A recent survey from Adobe Analytics discovered that the most popular activity on voice controlled devices is, yep, you guessed it, playing music.

How Spotify Beat Apple to Charting the Future of Music — www.theringer.com 
 Spotify beat back the scourge of streaming album exclusives, and now it’s ready to go public. Here’s what it says about how fans value artists and platforms.

What Exactly Is Hi-Res Audio, and Should I Care About It? — pitchfork.com 
 With labels eyeing hi-res audio as the next add-on for streaming services, we explore the challenges of attaining a future that sounds much better.

Musicians Turned Miners? How a DJ Is Disrupting Spotify With Blockchain — www.coindesk.com

A streaming service that “mines” via a smart contract, Choon gives 80 percent of profits directly to musicians — a step up from similar services like Spotify — which pay out disturbingly low fees.

There’s no future in England’s streaming: Why British music needs radio more than ever — www.musicweek.com 
 The streaming revolution has reached every corner of the music business, but its effect on radio has always been greatly exaggerated.

Apple Music to Release Cash Money Documentary Friday — www.billboard.com 
 The delayed documentary will finally be available to the public on Friday, February 16 on Apple Music. ‘Before Anythang: The Cash Money Story’ will detail the life of Bryan “Birdman” Williams prior to him starting Cash Money Records.

How to Optimize Your Spotify for Artists Profile — blog.symphonicdistribution.com

One of the most effective ways to utilize the platform is to create a custom Spotify for Artists profile, which will help you get verified, easily manage your profile, learn about your fanbase and more.

Safaricom Moves to the Beat with Songa Music App — www.techweez.com 
 Safaricom Beatz is a music streaming app that is meant to create an alternative revenue stream for artists and well, of course, mother green (Safaricom).

New licensing platform launched in Kenya — www.musicinafrica.net

Kenyan copyright collection agencies yesterday took a new leap into the digital era with the unveiling of an online platform.

YouTube explains how it’ll punish ‘egregious’ creators — musically.com 
 Vlogger Logan Paul wins this month’s award for being the least self-aware social-media influencer on the planet.

Dallas Records Stores and Bands Hang Onto CDs as Big Chains Abandon Them — www.dallasobserver.com 
 “The CDs that nearly killed vinyl are seeing a boost from vinyl’s resurgence, says Mark Burke, owner of Denton-based Mad World Records.