SoundCloud Focused on Creators in New Marketing Campaign; Tech Companies as the New Record Labels?

SoundCloud ‘redoubles focus’ on creators in First On SoundCloud campaign says CEO — www.thedrum.com 
 SoundCloud is among one of the largest streaming sites in the world, claimed its chief executive, but unhappy with that, he is keen to differentiate it by redoubling its focus on championing the creative talent that helped build the open music platform in the first place.

Tech companies are the new record labels? Get the popcorn in! — www.pias.com

Labels, recording studios, and radio still matter, but in a cluttered landscape artists’ biggest challenge is now navigating this complexity, noise and disruption to get heard.

Spotify, Amazon Used CMA Fest as Platform to Woo CD-Loving Country Fans — www.billboard.com 
 The hundreds of artists appearing at the CMA Fest this past weekend weren’t the only ones trying to court new fans. Streaming music providers had a larger presence at this year’s festival, hoping to convert country music fans, who have been slower to adopt streaming compared with other genres.

Russia’s VKontakte, Former Haven for Pirated Music, Reports 1.5 Million Subscribers for Its Legit Streaming Service — www.billboard.com 
 VKontakte, the so-called “Russian Facebook,” formerly notorious for fostering user-generated illegitimate music content, reported 1.5 million of subscribers to its legitimate music streaming service, launched a year ago.

Minds, machines, and centralization: AI and music — cdm.link 
 Far from the liberated playground the Internet once promised, online connectivity now threatens to give us mainly pre-programmed culture. As we continue reflections on AI from CTM Festival in Berlin, here’s an essay from this year’s program.

Four Indie Ventures Marking Major Milestones In the Music Industry — www.billboard.com 
 Two independent labels, a retailer and a distributor celebrate staying power.

YouTube Music rolls out: ‘Leading with audio is the key for us’ — musically.com 
 YouTube Music Premium, the new subscription tier for Google’s video service, is launching fully in 17 countries today, including 12 additional markets to the five that were announced in May.

Your Spotify History Could Help Predict What’s Going On With The Economy — www.fastcodesign.com 
 New research suggests that what you listen to mirrors economic boom times and recessions.

After revenues dropped last year, can Napster really compete in the streaming music space? — www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

Napster chief executive Bill Patrizio has big plans for the future.

‘Austin City Limits’ Announces Anderson East Webcast — www.jambase.com 
 Singer-songwriter Anderson East will take the ‘Austin City Limits’ stage for the first time on June 22 with a free webcast of the taping available.