Spotify’s Power Move; New Streaming-First Indie Label Debuts; CRB Raises Payout Rate from Music…

Can Spotify Pull Off Music’s Power Move? — www.hollywoodreporter.com The Swedish streaming giant plots world domination, but it must…

Can Spotify Pull Off Music’s Power Move? — www.hollywoodreporter.com 
 The Swedish streaming giant plots world domination, but it must navigate the obstacles that result from cutting corners in its quest for rapid growth.

Former Head of WMG’s Global Playlist Strategy Launches Humble Angel Records, New Streaming-First Indie Label — www.billboard.com 
 How do you run a record label with no budget? This is what Kieron Donoghue, former vp of global playlists strategy at Warner Music, faced upon launching the major’s streaming-first imprint Artists To Watch last March.

Copyright Royalty Board Raises Payout Rate from Music Subscription Services — www.billboard.com 
 Songwriters and music publishers will get a higher payout from on-demand subscription services like Spotify and Apple Music for the next five-year period (2018–2022), according to the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA).

What Radio Can Learn From Pop-Up Stores — jacobsmedia.com 
 The success of the pop-up store phenomenon is a reminder of the importance of local street presence for radio.

Why You Should Still Be Buying Digital Downloads — fieldguide.gizmodo.com 
 Music streaming is the future, apparently, which means the digital download had a bright and brief existence — lasting from the end of the 1990s to (presumably) the end of the 2010s.

Music Streaming Revenue Increased 53 Percent in 2017, Digital Services Report — www.billboard.com 
 U.S. digital revenue grew 15 percent in 2017 to $6.5 billion from $5.65 billion, driven largely by a 53 percent increase in streaming to $3.4 billion from 2016’s total of $2.2 billion.

How Spotify, Apple Music, can pay musicians more-commentary — www.cnbc.com 
 If Spotify, Apple music acted more like Netflix, they could offer musicians more money for their content, says Kabir Sehgal.

Meet a fresh contender in the streaming scene, Fanburst — earmilk.com 
 Even with a handful of heavy hitters in the world of music streaming, there’s plenty of room for more players.

Congress Appears in Agreement Over Copyright — www.billboard.com 
 Copyright is one of the few remaining bipartisan issues and some significant legislation may have a good chance to pass, judging by the mood at a House Judiciary Committee field hearing on Friday.

Spotify Has 4 Paths To Profitability — www.hypebot.com 
 Spotify, which accounts for an estimated 17% of all major label revenue, has rejuvenated the music industry.

YG Plus Teams Up With Gracenote to Bring K-pop to More Listeners Around the Globe — www.billboard.com 
 YG Plus, part of YG entertainment, and Gracenote, teamed up to help make K-pop music more accessible to global audiences on streaming platforms.

Google Play hit record 19 billion+ downloads in Q4 2017, its highest quarter ever — techcrunch.com 
 Smartphone adoption in emerging markets just delivered the highest number of app downloads Google Play has ever seen in a quarter. According to today’s report.