The Rise of Curated Playlists

Artists have traditionally commanded attention, serving as the primary inspirations and icons for diverse communities of fan bases around the world. However, with the unrelenting…

YouTube’s Safe Harbor

Music industry pressure is mounting on YouTube. In June, a diverse group of 180+ major artists, including Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift, released a petition…

Living Up To A Brand

Artists have always struggled to make ends meet, and more so since the drop in sales of physical product, i.e. CDS, cassettes, vinyl, and VHS…

Adele’s Choice

Adele is officially the top selling artist of 2015. 25 sold more than the next three ranked albums combined in the U.S. and broke all…

Gender in the Music Industry

Gender inequality is a big issue in the music industry. At first glance, it may not seem so. Names like Aretha Franklin, Taylor Swift, and…

Apple Music’s Debut

Apple revolutionized the music industry with the launch of the iPod and iTunes in 2003, when it became the first company to monetize music successfully…

Shortchanging Covers

On February 5, 2015, the US Copyright Office released a comprehensive set of recommendations on how to revise copyright law called “Copyright and the Music…

2014: Year in Review

Records and live performances define the state of the music market. 2014 was special for two things: a consumer preference for accessing a recording with…

Haute Couture for the Red Carpet Star

Beyoncé in Versace; Taylor Swift in Kaufman Franco; Pharrell Williams wearing Vivienne Westwood. Musicians and fashion labels are linked far beyond the beats played on…

Copyright and Common Sense

In May of 1787, the top political figures of a fledgling United States met in Philadelphia to draft a Constitution. They judged artistic expression and…

The Future of Music and MIDEM

MIDEM is one of the largest conventions devoted to the state of the music industry. Hosted annually in the southern-coastal city of Cannes, France during…