The Exploration Podcast

Exploration Audio Newsletter - July 9, 2021

Virtual experience platform Roblox recently signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment this week, and is reportedly in talks with other record labels as well. The company has grown dramatically in recent years, reporting 43 million daily active visitors in May. The NMPA filed a lawsuit against Roblox last month for allegedly enabling piracy when users uploaded copyrighted music and shared them within Roblox experiences.

According to a recent announcement, the IFPI’s Sub-Saharan Africa office will be administering the International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) data system for the continent, except for South Africa, where it is already managed by another entity. The office will also be holding virtual seminars this month to teach musicians how to use it.

LyricFind has signed a licensing agreement with Abramus Digital, which is part of Brazilian collecting society Abramus, and represents more than 80,000 songwriters and publishers. Brazil is the fifth-largest territory in terms of business for the lyrics-focused company.

Tune into our third installment of the Exploration Update below, a weekly video by Exploration co-founder and CEO Aaron Davis explaining notable updates - or what we call "brags" - as we dive into how Exploration accomplishes specific tasks and milestones to improve our operations and ultimately better serve our clients.

 

Exploration: https://exploration.io/exploration-weekly-roblox-inks-deal-with-sony-ifpi-launches-isrc-data-system-in-africa-lyricfind-expands-to-brazil-with-abramus-digital/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exploration.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/explorationio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exploration/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC80DStgkJmdD_g8e8HCscbg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Exploration.io/
SoundCloud:https:https://soundcloud.com/helloexploration
PodBean:https://explorationgroup.podbean.com/ 

 

#Roblox #Sony #IFPI #ISRCDataSystem #LyricFind #AbramusDigital #MusicIndustryNews #ExplorationWeekly

Exploration Audio Newsletter - July 7, 2021

The US Copyright Office has named Kevin Amer as new Acting General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights, effective July 2, 2021. He has served as deputy general counsel at the Office since May 2019, helping co-lead the study on section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Overall earnings in 2020 from the electronic dance music industry reached a total of $3.4 billion, says an annual business report published by the International Dance Music Summit. That’s less than half of 2019’s $7.3 billion in earnings and lower than that of the industry in 2012. Despite the decline, the sectors within the industry - music sales/streaming and software/hardware sales - were up 4% and 23%, respectively.

India-based Spotify rival Gaana has just raised an additional $40 million in debt financing from China-based Tencent’s European entity, Tencent Cloud Europe B.V. The music platform also raised $51 million in debt to help finance its growth back in September from two existing Gaana investors - Tencent and Times Internet.

Exploration: https://exploration.io/exploration-weekly-kevin-amer-assigned-new-copyright-office-role-dance-music-loses-half-its-revenue-in-2020-gaana-raises-40m-in-debt-financing/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exploration.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/explorationio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exploration/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC80DStgkJmdD_g8e8HCscbg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Exploration.io/
SoundCloud:https:https://soundcloud.com/helloexploration
PodBean:https://explorationgroup.podbean.com/ 

#KevinAmer #Dancemusic #Gaana #MusicIndustryNews #ExplorationWeekly

Exploration Audio Newsletter - June 25, 2021

Reps. Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced the American Music Fairness Act via a live-streamed event on Thursday in response to the Local Radio Freedom Act introduced last month, which aims to continue terrestrial radio’s royalty-free status. The US is the only major country in the world where terrestrial radio pays no royalties to performers or recorded-music copyright owners of the songs they play.

The European Court of Justice recently made a final ruling on June 22 that online platforms like YouTube should not be held accountable for hosting unauthorized user uploads. These websites, however, are liable if they are aware of illegal uses and refrain from stopping it. In addition, the ruling does not take into account the reforms being made throughout Europe as part of the EU’s Copyright Directive.

SoundExchange distributions grew by 4% to $947 million in 2020, according to the company this week. The US digital performance royalties agency paid out $908.2 million in 2019.

Exploration: https://exploration.io/exploration-weekly-american-music-fairness-act-introduced-in-congress-online-platforms-win-eu-copyright-case-soundexchange-payouts-up-4-in-2020/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/exploration.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/explorationio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exploration/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC80DStgkJmdD_g8e8HCscbg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Exploration.io/
SoundCloud:https:https://soundcloud.com/helloexploration
PodBean:https://explorationgroup.podbean.com/ 

#AmericanMusicFairnessAct #OnlinePlatforms #EUcopyrightcase #SoundExchange #MusicIndustryNews #ExplorationWeekly

Exploration Audio Newsletter - June 18, 2021

Spotify launched Greenroom on Wednesday, a live audio app and Clubhouse competitor, in addition to announcing new plans to launch a Spotify Creator Fund to pay live audio creators for their work. The new app is available on iOS and Android in more than 135 markets globally.

Last week, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) granted sound recording licensees a royalty rate increase for 2021-2025 for programmed song plays - a rate of $0.0026 per performance for commercial webcasters’ programmed streams and $0.0021 per stream for ad-supported non-subscription services. These new rates apply to companies like Pandora and iHeartRadio, but do not impact interactive on-demand services like Spotify.

According to an announcement made on Tuesday by technology research firm Omdia, the average number of video streaming services utilized per U.S. user has fallen for the first time, from 7.23 in November to 7.06 in April. However, outside of the US, Omdia’s survey found that the number of online services per home is continuing to rise, with the U.K. reaching 5.78 services per user.

Spotify Greenroom launches, CRB sets Webcasters royalty rate, Average services per user falls for the first time.

Exploration: https://exploration.io/exploration-weekly-spotify-greenroom-launches-crb-sets-webcasters-royalty-rate-average-services-per-user-falls-for-first-time/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/exploration.io/
Twitter: twitter.com/explorationio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/exploration/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC80DStgkJmdD_g8e8HCscbg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Exploration-233113100184682
SoundCloud:https://soundcloud.com/helloexploration
PodBean:explorationgroup.podbean.com/  
#SpotifyGreenroom #CRB #Webcasters #VideoStreaming #ExplorationWeekly #MusicIndustryNews

 

 

 

Exploration Audio Newsletter - June 11, 2021

The NMPA filed a new copyright infringement lawsuit against online-game company Roblox, alleging the platform allows unauthorized use of songs without paying rights holders. They are seeking monetary damages of at least $200 million. Roblox responded back on Thursday, saying that the lawsuit misunderstands how it operates.

On June 8, members of the American Law Institute (ALI) voted on a part of its “restatement” of US copyright law. Music creator advocacy organizations like Songwriters of North America (SONA) and Black Music Action Coalition wrote a letter urging them to vote against it, voicing their concerns that the new changes may “diminish the rights of creators”.

YouTube Shorts rolled out globally in the UK, Canada, and Latin America with a crucial new feature that allows creators to sample and repurpose audio from existing YouTube videos. Before the update, creators were only able to sample audio from other Shorts videos, and pull songs from YouTube’s licensed music library.

Exploration: https://exploration.io/exploration-weekly-nmpa-sues-roblox-for-copyright-infringement-music-advocates-call-out-copyright-restatement-yt-shorts-rolls-out-globally/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/exploration.io/
Twitter: twitter.com/explorationio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/exploration/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC80DStgkJmdD_g8e8HCscbg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Exploration-233113100184682
SoundCloud:https://soundcloud.com/helloexploration
PodBean:explorationgroup.podbean.com/  

#NMPA #Roblox #Copyright #YTShorts #ExplorationWeekly #MusicIndustryNews

Exploration Audio Newsletter - June 4, 2021

YouTube’s head of music Lyor Cohen announced in a recent blog post that the company paid out more than $4 billion in royalties to artists, songwriters, and rights-holders over the past twelve months. He also added that it added more paid members to its streaming service in Q1 2021 than in any other quarter since launch.

Live streaming platform Twitch was hit with new copyright infringement claims from music publishers last week over the use of copyrighted music played in the background of recorded VODs (on-demand videos). The company stated that it believes that music publishers used automated tools to identify the copyrighted music in its users’ clips, and says it expects there will likely be more DMCA takedown notices on the way.

The House Judiciary Committee is requesting more information regarding Spotify’s new feature “Discovery Mode,” which lets artists and labels agree to take a lower royalty rate on certain tracks in exchange for higher priority in its algorithms. In a letter to Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek, Rep. Jerry Nadler and Rep. Hank Johnson, Jr. expressed their concerns that the program could lead to lower pay for artists and fewer choices for consumers.

Exploration: https://exploration.io/exploration-weekly-yt-paid-out-4b-to-music-biz-music-pubs-hit-twitch-with-dmca-takedown-notices-congress-questions-spotifys-discovery-mode/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exploration.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/explorationio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exploration
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC80DStgkJmdD_g8e8HCscbg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Exploration.io
SoundCloud:https://soundcloud.com/helloexploration
PodBean:https://explorationgroup.podbean.com/ 

#MusicBiz #YouTube #Twitch #DMCA #Spotify #ExplorationWeekly #MusicIndustryNews

Exploration Audio Newsletter - May 28, 2021

TikTok Radio is now coming to SiriusXM this summer as a full-time music channel, available in vehicles and as a streaming channel on the SiriusXM app, desktop, and all connected devices. Subsidiary Pandora will also be launching a TikTok Tastemakers series - a selection of exclusively hosted playlists featuring TikTok creators who will take listeners through their favorite songs with additional commentary.

Germany’s parliament recently passed EU copyright reforms on May 20, sparking a controversy that the move could potentially make it harder for music rights holders to agree to future license deals with sites like TikTok and Triller. The decision was made as part of the European Union’s Copyright Directive. The European Parliament approved the Directive in 2019, with the 27 member states of the European Union given two years to adopt its terms into national law.

Universal Music Group (UMG) announced this week that it will no longer be accepting letters of directions (LODs) for the sale of royalty streams, according to Billboard. UMG will now only pay artists and their creative collaborators, and any investors buying the rights to a percentage of that income will need to come to their own arrangements with creators to receive the royalties. The policy does not apply to publishing deals.

Exploration: https://exploration.io/exploration-weekly-tiktok-radio-joins-siriusxm-germany-approves-eu-copyright-reforms-umg-no-longer-accepting-lods-for-royalty-sales/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exploration.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/explorationio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exploration
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC80DStgkJmdD_g8e8HCscbg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Exploration.io
SoundCloud:https://soundcloud.com/helloexploration
PodBean:https://explorationgroup.podbean.com/  

#TikTok #SiriusXM #EUcopyright #UMG #LODS #ExplorationWeekly #MusicIndustryNews

Exploration Audio Newsletter - May 20, 2021

Apple Music reported this week that starting next month, users will be able to stream lossless audio across its entire 75 million song catalog on its basic Apple Music subscription tier.

Around the same time of the announcement, Amazon's high-fidelity streaming service, Amazon Music HD, is now available to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers at no extra cost. The HD tier has more than 70 million lossless CD-quality songs in HD and over 7 million “Ultra HD” songs, which are effectively studio masters. It previously cost $14.99 a month while the Unlimited tier is $9.99 a month.

According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) at its annual Podcast Upfront, podcast revenue in the US is expected to exceed $1 billion in 2021 and reach $2 billion by 2023. The study, commissioned by PricewaterhouseCoopers, showed that the podcast industry’s ad spend reached $842 million in 2020, a 19% year-over-year increase from 2019’s $708 million.

Exploration: https://exploration.io/exploration-weekly-apple-music-and-amazon-music-launch-lossless-audio-option-us-podcast-revenue-expected-to-hit-2-billion-in-2023/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exploration.io/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/explorationio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC80DStgkJmdD_g8e8HCscbg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Exploration.io/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/helloexploration
PodBean: https://explorationgroup.podbean.com/  

#AppleMusic #AmazonMusic #LosslessAudio #USPodcast #MusicIndustryReport #ExplorationWeekly  

 

Exploration Audio Newsletter - May 14, 2021

YouTube recently announced its new $100 million “Shorts Fund” that will be distributed to any creators using short-form TikTok rival YouTube Shorts during 2021-2022. The new feature was launched in beta last September in India, and is now available in the US starting from March.

According to parent company Vivendi, Universal Music Group (UMG) will be publicly listed on the Amsterdam Euronext market “before or by” September 27. Vivendi’s market value for UMG on Wednesday counted 32.4 billion euros ($39.11 billion).

Disney+ now has 103.6 million subscribers, says Walt Disney Co., which recently reported total revenue of $15.6 billion in its latest Q2 2021 earnings announcement. The company faced a 44% decline in its theme parks and experiences division to $3.2 billion. However, it plans to spend about $1 billion this year on enhanced safety measures and regulatory issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploration: https://exploration.io/exploration-we...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exploration...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/explorationio
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/4821...
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC80DStgkJmdD...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Exploration.io/
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/helloexploration
PodBean:https://explorationgroup.podbean.com/

#YouTubeShorts #Vivendi #Disney #MusicIndustryReport #ExplorationWeekly

Exploration Audio Newsletter - May 7, 2021

The European Commission launched an anti-trust investigation into Apple’s App Store rules last year and recently published its preliminary findings on April 30, telling Apple that it has “abused its dominant position for the distribution of music streaming apps through its App Store'' and “distorted competition in the music streaming market”. Apple now has the opportunity to examine the findings and respond in writing to argue its case.

YouTube Shorts will roll out to all creators in the US as of next week, meaning that all creators will now have access to the Shorts camera, which comes complete with a full suite of proprietary editing tools. The feature will also be replacing the “Explore” tab in the YouTube mobile app.

Although new subscriber additions, acquisitions, and investments were part of many factors that contributed to the streaming boom in 2020, the reopening of theaters and music venues during the post-vaccination stage in 2021 is expected to slow growth and adjust expectations for streaming services like Spotify and Netflix.

Exploration: https://exploration.io/exploration-weekly-eu-accuses-apple-in-anti-trust-investigation-yt-shorts-available-to-all-us-creators-streaming-growth-expected-to-slow-in-2021/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/exploration.io/
Twitter: twitter.com/explorationio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/exploration/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC80DStgkJmdD_g8e8HCscbg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Exploration-233113100184682
SoundCloud:@helloexploration
PodBean:explorationgroup.podbean.com/ 

#EU #Apple #YTShorts #Streaming #MusicIndustryReport #ExplorationWeekly