WARNER COMMITS TO SOUNDEXCHANGE ARTIST PAYMENTS AS IT SIGNS PANDORA DEAL
Warner Music Group has, two days later than its rivals, inked a direct US-only licensing agreement with Pandora for the platform’s new run of on-demand services. MBW sources tell us that Warner’s demands over revenue share have been satisfied, and it has officially joined UMG, Sony Music and Merlin in permitting the use of its catalogue on the platform. Earlier today, Pandora announced a new, more interactive free tier, which allows users to skip ‘radio’ tracks forward and ba


The State of Black Music and Beyond: Looking Through the Rearview Mirror
[DAVID LINTON An award-winning music executive who loves to share his thoughts about the music business, politics and other social issues.] For someone who grew up loving music of all genres—especially black music—and turned that love into a career, it’s bittersweet to look at the current state of black music. Now when I look at black music, I don’t look at the creative process as much as I look at the business side. Creatively, every generation puts their stamp on music, whi

The State of Black Music and Beyond: We’ve Had Three Musical Revolutions—I Participated in One
[Jacqueline Rhinehart Founder of Organic Soul Marketing] My perspective on music and the music industry is drawn from my 30+ years in the business. I came to New York City in the fall of 1981 with the express purpose of working in the music industry―marketing and publicity, specifically. Since then, I have had a catbird’s seat in witnessing several musical revolutions: the entrance of the compact disc (CD), Napster, and most intimately, rap/hip-hop music. In all circumstances


The State of Black Music and Beyond: Where’s the Music? By Kendall A. Minter, Esq.
For the baby boomers among us, you may recall the days when we listened to music on vinyl discs: first 78 rpm, then singles on 45 rpm with albums and 12” singles on 33 rpm vinyl discs. It was cumbersome and required a bulky phonograph-record player to listen to our favorite songs. For a short spell, some enjoyed their music on eight-track tape cartridges (equipment that seems like dinosaurs today). Then came the evolution in listening with the birth of the cassette tape. More