Oakland, CA — Get all of your music news updates with Remix Your Life’s latest “5 Things You Missed in Music Business News.” Things are constantly changing in the music industry and it’s important to stay on top of trends and news updates, especially as an independent artist. We’ve got you covered with a weekly recap of the top stories you need to know.
Pop Smoke’s Whole Album 'Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon' Makes Billboard Hot 100 Chart
First things first rest in peace to the Pop! No doubt Pop Smoke's latest album SLAPS and to prove it the late artist's entire album charted on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Yes, every single song. The album also sold 251,000 units in its first week! According to Complex, the album also debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200.
Live Nation Debuts New Diversity Plan To Give More 'Director' Positions To POC
With racial injustice finally being addressed in the music industry, record labels and other companies are slowly starting to change their ways regarding equality towards POC. Entertainment company Live Nation just proposed a new plan to give 30% of their board positions to people of color by 2025. They also plan to invest $10 million dollars to programs dedicated to developing, hiring and promoting black underrepresented talent over the next two years according to CEO and president Michael Rapino. Rapino addressed in an open letter what he and Live Nation hope to accomplish in terms of creating more diversity at the company by the year 2025.
Billboard No Longer Counting Merch Bundles For Billboard 200 Chart
On Tuesday, July 14, Billboard made the announcement that they will no longer be counting the sale of artists' merchandise bundles in their charts. Whenever fans purchase shirts, tickets, hoodies or other merch they usually receive a free copy of an artist's album. Pairing merch bundles with album sales has been a big contributor to artists placing high on Billboard charts, as seen with Travis Scott, Tekashi 6ix9ine and other artists. However, some don't think it's a fair reflection on true album sales since the fan's purchasing isn't technically buying the album, they're buying merch. Additionally, physical album sales that come with digital downloads will no longer hold the same sales tally weight unless it is shipped according to The Fader. The industry is changing right before our eyes.
Steve Stoute Launches 'Select' Initiative Through UnitedMasters That Gives Independent Artists 100% Of Their Royalties
As independent artists struggle to collect their full piece of the pie from their royalties, UnitedMasters founder, Steve Stoute just made the process easier. Based out of San Francisco, the initiative is aimed to help up-and-coming artists build their brands up on streaming platforms such as Tidal, Spotify and many more. His platform “Select” will allow artists to upload their music directly through their iPhone or Android. They will be able to utilize promotional tools the platform offers as well as receive the rights to their masters and 100% of their royalties. The “Select” platform will cost $5 a month and will provide "its users access to deals with major corporations such as Apple, CashApp, the NBA, ESPN and more. There also won't be a limitation on distribution to major social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok," according to Hot New Hip Hop.
SoundCloud Now Offers Audio Mastering For Artists
SoundCloud just tapped in with Dolby to provide its artists/creators audio mastering which will only cost $5 per track. Pro subscribers will get three free mastered tracks per month with the additional option to purchase more masters for the lowered price of $3.99. As stated in a blog post made by SoundCloud, "Dolby’s mastering technology doesn’t just analyze your track, it critically listens to your music similar to the way an engineer would — identifying the details, the sections and musical transitions that give your song its unique story arc." If this is true this is a big win for independent creators (we all know that paying for your craft can get pricey). Let's see how this plays out.