Weekly Register: Lonely Release Schedule Seeks Superstar

One of the music industry’s hottest topics is the fight over streaming royalty rates. The battle between webcasters (namely Pandora) and content rights holders is making headlines daily. It is a complex issue, but put simply, Pandora is seeking a lower royalty rate, while copyright owners and creators are fighting for higher payments, arguing that the current rate is already too low. Nashville tech guru Jay Frank breaks down the argument in a new blog post called Pandora Royalties: The Real Answer.
Today’s news about the stand-off includes Pandora and UMPG making a short-term deal that is reportedly the highest rate the Internet webcaster has ever paid to the music publishing sector. Meanwhile, another player in the streaming music space, Slacker CEO Jim Cady, talks about his business with the LA Times.
• • • •
Focusing on Nashville, the album release schedule is in a summer slump. With no country debuts this week, the year-to-date sales tally continued to slip, and is only up .4 percent from 2012. The next sales star on the docket is Luke Bryan’s Aug. 13 release Crash My Party (Capitol Nashville). Expect the release line-up to gain momentum this fall, as we head into the all-important holiday sales season.
On the tracks front this week, Eli Young Band flew to the top of the all-genre and country lists with new single “Drunk Last Night” selling 53k. Year-to-date, country single sales are up 10.7 percent.
FGL hangs in the top spots on the album and singles charts. With this week’s 204k in sales, the single is cruising to the 5 million mark. And 30 weeks after release, Here’s To The Good Times is still moving about 31k units per week to lead the country albums ranking. Also showing longevity is Hunter Hayes, who 90 weeks post-debut, landed at No. 3 with sales of 19k. Rounding out the top five are recent projects by Blake Shelton (No. 2, 22k), Darius Rucker (No. 4, 18k) and Lady A (No. 5, 12k).
While many Music City denizens will be high tailing it out of town this holiday weekend, those staying close to home can enjoy downtown’s 4th of July Let Freedom Sing! event tomorrow at The Lawn at Riverfront Park with The Band Perry, Keb’ Mo’ and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.