Major Labels Buy Stakes In Shazam

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shazam_logo2Three major labels are purchasing small stakes in Shazam as it prepares for an IPO, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Warner Music Group owner Access Industries, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment are each buying $3 million stakes in the company which is valued at $500 million.
Shazam is an app that helps users identify the music they hear playing from an outside source, such as from radio or television. Users can also share the song on social media, or go to another service to purchase or stream it.
Earlier this year, Warner and Shazam entered a partnership to discover new artists through the app and sign them to a joint record label.

Hunter Hayes Slides Into No. 1

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hunter hayes storyline111Hunter Hayes scored a big debut week with his second full-length studio set Storyline selling 69K units. This places the WMN project at the top of the Country album chart, at No. 3 on the overall album chart and No. 1 on the overall digital album chart. Storyline sold 57 percent digital (39K).
The high-energy 22-year-old celebrated the release by breaking a Guinness World Record for most concerts played in multiple cities in 24 hours. He zipped through 10 shows in 10 cities in 24 hours, on a mission to end child hunger with support from ConAgra Foods.
[To show how sales have entered free-fall in the last 12 months, consider Lady A’s debut of Golden on this week last year. That release by a superstar act sold 167K.]
Country album sales experienced a 23 percent increase week-over-week, thanks to sales from Hayes and Mother’s Day shoppers.
The Music of Nashville Season 2, Volume 2 (Big Machine Records) debuted with 17K as the show was renewed for season 3.
Check back next week for debut week numbers from Rascal Flatts and Dolly Parton.
WeeklyRegister051414

Apple of My Eye: iPhone 6, OS X 10.10

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appleProduction of Apple’s iPhone 6 is underway according to MacRumors. The 4.7-inch device is scheduled to launch in September.
Additionally, Apple is prepping the push of a new operating system. Mac OS X 10.10 will feature a complete redesign, reports 9to5mac.com.
Last week news broke that Apple is eyeing a $3.2 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics, signaling a growing interest in music streaming. The New York Times examines the significance of the purchase.
 

Weekly Register: Country Music Market Share

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WeeklyReg050714With no big Country album debuts, and Luke Bryan and the Frozen soundtrack still sitting tight at the top of their respective album charts, there isn’t much excitement in sales land today.
On the tracks front, Brantley Gilbert debuted “My Baby’s Guns and Roses,” selling 52K.
Let’s check in on how Country is faring overall.
Market share: Country album market share is holding steady, while Country track sales are losing ground.
Country album market share is on par with this time last year at about 12 percent.
Country’s percentage of all digital albums sold is 9.3 percent, which is also in line with this week last year.
The Country track share of overall track sales is down from 12.9 percent last year to 11.9 percent this year.
Digital percentage: When buying albums, Country fans are buying 34.4 percent digital, up slightly from 32 percent this time last year. By comparison, purchases of overall albums are 44.7 percent digital, up slightly from 43.2 percent last year.
 

Brad Turcotte Joins UMG Nashville

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Brad Turcotte

Brad Turcotte


Universal Music Group Nashville has tapped Brad Turcotte to join the company as Vice President of Marketing. He will report to Senior Vice President of Marketing Cindy Mabe and will oversee brand partnerships, music supervision for film and TV, international marketing, and general marketing strategy duties for Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville.
Most recently, Turcotte oversaw International for Big Machine Label Group and worked with artists including Florida Georgia Line, Justin Moore, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Reba and Tim McGraw. Previously, he was an Executive Vice President at Music World (former management representing Beyonce and Destiny’s Child). Turcotte joined Music World after selling his record label, Compadre Records, to Mathew Knowles in February 2007. Turcotte started Compadre in 2001 while earning his law degree in Houston. Turcotte is a graduate of Belmont University and is a two-term Governor of the Texas Chapter of NARAS.
“I have respected Brad’s accomplishments, great relationships and strategic mind from afar, therefore, I am extremely excited to have him join the UMG Nashville marketing team where he can unleash his skills on our incredible roster of talent, both domestically and abroad,” shares Cindy Mabe. “He is such a great talent and I know he will take our artists and music to wider audiences and bigger platforms.”
“I am grateful to Mike Dungan and Cindy Mabe for welcoming me into an extremely talented label team that supports an impressive roster of artists,” shares Turcotte. “As a music fan, I have admired their work for a very long time, and it is an honor to help extend their footprint within the United States and abroad.” Universal Music Group Nashville is home to artists including Alan Jackson, Darius Rucker, Eric Church, George Strait, Jennifer Nettles, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town and Luke Bryan.
Turcotte can be reached at [email protected] and (615) 269-2085.

Q1 Reports: Amazon, Pandora, SiriusXM

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siriusSiriusXM adds subscribers 
SiriusXM announced first quarter 2014 financial and operating results.
Net subscriber additions in the first quarter of 2014 were 266,799. The total paid subscriber base reached a record 25.8 million, up 6% from the prior year.
Revenue was $998 million, up 11% from the first quarter 2013 revenue of $897 million.
Adjusted net income was $121 million, a 46% increase over $83 million in last year’s first quarter.
• • •
amazon112310Big sales, small profit for Amazon
Amazon.com’s net sales increased 23% to $19.74 billion in the first quarter, compared with $16.07 billion in first quarter 2013.
Profit increased to $108 million in the first quarter, compared with $82 million in first quarter 2013.
Amazon introduced Fire TV, a tiny box that plugs into HDTVs for access to Netflix, Prime Instant Video, Hulu Plus, WatchESPN, Showtime Anytime, video rentals, and HBO Go by year-end. Video streams on Prime Instant Video nearly tripled year over year.
• • • •
pandora-logoDespite increased revenue, Pandora lands in the red
For the first quarter of 2014, Pandora’s total revenue was $194.3 million, a 69% year-over-year increase. Advertising revenue was $140.6 million, a 45% year-over-year increase, driven greatly by mobile advertising.
The company recorded a $28.9 million net loss, giving it another quarter in the red.
Total listener hours grew 12% to 4.80 billion for the first quarter of 2014, compared to 4.26 billion for the same period last year. Active listeners were 75.3 million at the end of March 2014, an increase of 8% from the same period last year.

Weekly Register: Spring Break In Sales Land

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Needtobreathe

Needtobreathe

jessie james

It’s so slow in sales land, chart watchers may as well go on spring break. Just be sure to return from the beach in time for upcoming major releases by Hunter Hayes (May 6), Rascal Flatts (May 13), Brantley Gilbert (May 19) and Miranda Lambert (June 3).
In the meantime, Word Label Group’s Needtobreathe brought a breath of life with its debut of Rivers In The Wasteland selling 49k (80% digital) this week.
The Country digital EP from reality star Jessie James Decker entered with 11k via 19 Recordings. Her TV show follows the escapades of her and hubby Eric Decker of the Denver Broncos.
WeeklyRegister042314The new live album from Randy Rogers Band moved 5.3k.
Dustin Lynch’s “Where It’s At” roped in 34k downloads to become the week’s top new country track.
Luke Bryan hangs on to the No. 1 Country track and album spots. He sold 105k of “Play It Again” for a RTD total of 725k, and 33k of Crash My Party for a RTD total of 1.806 million.
Rounding out the Country Top 5 albums list: Florida Georgia Line (19k), Eric Church (18k), Johnny Cash (13k), and Jessie James Decker (11k).
The Frozen soundtrack has been frozen at the top of the album chart for weeks (259k this week, 2.335 million RTD). And Pharrell Williams couldn’t be happier that “Happy” is sitting tight at No. 1 on the tracks list (274k this week, 4.5 million RTD).
 

Music Supervisor Events at Nashville Film Festival

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naffTop music supervisors from across the country will be in Nashville for three panels on music licensing as part of the Nashville Film Festival. The panels include Music Licensing 2014, Advertising: Music’s New Radio, and Song Stories. They are scheduled for April 24 and 25 and are open to the public. Tickets and details at www.nashvillefilmfestival.org.
Panelists scheduled to appear include Sue Jacobs (music supervisor, American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook), JT Griffith (Nike, in-house music supervisor), Frank Palazzolo (music supervisor, Parenthood, About A Boy, Twisted), David Rockwood (GSD&M, music supervisor), Jennifer Reeve (music supervisor, Boardwalk Empire, Behind The Candelabra), Aaron Mercer (Wool & Tusk, music supervisor and artist partnerships), Sam Walsh (Team One, Executive Producer), Paul Logan (VH1, music supervisor, original programming) and Anastasia Brown (Format Entertainment, music supervisor, It’s Complicated, Footloose, Taken).
The supervisors will detail why they choose the music they do for films, television, and advertising, and offer inside information for artists, writers, labels and publishers on the best approaches to getting their music licensed.
Music supervisors are hired by directors to establish the music direction for a film or television show, find the music and license the right to use it. Advertising agency music producers fill a similar role in the advertising and branding world. According to NaFF, the supervisors and producers typically negotiate an upfront fee to be paid to the music owner for the right to use the music, with additional income earned from radio and television performances collected through ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.
“You’ve likely seen the work of our panelists if you’ve seen a movie, television show or ad this year, from American Hustle to Nike and Lexus to Parenthood. The supervisors coming to the festival are creating award-winning work we all see every day,” says Jim Scherer, President of Whizbang Music and a Nashville Film Festival board member. “It is a rare opportunity to have them all together in a room and tap into that kind of inside information.”
The Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) runs through April 26 and is presented by Nissan North America.
Also, new this year is NaFF Downtown at Walk of Fame Park, offering free films nightly through Sat., April 26. More here.

AT&T's GigaPower Could Be Zooming In To Nashville

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attAT&T U-verse with GigaPower service might be coming to Nashville. Music City is among 21 metropolitan areas the company is looking in to.
Already available in Austin and coming to Dallas this summer, AT&T U-verse with GigaPower services include Internet speeds reaching up to 1 Gigabit per second. At this speed, AT&T reports users can download an HD online movie in less than 36 seconds, download 25 songs in one second, and download a TV show in less than 3 seconds. It also means access to TV services that include the most advanced AT&T Total Home DVR with more HD TV streams to record and watch multiple shows simultaneously, plus greater DVR storage capacity.
AT&T says it will work with local leaders in these 21 markets to discuss ways to bring the service to their communities. Communities that have suitable network facilities, and show the strongest investment cases based on anticipated demand and the most receptive policies will influence these future selections.
On Feb. 19, 2014, Google announced it was also investigating the expansion of its Google Fiber network to Nashville. With an Internet connection 100 times faster than traditional broadband service, Google is exploring options in nine U.S. metropolitan cities, including Nashville, Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, Atlanta, San Antonio, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Portland and the San Jose and South Bay areas. Google Fiber is currently offered in Provo, Utah, and Kansas City. Construction has begun in Austin.

Weekly Register: Everlasting Diva—Martina Sings To The Top Again

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everlasting11Martina McBride’s independent release Everlasting sold 21k and debuted as the No. 1 Country album this week.
The top debut overall goes to MercyMe, selling 26k of Welcome To The New (Fair Trade).
[To show the free-fall in sales land: During this week last year, the No. 1 country album was Brad Paisley’s then-new Wheelhouse, with sales of 100k, compared to 21k garnering the No. 1 spot this year.]
Other Country debuts this week include Carlene Carter’s Carter Girl with 1.4k, available on Rounder.
MusicRow critic Robert K. Oermann recently raved about the new sets from McBride and Carter, which were both produced by Don Was and released the same day.
mercymeRonnie Dunn’s Peace Love and Country Music on his own Little Will-E Records, in partnership with Country Outfitter, sold 958k.
The ACM Awards yielded small sales bumps this week for a few performers. Co-host Luke Bryan saw a 24 percent increase week-to-week on downloads of “Play It Again,” selling 108k TW and 620k RTD.
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill debuted “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” on the show, which entered the chart at No. 9 Country, selling 33k.
Miranda Lambert, George Strait and Paisley saw slight boosts. Lambert’s “Automatic” sold 51k TW, a 63 percent rise for 237k RTD. Strait’s “I Got A Car” sold 21k TW, a 69 percent lift for 125k RTD. Paisley’s “River Bank” moved 21k, a 375 percent increase for 25k RTD.

Carlene Carter visit

Carlene Carter treated “MusicRow” staffers to a performance of tunes from “Carter Girl.”