RIAA Report Shows Streaming Growth In 2013

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riaa revenueThe RIAA has released its 2013 Year End Shipment and Revenue Numbers report.

In 2013, strong growth in streaming revenues contributed to a US music industry that was stable overall at $7 billion for the fourth consecutive year. The report shows the continuing emergence of streaming music models as meaningful contributors to industry revenues.
According to the RIAA an increase in digital sales was driven by streaming music services, which at $1.4 billion were up 39 percent over 2012.
streaming revenue
Paid subscription services grew the fastest of the digital formats, up 57 percent to $628 million in 2013. Growth came not just in dollars, but also in the number of subscribers.
Revenues from permanent digital downloads (including albums, single tracks, videos, and kiosk sales) declined 1.0 percent to $2.8 billion.
Shipments in physical formats continued to decline in 2013, overall down 12 percent in value from $2.8 billion in 2012 to $2.4 billion in 2013.
Click to download the full report.

Pandora Leads Streaming Services

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Statista-Infographic_1982_music-streaming-services-in-the-united-states-

Graph by Statista.

Pandora is the most used music streaming service in the U.S., according to Edison who polled Americans age 12 and up for its 2014 audio report, The Infinite Dial. It found that 31 percent of responders had listened to Pandora in the past month.

Coming in second on the list was iHeartRadio, which was listened to by nine percent of those polled. iTunes Radio was a close third with eight percent, followed by Spotify, Google Play, Rhapsody, Slacker and TuneIn Radio.
Pandora’s share of total U.S. radio listening in February 2014 was 8.91 percent, an increase from 8.25 percent at the same time last year. The company had 75.3 million active listeners, increase of 11 percent from the same time period last year.
Beats Music, which launched in January, is too new to be included in the chart above.
As streaming grows in popularity, Apple is pressuring labels for iTunes store exclusives.
In more streaming service news…
On-demand service Spotify has obtained a $200 million credit facility in anticipation of a speculated IPO. The company also announced the acquisition of The Echo Nest. Spotify has over 6 million paying subscribers and over 24 million active users.
Beats Music has raised about $60 million in funding from current investors Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre and Access Industries, reports Billboard. The company is in the process of acquiring TopSpin Media.

Weekly Register: Eli Young Band, David Nail

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Albums

wklyregistermarch12Overall album sales are down one percent week over week, while Country album sales are down two percent from last week, with half as many top 10 debuts by Rick Ross, Pharrell Williams, Lea Michelle and Eli Young Band.
EYB’s 10,000 Towns (Republic Nashville) debuts as the top Country album (No. 5 overall), selling 36k units (the band’s last album Life At Best sold 35k units in its debut week). The quartet recently promoted their latest project on The Today Show and will tour alongside Jake Owen in the spring. David Nail’s I’m A Fire (MCA Nashville) debuts at No. 3 (No. 13 overall), selling 23k units (the singer’s last album The Sound of a Million Dreams sold 13k units in its debut week). Nail recently announced plans to headline AT&T U-Verse’s Country Deep Tour alongside Jana Kramer.
Other noteworthy debuts include Kevin Fowler’s How Country Are Ya? (Kevin Fowler Records-Thirty Tigers) at No. 9, with 5k units sold, and Sundy Best’s Bring Up The Sun (Entertainment One) at No. 11, with 4.8k units sold.
Rapper Rick Ross’ Mastermind is the top overall album, debuting with 101k units sold. YTD, overall album sales are down 14.5 percent, while Country album sales are down 13.6 percent. The same week last year, Luke Bryan’s Crash My Party reigned as both the top overall and Country album, selling 150k units.

 Tracks

AlbumTrack031214Brantley Gilbert’s “Bottoms Up” remains the top Country track (No. 19 overall), selling 66k units (611k RTD). The top Country debut is Dan+Shay’s “What You Do To Me” at No. 24, selling 15k units. Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” endures as the top Overall track, selling another 490k units (2.6 million RTD). Coldplay’s “Magic” is the top overall debut, appearing at No. 7 with 112k units sold.
YTD, overall track sales are down 11.4 percent, while Country track sales are down 17 percent.
Next week’s numbers will include Sara Evans’ Slow Me Down, Don Williams’ Reflections, Sherry Lynn’s It’s A Beautiful Life, Matt Stillwell’s Right On Time and Cowboy Troy’s King Of Clubs. 

Spotify Eyes IPO?

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spotifyOn-demand music service Spotify may be planning an initial public stock offering. The Financial Times reports the company obtained a $200 million credit facility at the end of last year from Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs. A move like this often indicates an IPO is in the works.
Additionally, Spotify recently announced plans to purchase music intelligence platform the Echo Nest, which could lure potential investors.
• • •

shazam logo1Shazam has received a $20 million round of funding, placing the app’s total value at $500 million dollars, according to Billboard. The money could be used for the company’s growing advertising campaign.

Last month Warner Music and Shazam announced a collaboration where the label could use Shazam’s music data to discover rising artists, and sign them to a Shazam-branded label.

Beats Music Buying Topspin Media

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beatsmusic_logo_0Beats Music, the streaming service that launched in January, is acquiring artist marketing platform Topspin Media. The Artist Tools section of Beats is already integrated with Topspin, allowing artists to update their profile page with custom images and merch offers. Ian Rogers, CEO of Beats, was previously CEO of Topspin.
In today’s (March 4) blog post announcing the acquisition, Rogers wrote, “We’re committed to establishing Beats Music as a conduit for the artist-fan relationship, a platform where artists have a voice, and a provider of useful data and analytics on how fans interact with artists and their music. This acquisition puts our money where our mouth is… Over the next several months you’ll see our platform reveal many exciting new features, providing new ways to discover music and engage with your friends and the artists that create it.”
He directed Topspin artists to a blog post for more details. Rogers wrote that Beats will honor the business agreements made by Topspin and “we’ll be working with the Topspin team to find the best possible partner to handle Topspin’s ecommerce and fulfillment in the coming weeks.”
[The Beats ad below includes a clip of Brandy Clark’s “Stripes.”]

Premiere, CMT Launch 'CMT All Access With Cody Alan'

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Cody Alan 2014

Cody Alan


Premiere Networks and CMT have announced the launch of CMT All Access with Cody Alan. The one-hour, Country music and entertainment program will feature news, information and interviews with artists, along with the top Country songs. Available to Country music stations beginning the weekend of March 22, CMT All Access with Cody Alan will also be heard on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio mobile app, Clear Channel’s all-in-one free digital listening service.
Premiere Networks and CMT will also launch iHeartRadio CMT Updates, set to be produced and distributed twice daily, beginning Monday, March 24. The updates will launch on iHeartRadio and Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Country stations nationwide.
The weekend program and daily updates add to the robust lineup of Premiere Networks programming hosted by Alan, which includes CMT After MidNite, the highly-acclaimed Country music radio program reaching nearly two million weekly listeners on more than 200 radio stations, as well as the award-winning nightly program CMT Radio Live with Cody Alan. All three programs, as well as the daily updates, will originate from the CMT studio in Nashville.

Weekly Register: It's Time For Church

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Albums

eric_church_outsiders_album_a_lWith CRS in full swing (click here to check out MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Awards yesterday, Feb. 18), overall album sales are up 20 percent from last week, while Country album sales are up 88 percent week over week. Eric Church’s The Outsiders (EMI Nashville) is this week’s top overall and Country album, selling 288k units. Church’s latest release is his fourth studio album and second No. 1 since 2011’s Chief. Soundscan also reports it’s the biggest-selling week for a Country album since Luke Bryan‘s Crash My Party sold 528k units in August 2013. CRS attendees can check out Church’s performance during CRS today, Feb. 19. Additionally, Frankie Ballard’s Sunshine & Whiskey (Warner Bros.) debuts at No. 5 (No. 35 overall) selling 11k units, and Dylan Scott’s self-titled debut album (Curb) debuts at No. 50, selling 1.2k units.
YTD, both overall and Country album sales are down 15.9 percent. Around the same time last year, Mumford and Sons’ Babel was the top overall album, selling 185k units, while Taylor Swift’s RED reigned as the No. 1 Country album, selling 72k units.

Tracks

tracksalbumsThe top Country track is Brantley Gilbert’s “Bottoms Up” (No. 23 overall), selling 61k units (415k RTD). Meanwhile, both the top and overall Country debut is Miranda Lambert’s “Automatic,” coming in at No. 3 Country (No. 29 overall), with 51k units sold.
Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” is the top overall track, selling 329k units this week (1.3 million RTD). YTD, overall track sales are down 11.8 percent, while Country track sales are down 17.7 percent. Around the same time last year, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” was the top overall track, selling 316k units, while Hunter Hayes’ “Wanted” stood as the No. 1 Country track with 85k units sold.
Next week’s numbers will include MusicRow inaugural Challenge Coin winner Cole Swindell’s self-titled debut album.

Weekly Register: Eric Paslay's Noteworthy Debut

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Albums

eric paslay111Both overall and Country album sales are down 3 percent from last week. Eric Paslay’s self-titled debut album (EMI Nashville) debuts at No. 4 (No. 31 overall), selling 11k units. Paslay is one of many artists scheduled to perform at the 2014 Stagecoach Country Music Festival in April. Meanwhile, indie artist Whiskey Meyers’ Early Morning Shakes (Wiggy Thump Records) debuts at No. 10 (No. 54 overall), selling 5.8k units, while The Haden Triplets’ self-titled album (Third Man Records) debuts at No. 67, with 551 units sold.
Two albums are enjoying a noteworthy surge in sales this week. Sales for Vince Gill and Paul Franklin’s Bakersfield soared 88 percent this week (3.2k last week, 6.1k this week), jumping to No. 7 on the chart (No. 47 overall) with 56k units sold RTD. Additionally, sales for Bruno Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox continue to rise following the singer’s Super Bowl XLVII halftime performance, increasing 92 percent this week (42k last week, 81k this week), moving to No. 3 with more than 2 million units sold RTD.
Florida Georgia Line’s Here’s To The Good Times is the top Country album (No. 19 overall), selling 14k units this week and 1.6 million RTD. Now 49 by Various Artists is the top overall album, debuting with 98k units sold. In comparison, Now 48 sold 114k units when it debuted in November 2013. YTD, overall album sales are down 14.8 percent, while Country album sales are down 20 percent. Around the same time last year, Josh Groban’s All That Echoes debuted, selling 145k units, while Tim McGraw’s Two Lanes of Freedom debuted, selling 107k units.

Tracks

AlbumsTracksBrantley Gilbert’s “Bottoms Up” is the top Country track this week (No. 28 overall), selling 49k units (354k RTD). The top Country debut is MusicRow’s inaugural Challenge Coin winner Cole Swindell, whose single “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey” debuts at No. 6 (No. 44 overall), with 34k units sold.
Katy Perry and Juicy’s “Dark Horse” reigns over the competition, remaining at No. 1 with another 291k units sold this week (2.9 million RTD). YTD, overall track sales are down 11.4 percent, while Country track sales are down 17.1 percent. Around the same time last year, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” sold 300k units (2.6 million RTD), while McGraw and Taylor Swift’s “Highway Don’t Care” debuted with 86k units sold.
Next week’s numbers will include Eric Church’s The Outsiders, Frankie Ballard’s Sunshine & Whiskey and  The Civil Wars’ Between the Bars.

Susan Wojcicki To Lead YouTube

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Susan Wojcicki

Susan Wojcicki


YouTube is getting a new boss. Susan Wojcicki is moving from her role as Google SVP of Advertising to head of the Google video site. The change signals YouTube’s focus on increasing ad revenue. Wojcicki succeeds Salar Kamangar.
YouTube and the music industry are closely intertwined, given the significant number of music videos on the site.
Google Chief Executive Larry Page confirmed the appointment with this statement: “Salar and the whole YouTube team have built something amazing. YouTube is a billion-person global community curating videos for every possibility. Anyone uploading their creative content can reach the whole world and even make money. Like Salar, Susan has a healthy disregard for the impossible and is excited about improving YouTube.”
YouTube has 1 billion monthly visitors. It brought in about $5.6 billion in ad revenue last year, and netted $1.96 billion—an increase of 66 percent over the previous year (eMarketer). Nielsen is now on board measuring online video views.
Wojcicki was a driving force behind Google’s $1.65 billion acquisition of YouTube in 2006.
• • •
In more tech news, Facebook rolled out a new iPhone app, Paper, on Monday (Feb. 3). It offers more news in the news feeds and minimagazines on a variety of topics. Editors curate articles and blog posts for Paper.

Weekly Register: Sales Surge Following Grammys, Super Bowl

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Albums

Musgraves accepts the Grammy for Country Album of the Year.

Musgraves accepts the Grammy for Country Album of the Year.


Both overall and Country album sales are up this week, with the former up eight percent from last week and the latter up six percent week over week. The Grammys and Super Bowl XLVIII have raised this week’s numbers and propelled sales for several artists. Double Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves’ Same Trailer, Different Park (Mercury Nashville) is the top Country album (No. 12 overall), rising 177 percent from last week (9.8k units last week, 27k units this week), selling 342k units RTD. Additionally, Grammy winner Lorde’s Pure Heroine rose 86 percent, landing at No. 3 overall, while Imagine Dragons’ Night Visions rose 65 percent, jumping to No. 8 overall. Finally, sales for The 2014 Grammy Nominees Album by Various Artists rose 47 percent, sitting at No. 2 overall.
Sunday (Feb. 2) night’s Super Bowl XLVII halftime show boosted sales for performer Bruno Mars and accompanying performers Red Hot Chili Peppers. Sales for Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox increased 180 percent, taking him from No. 18 to No. 7 overall with 42k units sold this week (1.9 million RTD). Mars’ sales also benefited from the singer winning the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. Meanwhile, Red Hot Chili Peppers are enjoying a red hot surge in sales following their performance alongside Mars on Sunday, with their Greatest Hits album rising 445 percent in sales, selling 8k units this week (2.2 million RTD). Past halftime performers, including Beyonce (2013), Madonna (2012) and Black Eyed Peas (2011) have all enjoyed a rise in sales following the Super Bowl.
Although artists across genres enjoyed sales boosts this week, Frozen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Various Artists remains No. 1, selling another 93k units (863k RTD). YTD, overall album sales are down 13.2 percent, while Country album sales are down 16.5 percent.

Tracks

Hunter Hayes’ “Invisible” is the top Country track this week (swelling from No. 47 to No. 17 overall with a 164 percent rise in sales), selling 91k units (126k RTD). The top Country debut (No. 33 overall) is Eric Church’s “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young,” selling 49k units. Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow” continues to rise, moving to No. 2 (No. 26 overall) with sales up 98 percent from last week.
Katy Perry and Juicy’s “Dark Horse” remains the top overall track, selling 373k units this week and 2.6 million RTD. YTD, overall track sales are down 11 percent, while Country track sales are down 15.4 percent.
Next week’s numbers will include Suzy Bogguss’ Lucky, and debut albums from Eric Paslay and The Haden Triplets.