Music Publishing News Roundup 10.23.2015: Wix Launches Artist Tools • Apple Music • Soundcloud Lawsuit Options
This week, web development platform Wix launched a DIY product suite to cater to up-and-coming musicians by providing a new platform to sell, distribute, and share their music.
The all-new Wix Music 2.0 provides a wide variety of features including the Wix music player- a utility for artists to present their music for downloads, streaming, and previews. Some additional features include distribution to music streaming sites and online music stores such as ITunes, as well as social marketing programs and communication resources to connect with fans online. Liat Karpel Gurwitz, head of strategic marketing at Wix, boasted “It’s going to change the whole way artists can function online and manage their digital presence.”
Following the free-trial period with the release of Apple Music, the streaming service has recruited roughly 60% of it’s initial users as paying subscribers according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. This means the service now has 6.5 million paying users with an additional 8.5 million users currently trying out the three-month free trial. Despite trailing the number of paid Spotify subscribers, Apple Music has risen to become the second largest streaming service only four months after it’s launch.
Amidst the recent lawsuit brought against SoundCloud by PRS, the CEO Mark Lawrence of AFEM (The Association for Electronic Music) explained the potential opportunity “to set a key precedent for the quality and quantity of data in the music industry”. While AEFM supports PRS in the suit against SoundCloud (valued at $1.4 billion) with the need to pay out royalties, Lawrence explains “Any licence between PRS For Music and SoundCloud will be a hollow victory for our writers and publishers if royalties are not paid out on a ‘per play’ basis.” Lawrence also discussed the significance of “a steady erosion in the data needed to accurately pay out digital streaming revenue.”
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