• Independent Music Label Reveals What Streaming Services Pay Best: YouTube Looks Nice While Spotify Lags (Last Place Might Surprise)

    If you're engaged with the debate over how much streaming services such as Spotify are paying performers for their wares and want to take your business to those who reward performers most, this chart from Digital Music News might help you in your quest. The site got data from an American independent label (unnamed to protect the imprint's business interests) with a global distribution deal with a "major" digital distributor.

  • Porter Robinson Fan Created 'Worlds' Tour Movie From YouTube Footage [WATCH]

    American producer and DJ Porter Robinson released his debut artist album 'Worlds' last year to resounding fan and critical approval. It saw him leave behind the glitchy and grating electronic sounds he had become known to use for more serene melodies and slower tempos. He then took the album on tour with custom visuals and a live set-up that allowed the producer to play the songs on the fly with added wrinkles. The tour had a ton of hype and nearly every date was sold out. As you might expect with a tour like this in the social media and smartphone age, there were plenty of videos posted onto the Web -- guilty as charged -- of people's experiences at the show. One enterprising fan managed to create a whole hour and 30 minute movie, via 'YourEDM,' of fan-taken YouTube clips with nearly flawless sound matching perfectly behind it.

  • YouTube Celebrates 10th Anniversary: Psy, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and More Have Most-Viewed Videos

    It's fitting that Valentine's Day this year also coincides with the 10th anniversary of YouTube because everyone all over the world loves the video sharing platform. On Feb. 14, 2005, three former Paypal employees activated the YouTube domain name and forever changed the way people consume popular culture. The website has played a huge role in helping artists get noticed (Justin Bieber) and has become the MTV for millennials, with artists often debuting music videos through the site. It's even responsible for spreading cultural phenomenons like Psy's "Gangnam Style."

  • US Military's Twitter, YouTube Accounts Hacked by ISIS

    The United States is united with France in the notion that we will not walk in fear, but that does not mean the Muslim extremist groups are not going to do their best to generate that kind of reaction. On Monday afternoon, Jan. 12, individuals claiming to be part of the Islamic State — or ISIS — claimed responsibility immediately for hacking into the U.S. military's Central Command Twitter and YouTube accounts."ISIS is already here, we are in your PCs, in each military base," read a message posted to CENTCOM's account by the hackers. "With Allah's permission we are in CENTCOM now."Other tweets sent out from CENTCOM's account included contact information for some of the U.S.'s most high-ranking officials. That would seem to indicate that this group has indeed infiltrated far more than just a few social media accounts.

  • YouTube Subscription Service Music Key to Launch Today

    YouTube's new subscription music service, Music Key, is set to launch today, Nov. 17. The service will allow paying customers access to licensed music videos without the hassle of advertisements. Users will even be able to watch music videos without an Internet connection.MTV News points out that, like Spotify's pay model, users will pay a monthly fee of $7.99 — $9.99 after the promotional offer expires — for the service.It has been a long road for YouTube's streaming experiment, the company has been working on the project for more than a year. Many of the major labels signed licensing agreements early on with the music video giant, but indie labels were not as eager. Trade organizations representing the indies said that the deal was unfair because they were being offered less money than the major labels.Last week, the two parties reached an agreement, giving YouTube the last piece of the puzzle.

  • Bethany Mota Built an Empire by Focusing on Fans Rather Than Potential Fame

    Bethany Mota's life is pretty incredible right now. The 19-year old first took to YouTube about five years ago with a series of style videos and DIY projects that inspired a nation of tween girls. Flash-forward a few years and Mota is now one of the most successful Vlogger's ever and it's something that she already has managed to build an empire on. She has already partnered with Forever 21, JC Penney and has an exclusive clothing line at Aeropostale. In case all of that doesn't keep the stunning teen busy enough, she is currently partnered with Derek Hough on "Dancing with the Stars".

  • YouTube Reaches Agreement with Indie Labels For New Streaming Service [WATCH]

    YouTube has officially launched its long-awaited music streaming service, which has been rumored for more than a year now. They also ended their months-long dispute and signed a licensing deal with independent record companies. The deal was closed with Merlin, an organization that represents thousands of small labels worldwide, which cleared them to set up their beta version of the service and compete in the marketplace with the likes of Spotify and Pandora. The company had already reached agreements with the three major labels (Sony, Universal, and Warner), the New York Times reports. The specifics of the deal were not disclosed.

  • Adele's Manager Is Pro-Spotify: 'Streaming Is the Future'

    Adele's manager Jonathan Dickins is a music industry power mover who also represents Jack Penate, Jamie T, London Grammar and Paul Epworth, among others.The 42-year-old Brit recently shared his thoughts on Spotify and other streaming services in lieu of Taylor Swift's decision to ditch that model."Streaming is the future, whether people like it or not. Within five years it will be ubiquitous," he said at a Dublin Web Summit conference that also featured pro-Spotify speaker Bono, according to "Billboard."
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