From Soundcloud’s impressive royalty payments to Lizzo’s Roblox debut, we’ve gathered all the music news fit to print this week.
April is ending on a high note this week, as dozens of incredible artists flood new music Friday with exciting releases that will inspire waves of creativity worldwide. One could argue every new music Friday accomplishes that feat, but something about this week feels special. Maybe it’s the way we watched the world’s richest man spend the equivalent of the US budget for fighting climate change to purchase Twitter, but there is a feeling in the air that anything is possible—as long as you have several billion to spare, of course.
As for us, we’re hard at work on the biggest developments in company history. The bosses tell us we cannot spill the beans, but believe us when we say the future is bright.
We cannot ease your workload or give you more hours in the day, but we can help you stay informed. Below you’ll find the biggest stories of the week, all covered by the best outlets in tech and entertainment. Click around, learn what’s happening, and use the weekend to prepare for the end of the month.
But let’s be honest. There is no way we can hope to cover everything that happens. If you see a headline we missed that people need to know, please do not hesitate to send james@haulix.com an email. We’ll include your links in the next update.
The Need To Know Music News of The Week
Over 75% of artists on Spotify have less than 35 monthly listeners
Spotify loves to promote having 8 million creators on its platform, but Music Business Worldwide has learned some startling truths about the activity of those musicians. Notably, the site found that only 21.6% of all artists on the app have more than 50 monthly listeners, and only 7% have more than 1,000.
Lizzo and GAYLE will perform in ‘Roblox’ for the Song Breaker Awards
Logitech has announced its second annual Logitech Song Breaker Awards will be hosted in Roblox and will feature a performance by Lizzo.
The Song Breaker Awards will premiere in Roblox on Saturday, April 30, and will be hosted by YouTuber and TikTok entertainer Bretman Rock, along with multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Lizzo, who will debut her metaverse performance.
“I’m excited to be making my metaverse debut with Logitech and to be performing ‘Special,’ which is a song that means so much to me,” said Lizzo. “As a musician and creator, I love that [the] Logitech Song Breaker Awards show recognizes the unique talent of all creators, and how each of them are making an impact on pop culture and music.”
Warner Music launching podcast network Interval Presents
Warner Music Group has launched a podcast network that will include a slate of shows hosted by Lupita Nyong’o, Jason Derulo and Billy Mann. Called Interval Presents, the network is led by Allan Coye, WMG’s senior vp digital strategy and business development, and will focus on developing podcasts with subjects at the intersections of music, pop culture and social impact, the company said on Tuesday.
Nyong’o’s podcast, produced by Snap Judgment, will explore the African diaspora through the lens of nonfiction storytelling. Derulo will star in a fictional romance show with noir influences, while Mann will speak with other artists about failure and overcoming adversity.
WMG has also partnered with Snap Judgment, Awfully Nice and Double Elvis to create content for the podcast network. Upcoming podcasts will include a series from Double Elvis that explores the impact communities of color have had on entertainment mediums like radio, print and TV, while another series from the production company will tell the history of major Warner Music artists like Aretha Franklin.
Soundcloud announces ‘Fan-Powered Friday’ Event
To celebrate one year of their fan-powered platform, SoundCloud is launching ‘Fan-Powered Friday – a one-day event on Friday, April 29th that invites fans to stream music from their favorite independent artists all day long, and SoundCloud will double the artist’s payout — matching 100% of the revenue earned that day.
Think about that for a second. Soundcloud will match every cent earned by artists on its platform this Friday, April 29. Such an undertaking would be crazy for any label to attempt, let alone a streaming service boasting thousands of artists. Nothing like this has been attempted at such scale previously, except for Bandcamp Fridays, and even that isn’t a far comparison.
In addition to announcing Fan-Powered Friday, Soundcloud shared several data insights from the first year of their new royalties system:
- On average, independent artists earn 60% more through Fan-Powered Royalties v. the traditional pro-rata model
- Communities are feeling the love from fans: artists from scenes like Tribal House and Neo-Soul, and the collective Soulection, earned 2X more
- Fans are making an impact by supporting the artists they love: there was a 97% increase in fans contributing more than $5 to a single artist
- Fan-Powered Royalties contributed to the growth of the number of independent artists monetizing on SoundCloud by 30% (March 2021-present)
What remains to be seen is whether or not another streaming service will follow Soundcloud’s lead and offer fan-powered royalties.
Roger Daltrey says the music industry has been “stolen” from artists
Roger Daltrey has said he believes that the music industry has been “stolen” from artists during a recent interview.
Speaking to The Independent, the frontman of The Who claimed that the band’s 2019 studio album ‘WHO’ left him £10,000 out of pocket. “Musicians cannot earn a living in the record industry anymore,” Daltrey told the publication.
“That is ridiculous, and they’re being robbed blind by streaming and the record companies, because the old deals with record companies that existed in the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties, they’re still working on the same percentage breaks.”
SONG OF THE WEEK: Caliban – “Alien”
