From YouTube’s Ad Revenue to Kanye’s plans to keep ‘Donda 2‘ off streaming platforms, it’s been another crazy week in the music business.
After six weeks of uncertainty, it’s safe to say the music business is back in action at full capacity. The second full week of February has been filled with major shifts in tech, massive tour announcements, and new insight into the possibilities of Web3 that give us hope for the future of our industry.
We cannot ease your workload or give you more hours in the day, but we can help you stay informed. That is why we are thrilled to introduce This Week In Music, a brand new weekly column highlighting the best and most talked-about stories throughout the music industry. Each Friday, we will post links to various need-to-know articles and information.
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.
Just when the controversy surrounding Joe Rogan and Spotify was beginning to quiet this week, a new report from The New York Times has thrown gas on the fire. According to the story, sources inside the streaming giant now say that Rogan’s exclusivity deal was worth north of $200 million—more than $100 million more than previously reported.
Spotify notoriously pays artists roughly $0.004 per song stream. Based on that, it would take approximately 50 BILLION song streams for a musician to make that much money from Spotify.
You could also consider that 50 billion songs are streamed before Spotify pays $200 million to musicians, but the company had no issue paying one person that much for their podcast.
Kanye West will release his highly-anticipated new album Donda 2 on February 22 (2-22-22). To date, two songs allegedly off the project have found their way online (“Eazy” and “City of Gods”), but fans may have to work harder to hear the full project. According to West’s Instagram post on Thursday, February 17, Donda 2 will only be available for Kanye’s stem player.
“Donda 2 will only be available on my own platform, the Stem Player,” he wrote. “Not on Apple Amazon Spotify or YouTube. Today artists get just 12% of the money the industry makes. It’s time to free music from this oppressive system. It’s time to take control and build our own.” An order page for the Stem Player is currently live; it currently costs $200.
Snapchat is partnering with Ticketmaster to launch a new way for users to discover live entertainment events within the Snap Map, the company announced on Wednesday. The new feature will be accessible through a new in-app Mini. For context, Snap Minis are third-party programs that live inside Snapchat’s Chat section. The new “Ticketmatcher Mini” matches users with events they might be interested in based on their preferences.
To get started, users can access the Ticketmatcher Mini through the rocket icon in the Chat section of the app. From there, users will be promoted with a brief survey to gauge their interests. The app will then display suggested upcoming shows based on your preferences that you can swipe left and right to browse through. The company sees this as a reimagined dating app that pairs users with interesting events as opposed to partners.
YouTube has long been one of the leading music discovery and consumption sources. The industry loves how easy the platform makes it to stream your favorite artists and discover similar new talent. However, YouTube also offers the lowest royalty rates of any digital music service, which has been a thorn in the side of musicians and professionals alike for years.
This week, the industry got an idea of how much revenue YouTube generates from its content. According to a report from MBW, YouTube is making close to $100 million every day from ad revenue. In fact, having generated $20.21billion from ads in the first nine months of 2021 and $8.63 billion in Q4, YouTube’s total ads business across the 12 months of 2021 raked in a whopping $28.84 billion.
Remember Napster? The idea of downloading illegal MP3s of a new album when services such as Spotify and Apple Music exist may seem anachronistic in 2022. Still, piracy is a threat many continue to fear. As Forbes highlighted this week, a recent report found piracy in 2021 was up more than 15% compared to 2020, and many believe it will continue to worsen.
It must be nice to be Snoop Dogg. Not only is the living rap legend a beloved pop culture icon worldwide, but he recently celebrated the release of his twentieth studio album, bought Death Row Records, and performed during one of the most critically-acclaimed Super Bowl halftime shows of all time. That alone is worthy of celebration, but Snoop also found success this week in the metaverse. According to reports, Snoop’s “Stash Box” NFT collection, which was released alongside his album, has generated more than $40 million in sales this week. That’s going to fill a lot of doggy bags.
Song Of The Week: Simple Plan- “Ruin My Life” feat. Deryck Whibley
You have to love Trent Reznor. Thirty years into his career as Nine Inch Nails the iconic frontman continues to find new ways to subvert the norm. This time, his rebellious actions come in the form of a (much-needed) jab at the modern ticketing industry. Before being released online, tickets for Nine Inch Nails’ upcoming US tour will only be available at select ticket booths across the country. You can read a brief explanation from the band below:
WHAT? WHY? PHYSICAL WORLD PRESALE?
THE PROMISE OF A WORLD MADE BETTER BY COMPUTERS AND ONLINE CONNECTIVITY HAS FAILED US IN MANY WAYS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO TICKETING. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE PROCESS SUCKS AND EVERYONE LOSES EXCEPT THE RESELLER. WE’VE DECIDED TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT WILL ALSO LIKELY SUCK, BUT IN A DIFFERENT WAY. WE’RE HOPING MANY OF YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS, WHILE SOME MAY DO WHAT THEY ALWAYS DO AND BITCH ABOUT IT.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
YOU (AN ACTUAL HUMAN BEING) SHOW UP AT THE BOX OFFICE, INTERACT WITH THE TICKET SELLER (ANOTHER ACTUAL HUMAN BEING) AND PURCHASE UP TO FOUR TICKETS THAT WILL ACTUALLY BE HANDED TO YOU ON THE SPOT. THE TICKETS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ONLINE OR ANYWHERE ELSE BEFORE OR DURING THAT DAY. ALL SEATS (INCLUDING THE BEST SEATS) WILL BE AVAILABLE FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. YOU MAY ACTUALLY ENCOUNTER OTHER ACTUAL HUMAN BEINGS WITH SIMILAR INTERESTS LIKELY WEARING BLACK CLOTHING DURING THE PROCESS AND POTENTIALLY INTERACT WITH THEM. THE EXPERIENCE HAS THE POTENTIAL* TO BE ENJOYABLE. NINE INCH NAILS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER, LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST AND GOOD TIMES.**
ANY REMAINING TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT A LATER DATE.
*NOT GUARANTEED
**NOT ENTIRELY TRUE
Fans of music worldwide know the pains of ticket purchasing being referred to above. Knowing the day and time tickets go on sale is no longer enough, nor is it any guarantee you will even be able to purchase them when they’re officially available to the public. Most tours now have presales, and more prominent artists can have several presales that are exclusive to fan clubs or corporations (American Express, Spotify, etc.). Then you have the resurgence of VIP seating, which makes the seats closest to the performers out of reach for man, as well as Platinum Seats, ticketing bots, fees, and a ruthless secondary market that is growing by the week.
In short, ticketing is complicated and expensive. Furthermore, the increased competition for seats has only served to drive a wedge between fans. Concerts are no longer a communal experience, but a challenge to see who can find the quickest way to claim a desirable seat.
You also never see or interact with other fans until the night of, which limits the amount of interaction you’re likely to have with other concertgoers. That may not seem like a big deal, but that is likely because you do not recall any different experience. Previous generations literally camped outside venues for days, even weeks to get tickets. They recognized their shared fandom, and as a result, they found a deeper meaning in the live experience. They were less alone.
Nine Inch Nails’ new campaign may not kickstart a full-on ticketing revolution, but it should renew interest in the conversation around how tickets are acquired. The process of making tickets available to everyone reasonably is a complicated one, but it is necessary one all the same. The current ticketing market pits consumers against one another for the benefit of corporations. Change is needed, but it won’t come easy. If you have ideas, share them with us on Twitter.
A lot has been written about the supposed dire state of the music industry, but truth be told there are a number of successful and growing companies, including record labels, that are thriving in 2014. In this column we bring together every job opening we can find from the companies responsible for building the future of the business and present them to you, our reader, in hopes of aiding you on your journey to join the global music industry professional family.
Each Sunday we scour the internet for the latest and greatest job postings throughout the music industry. You can help us better serve our community by sending any job openings you find or have to james@haulix.com. Be sure to include the name of the company hiring, a detailed description of the position being offered, a desired start date, contact information, and any additional supplemental information you feel may be needed.
Job summary:Bandcamp is seeking a mind-bogglingly talented individual for our design team to help us create new products and features, improve existing ones and make our site and mobile apps shining beacons of wonder for all who gaze upon them. You will design. You will code. You will have a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of artists and their millions of fans each and every day. You will feel good. You will feel as good as I do right now.
Job summary: Seeking an Operations Manager who is responsible for the day to day and event operations at the newly developed Amphitheater in Nashville, TN. This includes but is not limited to de-winterization and winterization of the facility, managing event staff, reporting and maintaining incident logs, and on-site, day of show operations responsibilities.
Job summary: Reporting directly to the COO, the Digital Marketing Manager will be responsible for handling artist digital content management for all artists and the Latium brand.
Job summary: Reporting to the Head of Operations, CraveOnline, the Social Media Specialist is responsible for developing clearly-defined social media strategies in a manner that supports the CraveOnline.com brand as well as other CraveOnline Media properties. This position is responsible managing projects across all social media channels to help achieve our overall brand objectives and growth metrics.
Job summary: The Interactive Marketing team at Warner Bros Records spearheads all digital marketing initiatives for the label’s diverse roster including urban, rock and pop artists. They are responsible for building out the digital, mobile and social components of an artist’s overall marketing plan – including but not limited to: digital promotions, artist website development and optimization, fan acquisition and engagement, creation/implementation of digital tools and products to increase fan engagement, paid media campaigns, etc… Additionally, the team is relied upon to be industry-leading innovators in the digital space, anticipating consumer trends and substantive technological advancements.
Job summary: Reporting to the Head of Research & Instruction Services, and serving as a branch manager, the Music Librarian is responsible for all aspects of the operation of the Music Library. This includes circulation, reserves, collection management, cataloging, e-resource management, and bindery in conformity with Holy Cross Libraries policy. It also includes staff and student supervision, team participation and project management, campus liaison work, and participation in professional development.
Job summary: We are looking for a savvy Content Producer with strong video skills to join our growing Community and Content team. Working on digital and social channels of our incredible roster of Artists, the successful candidate will relish the opportunity to utilise their diverse experience in the hands-on production of video, photographic and written content. Reporting to the Community & Content Director, this position also runs the day-to-day management of the Universal Music Australia social channels.
Job summary: Pandora Media is looking for a systems-focused Business Analyst for our Revenue Operations Department. The right individual will be a key contributor to the overall Sales Technical Operations team with a focus on improving our internal sales software and driving aggressive efficiency for end users. End users of the systems include Sales, Client Services, Trafficking and Finance teams. The goal of this position is to support Pandora’s strategic initiatives with a focus on partnering with the Sales and Revenue Operations organizations to understand their priorities and pain points. The role will involve information gathering, business process analysis, system support, training and documentation, and measurement. The Business Analyst will partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Quality Assurance and Enterprise Systems teams to build solutions and measure their impact.
Job summary: The Media Analyst provides the Membership department with statistical analysis and reporting on market share, competitive comparisons and royalty distribution summaries. He or she will maintain and build databases to provide and maintain large amounts of data for analysis and reporting. He or she will utilize Billboard, Mediaguide, Competitrack and other media sources for reporting on current trends within the industry. This ideal candidate will actively seek out data outside of the organization that will enhance relevant analysis and reporting. He or she will work with the Strategic Services department to provide recommendations to enhance or improve current methodology and practice.
Job summary: Recruits and assists prospective writers, publishers, producers and artists to BMI by performing the following duties either personally or through the direction of others.
Job summary: The ideal candidate will have direct experience or deep knowledge of the current entertainment marketplace and must demonstrate exceptional creative writing skills with a strategic marketing emphasis. Working as a creative team member, this person will help elevate the messaging effectiveness and style on all projects while maintaining alignment with the SiriusXM Brand. The Senior Writer will work closely with the creative team to create materials for many departments including Programming, Retail, Direct to Consumer, Automotive, Retention and Corporate. This is a hands on position that will include everything from direct marketing letters to television concept to channel naming to digital communications.
Job summary: The iHeartMedia Account Executive will identify and solicit new business; service and grow existing account. They are responsible for developing persuasive proposals in response to client needs and/or opportunities. They will guide their clients based on market, platform or station information. They are responsible for ensuring client satisfaction through cooperative communication. They will also negotiate rates consistent with iHeartMedia operating goals and budgets and ensure prompt payment. They will utilize all available iHeartMedia resources to create effective marketing campaigns.
Job summary: The VH1 Creative Department needs a hybrid, multi-faceted Full Time Freelance Executive Producer who can not only excel in overseeing the development of multi-platform Creative, but serve on the front-line of projects – acting as the face of the Department for all outward facing partners. This includes our “clients”, who are Show Producers but also, serve as accountable and expert ambassadors of our Creative within our own Department.
This role requires deep expertise in the Production and Creative Process including well-honed client-management skills to handle a fast-paced environment where things change in an instant and multiple voices needs to be accounted for.
Job summary: The candidate we select into this key role will have a proven track record in building successful partnerships as well as consistently securing seven-figure investments with FORTUNE 500 organizations. S/he already has an established reputation and track record of success, gained with any combination of major brands, teams or agencies, and is now looking to further enhance their reputation with one of the leading sports and entertainment companies in the world.
Job summary: The Global Social Media Manager will lead the development of the corporation’s social media strategy, and will oversee the execution of plans and tactics around the globe.
Job summary: This successful sponsorship sales professional will be responsible for creating and selling branded, high-impact music marketing programs across our music properties.
Job summary: The Ad Sales Coordinator is a key member of the Ad Sales team, supporting all aspects of the sales process as well as providing general administrative support to the Vice President of Ad Sales and the ad sales team.
Job summary: Pandora is looking for an Associate Program Manager to play a critical role in driving and managing concurrent projects related the successful roll out, communication, and commercialization of changes to ad products, system and platform updates and process improvements. This is a highly cross-functional independent contributor role that will report into Sales Technical Operations and combines aspects of project management, product marketing, marketing communications, and training.
Job summary: AM is looking for a senior media planner to run several accounts out of our New York office. This digital client service superstar is adept at anticipating client needs and always maintaining an excellent relationship at all times. This candidate needs to be able to coordinate online media campaign efforts seamlessly with all internal teams (media, accounts, creative, etc.) as well as the client. The senior media planner will also be responsible for assessing client goals and providing them with a clear, effective game plan to achieve them. They will be responsible for developing an intimate knowledge of their clients’ business and ensuring that all aspects of the overall strategy are in place at all times.
Job summary: Bright Marketing offers outstanding career opportunities in one of the world`s most successful companies in the retail and events sales industry.
Job summary: Marketing Manager reports directly to the National Director of Marketing, Senior Talent Buyer and Regional VP of Talent. This person will be responsible for creating marketing plans including: advertising, promotions, publicity, social media and media buying for Live Nation concerts, including Family programming and Broadway/Theatrical performances, in select markets in the Riverside and Inland Empire area including the Fox Performing Arts Centre and Riverside Municipal Auditorium. The Marketing Manager needs to track spends and allocate funds for individual show budgets. Additionally, the Marketing Manager needs to be able to communicate with many partners in the Riverside/Inland Empire area.
Job summary: Our mid-level apprentice position for Music Services is designed to help support the team of Music Supervisors. This position is multi-faceted with duties ranging from administrative support to music cataloguing to Music Supervision of mid-level accounts.
Job summary: Reporting directly to the Head of Global Content Licensing and Catalog, the Content Licensing Lead – EMEA is responsible for the identification, negotiation and renewal of the agreements between Rdio and EMEA-based labels, publishers, and connection societies.
Job summary: We’re building a new team to focus on digital music recommendations and are looking to hire a Research Scientist to work at the intersection of music and machine learning.
Job summary: This position will oversee the paid search and SEO initiatives to support sales on Bose websites in the US and Canada. They will also be responsible for comparison shopping campaigns and the Bose affiliate program. This position will manage the day-to-day relationships with our external search and affiliate agencies and will partner with internal marketing colleagues, product managers and our internal communications group on key campaigns and initiatives. They will be responsible for driving overall strategy, leading new tests and initiatives, and optimizing campaigns to deliver the highest return and engagement. This position will manage the overall media budget for paid search, comparison shopping and affiliate marketing, analyze performance and present results to marketing management.
Job summary: Pandora’s Business Operations team is currently seeking a Sales Marketing Analyst to support the sales and marketing team by creating and managing data, revenue and related tasks for sales marketing.
Job summary: The Marketing Coordinator reports directly to the Marketing Manager. This person, under guidance of the Marketing Manager, will be responsible for communicating event marketing plans, budgeting advertising spends, developing promotions, leading street team initiatives, and scheduling of social media updates as requested.
Job summary: Seeking a driven and passionate individual to handle a multitude of tasks, including managing newsletter team and make sure national newsletters are optimized, working with ad operations team to deliver required audience to sales campaigns, and working with national and local programming teams to deliver audience to programming initiatives.
Job summary: Producer will be responsible for all aspects involved in producing successful daily talk shows on Sirius XM Progress including studio/technical operations, promotion, production, guest booking, call-screening and research.
Job summary: With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group (“WMG”) is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word, as well as Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world’s leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.
Job summary: We are currently seeks a creative, hardworking Marketing Coordinator to work closely with the members of our Retail Events division in the planning, coordination, and execution of our daily events inside some of the nations largest retail stores. Our high volume, customized events are a direct result from the unmatched work ethic and ability to “think outside the box.” Every team member is hands on at the actual events and is able to see the direct results of their marketing efforts.
Job summary: Join us in being a part of the global music community by shaping the delivery of digital sheet music. Musicnotes.com is seeking a full time Content Acquisition Assistant who excels in managing the details including database management, file indexing, acquisition, and organization. Successful candidates will have experience and an interest in music research and analytics in this data-driven opportunity.
Job summary: Do you have a creative, curious, and analytical mind? You will also be responsible for email marketing development and execution for all brands under the West Music umbrella. You will manage the day-to-day campaign execution, list management and segmentation, content and scripting, and deliverability monitoring. Providing strategic insights to the team and senior leaders on campaigns using information gained through various analytical methods will be done regularly.
Job summary: The Senior Coordinator of Email Marketing will play an important role in supporting internal and external clients to build, deploy and test a broad range of entertainment-related email marketing campaigns. This entry-mid level position will also support other CRM elements as well as reporting requests.
Job summary: The Head of Programming adapts departmental plans and priorities and manages his/her team to create and continuously improve the monthly TV schedules in order to get the highest possible number of viewers on the channel and monthly viewing goals are met. S/he takes a broad strategic view of the programming plans as well as specific market developments, and helps his/her team to make analyses of quantitative data in order to optimize the day-to-day and long-term TV schedules and overall channel performances.
Job summary: This successful sponsorship sales professional will be responsible for creating and selling branded, high-impact music marketing programs across our music properties.
Job summary: The Global Social Media Manager will lead the development of the corporation’s social media strategy, and will oversee the execution of plans and tactics around the globe.
Job summary: Harmonix, the studio that created the blockbuster franchises Rock Band and Dance Central, is looking for a Director of Marketing. This individual will play a key leadership role on Harmonix’s publishing team, overseeing our marketing, web, community, social, and playtest efforts. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in marketing strategy, and team leadership, as well as experience launching and sustaining console, digital, and/or mobile games. For many years, Harmonix has worked diligently to build a strong, genuine relationship with our fans. The Director of Marketing will need to continue to foster those long term relationships while using industry-leading marketing strategies to reach new fans and create excitement for our games.
Job summary: The Sr. Director of Strategic Marketing will be responsible for cultivating strategic partnerships for Warner Music Nashville’s artist roster and label assets by a) creating impactful campaigns and promotions to extend the brand, raise the profile of artists and label brands; b) generating new revenue lines to fund creative marketing campaigns; and c) offset marketing costs.
Job summary: Reporting to the Partner Marketing Manager, the Digital Marketing Associate will help Ticketfly clients maximize their marketing potential and promote their events across marketing channels. This role will serve as a strategic marketing consultant to Ticketfly’s top venue, promoter, and festival partners to help drive important goals like building brand awareness, acquiring new customers, and selling more tickets. The Digital Marketing Associate will dive deep into client marketing activities to develop marketing plans and campaigns, guide implementation, and measure results.
Job summary: The sales analyst will be responsible for reporting and analyzing sales data for the STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE Sales & Marketing Department. Person will maintain an accurate sales reporting system for various events at STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre and L.A. LIVE as well as provide management with a monthly commission report for 25+ sales representatives. The sales analyst will also be knowledgeable in CRM, assisting in analyzing customer accounts and identifying efficiency tactics amongst the department.
Job summary: This successful sponsorship sales professional will be responsible for creating and selling branded, high-impact music marketing programs across our music properties.
Job summary: At Shazam our users are at the heart of everything we do. We need to make sure that all of our users (old and new) know everything they need to know about our great product as it continues to evolve. We are looking for a brilliant Copywriter to join our Marketing team and work across our business to make sure that happens.
Job summary: Conceive, write and create new non-traditional revenue business opportunities including events, sponsorships and other sales promotion opportunities. Participate in annual budget planning and individual event budget planning. Ensure that the department hits their revenue goal Attend and participate in sales meetings. Assist in the training of account executives on how to sell events and on Knowledge-Based or solutions-based selling. Provide ongoing sales training to the staff. Assist in the brainstorming of categories to call on for events. Assist General Sales Managers in managing the New Business Development account lists. Create a list of targeted accounts for the following business development opportunities: manufacturer-driven, dealer group and retail-driven programs; corporate sponsorship and event marketing; and from the following industries; automotive and automotive aftermarket, consumer packaged goods, distilled spirits, financial services, health care, home builders and home improvement, health care, pharmaceuticals and wireless.
Job summary: The Social Media Coordinator will assist the Senior Social Media Manager with social media campaign management, including both branding and campaign-specific. The ideal candidate must be very well-versed in the digital world – including familiarity with popular websites, blogs, social media environments, mobile/apps; as well as a strong knowledge of and interest in newly-emerging platforms and industry trends.
Job summary: Client Development is the initial point of contact for touring partners and works directly under the CEO to cultivate and maintain exceptional relationships with new and existing tour partners. Ideal candidates for this position have an extensive knowledge of the touring industry with more than 5 years of professional experience and an established network of music industry contacts. This position is full time with the possibility of travel and after-hours availability needed.
Job summary: The Percussion Social Media Specialist position is a full time opening in our Product Management Department. The Percussion Business Unit at DAddario consists of some of the strongest, most active and well-respected consumer brands in the global percussion industry: Evans drumheads, Promark drumsticks, and Puresound percussion accessories ” each with a unique and engaged community. The Social Media Specialist will manage our social networks and online community design and implement artist and product launch campaigns utilizing assets created by our in-house photography, video, and design team.
Job summary: The Velocity Integrated Marketing (IM) Music and Entertainment team is looking for a long term freelance Director of Social Media reporting to the VP of IM Social to support the linear and digital IM team. This position will cover the ideation, innovation, and implementation of client specific programs that involve social media. The ideal candidate will have proven success in developing and measuring social media promotions based on specific client objectives, as well as assisting in the valuation behind them.
