Music Industry

Friday, January 22, 2021

Anuel AA and Ozuna Release Groundbreaking Joint Album ‘Los Dioses’


Ozuna and Anuel AA. (Source: Instagram).

Puerto Rican reggaeton superstars Anuel AA and Ozuna‘s recently-released album Los Dioses is a rare collaborative album from two independent artists. The artists retain full ownership of their labels, masters, and publishing and have partnered with The Orchard/Sony Music U.S. Latin for the release.

The tandem has achieved six No. 1 solo albums and singles on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums and Hot Latin Songs charts, respectively.  In an environment where streaming allows for the unprecedented accumulation of wealth from a seemingly unlimited catalog of music, artists being willing to create, and split earnings with fair, full transparency, is key.

Given that creations like Beatsource LINK allow for DJs to stream music catalogs as full crates, the fact that independent artists have discovered commercially sustainable ways to compete alongside major-label performers is a huge development. For DJs, this development allows for not having to scour the world to hopefully find access to the world’s hottest independent-released songs. Now, artists without access to traditional industry release structures are willing and able to deliver hits when, where, and how you need to hear them.

Download Los Dioses on Beatsource.

H/T: Billboard

Related Post: Watch Fat Joe, Cardi B, and Anuel AA’s “YES” Video

| DJ Culture, Music Industry
Anuel AA, Ozuna,
Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Beatsource Launches ‘VIP Crates’ Curated by World’s Top DJs

Beatsource Launches ‘VIP Crates’ Curated by World’s Top DJs

Beatsource Launches ‘VIP Crates’ Curated by World’s Top DJs

Today Beatsource announced the launch of VIP Crates, an on-going series of playlists curated by the world’s most influential DJs. Compiled exclusively for Beatsource, the playlists give insight into which tracks grace the sets of top tastemaker DJs worldwide.

To kick off the series, Beatsource has called upon a diverse group of open-format DJs from hot spots like Los Angeles, London, Las Vegas, Miami, and beyond. They include:

  • Lil Jon, GRAMMY award-winning multi-platinum artist
  • Tay James, Justin Bieber’s tour DJ
  • DJ Amen, music director at LA’s REAL 92.3 and DJ for San Francisco 49ers
  • ZHU, GRAMMY-nominated artist
  • Walshy Fire, member of Major Lazer
  • DJ EFN, co-host of Drinks Champs podcast
  • Craig David, GRAMMY-nominated multi-platinum artist
  • Charlie Sloth, host of Apple Music 1’s Charlie Sloth Rap Show
  • Joel Corry, platinum artist
  • Nathan Dawe, platinum artist
  • James Hype, platinum artist
  • DJ Javin, mixer at SiriusXM’s Globalization and Phoenix’s Power 98.3

Beatsource board member, A-Trak, says:

“VIP Crates is a perfect example of Beatsource’s brilliance. DJing is more than just keeping up with the newest releases and knowing the classics. Every DJ has their own personal go-to’s, those tracks that never leave the crates even though they never charted. Weapons, tools. Being able to tap into that with a subscription is huge.”

Kidd Spin, Beatsource’s head of curation, adds:

“DJs are often curious as to what other DJs are playing in their sets. Clubs and live shows are far and few between these days, so there’s virtually no way to know what our favorite DJs are currently into or being influenced by without a direct connection. VIP Crates gives insight into what top tastemaker DJs are feeling right now, and the varying playlists show great diversity – from all genres, eras, and styles.”

Edwin Paredes, Beatsource’s chief content officer, also commented:

“The groundswell of support we’ve received from these enormously successful artists and DJs wanting to be a part of our initial rollout of VIP Crates has been amazing. We’re looking forward to adding more influential tastemakers to the VIP Crates mix in the coming months.”

The playlists are available on the Beatsource LINK music streaming service for open-format DJs.

Browse VIP Crates here.

Related Post: A-Trak Talks Potential of Beatsource LINK, Definition of ‘Open-Format DJ’: 20 Podcast

| DJ Culture, DJcity News, Music Industry
Beatsource, Beatsource LINK, VIP Crates,
Sunday, October 11, 2020

DJ Phenom Shares Music Industry Insights on ‘In The Weeds’ Podcast

DJ Phenom, the president of DJcity, recently sat down for an interview on the In The Weeds podcast. In The Weeds is a combined podcast and vlog series created by the San Diego-based Gaslamp District Media agency, centered around successful individuals’ and the hard work it took to get them to where they are today.

In an episode titled “Figuring Out’ the Music Industry,” Phenom breaks down some of the key business partnerships he’s cultivated over the years, plus a few stories about the DJcity and Beatsource brands.

Watch the episode above and check out more episodes of In The Weeds here.

Related Post: ‘MikiDz Podcast’: DJ Phenom and DJ Play Discuss Beatsource

| Music Industry
DJ Phenom, In The Weeds Podcast,
Monday, October 5, 2020

Beatsource LINK Is Now Available in Serato DJ

Beatsource LINK Is Now Available in Serato DJ

Beatsource LINK Is Now Available in Serato DJ
(Source: Beatsource)

The Beatsource LINK streaming service for open-format DJs can now be used with the industry-standard performance software, Serato DJ. The highly anticipated integration is available in Serato DJ Pro 2.4 and Lite 1.4, which were released on Monday.

Launched in May, Beatsource LINK lets DJs stream tracks from the Beatsource library, including thousands of expertly curated playlists, directly from their DJ software.

A-Trak, renowned DJ/producer and Beatsource board member, says:

“It’s inevitable that DJs will need access to the massive streaming libraries of songs for their DJ sets. The important thing is to not force DJs to change the equipment or software that they use. That’s why Beatsource’s integration into Serato is so important. Also, what impressed me the most was the ability to create playlists on the Beatsource site as you’re searching for music and having them sync up to your Serato.”

Brian “DJ Quickie” Wong, president of Beatsource, adds:

“Lead by Serato in the early 2000’s, the transition from vinyl to digital changed DJing forever. Trailblazers like A-Trak, DJ AM, and Jazzy Jeff opened our minds to what Serato’s technology could allow us to do. Today, over 15 years later, we are living in a moment that will again change DJing forever. DJs no longer need to shop for, purchase, and store their music. Instead, DJs will simply access the Beatsource DJ library, which will be available instantly and everywhere with Serato, and the value will be in each DJs curation and knowledge of their personal playlists and crates. DJs will no longer be limited by what they can own and store, but rather by what they can do with their musical creativity. This opens up a world of imagination for the next generation of DJs, and I can’t wait to see what they do with our technology.”

Beatport LINK, which is based on the same technology as Beatsource LINK, is also now available in Serato DJ Pro 2.4 and Lite 2.4.

Get a free trial of Beatsource LINK here and download Serato DJ here.

Related Post: Beatsource LINK Is Now Available in Denon DJ Devices

| Music Industry, Music Tech
Beatsource, Beatsource LINK, Serato,
Monday, September 21, 2020

Bad Bunny Plays Surprise Livestream Concert on the Streets of New York City


Bad Bunny in Washington Heights. (Source: Univision)

Add “traffic-stopping live performer” to the list of Bad Bunny‘s reggaeton success story, as the Puerto Rican star performed in largely Latinx sections of Harlem, Washington Heights, and the Bronx, NY on Sunday evening.

He performed atop a moving tour bus stylized to look like a graffiti-tagged New York City subway car. The event, sponsored by Univision’s Uforia radio broadcasting/music events portal, kicked off a series of monthly livestream concerts set to air once a month through the end of December via Uforia’s website, YouTube, Twitter, and Twitch.

The artist performed tracks from his February-released studio album YHLQMDLG, plus was joined for virtual duets with artists including J Balvin, who paired with Bad Bunny for “La Cancion.” “It was difficult for me to do a concert without an audience. I didn’t want to,” he told Billboard. “But I’m accepting the new reality, and I hope people enjoy this. We need it.”

Impressively, the event was produced in collaboration with Elite Media and Marketing (EMM), IDEKO, the Mayor’s Citywide Event Coordination and Management Office, The Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment, the NYC Department of Transportation, the NYPD, Harlem Hospital, and the Health and Hospital Corporation.

Check out the 100% Bad Bunny playlist on Beatsource.

Related Post: J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, and Tainy Drop New Track ‘Un Dia (One Day)’

| Music Industry
Bad Bunny, UforiaLive,
Friday, September 18, 2020

Sotheby’s Auctions Off Notorious B.I.G.’s Crown And More Iconic Hip-Hop Memorabilia


The Notorious B.I.G.’s crown and photograph by Barron Claiborne at Sotheby’s. (Source: Instagram)

Sotheby’s, the world’s oldest and largest internationally recognized firm of fine art auctioneers, recently sold over $2 million worth of iconic items celebrating hip-hop’s five decades of cultural impact. The auction was organized by Monica Lynch, the former president of Tommy Boy Records.

The majority of items were consigned directly by artists or their estates and included: Notorious B.I.G./Barron Claiborne Crown + Photograph, DJ Ross One’s “Wall of Boom” (featuring a stack of 32 rare and vintage, and in some cases still functioning, 1980s boomboxes), the Tommy Boy DJ Headquarters Original Neon Sign, plus a lot of 22 love letters written by a high school-aged Tupac Shakur.

A portion of Sotheby’s proceeds from the auction benefitted the Queens Public Library Foundation to support their hip-hop programs and Building Beats, a non-profit community organization focused on DJing and music production programs.

Impressive to note here is that the artifacts, in many cases, sold well over their expected auction price. Biggie’s‘s crown — worn in a 1997 “King of New York” photoshoot with photographer Barron Claiborne — was sold for $595,000, which is 100% more than the estimated $300,000 auction price. Factor in the fact that Claiborne originally purchased the crown for six dollars; that’s a mind-blowing six million percent increase in worth.

The original neon sign at Tommy Boy’s headquarters exceeded nearly 200% of its expected auction value. However, the most staggering figure is that an original, sealed 12″ copy of Rammellzee vs. K-Rob “Beat Bop” (featuring artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat) exceeded pre-auction expectations by three-thousand percent. At $126,000, it has been declared, by Sotheby’s as “the most expensive hip-hop vinyl record sold at auction.”

There is no word as to when Sotheby’s will schedule another hip-hop auction. However, an unexpectedly lucrative marketplace exists for these items, of which many are likely available for auction.

Related Post: Tommy Boy Releases Second Volume of Tracks on DJcity

| Music Industry
Sotheby's, The Notorious B.I.G.,

Popular