Music Industry

Friday, July 24, 2020

‘Save Our Stages Act’ May Provide Economic Relief for Music Venues


(Source: National Independent Venue Association)

The “Save Our Stages Act,” a bipartisan bill that aims to provide economic relief for independent music venues affected by COVID-19, was introduced to the United States Congress earlier this week. The bill was co-authored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Cornyn (R-TX) in response to concerns raised by the National Independent Venue Association.

The bill calls for $10 billion, spread over the next six months, to be made available in the form of Small Business Administration grants. Applicants will be eligible for up to 45% of their 2019 operating costs or $12 million, whichever is less.

In order to reserve funds for those hit hardest by the pandemic, the “Save Our Stages Act” strives to “narrowly define independent live venue operators, promoters, and talent representatives to prevent large, international corporations from receiving federal grant funding.”

According to concert industry publication Pollstar, venues are at risk of losing a combined $8.9 billion in revenue if they were to remain closed for the rest of the year. NIVA’s Adam Hartke issued a statement, saying:

“While existing government assistance programs have helped other industries, they weren’t tailored to meet the needs of small businesses like ours that have zero revenue, enormous overhead and no visibility into when we can fully re-open. The Save Our Stages Act will provide the assistance we need to get through the shutdown until we can reopen safely and once again become the economic generators for our communities that we’ve always been.”


H/T: Rolling Stone

Related Post: DJ Envy Raises Over $106,000 for DJs Impacted by COVID-19

| DJ Culture, Music Industry
Coronavirus, National Independent Venue Association, Save Our Stages,
Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Billboard Announces New Dates for Latin Music Week 2020


Rosalia performs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Source: Instagram)

Billboard has announced new dates for the 30th anniversary of Latin Music Week, the largest and longest-running event in the Latin music industry. The event was originally scheduled for April 20 to 23 in Las Vegas but was postponed due to COVID-19. It will now be happening virtually from October 20 to 23.

Billboard Latin Music Week 2020 will feature conversations by artists, industry panels, workshops, and performances by J Balvin, Black Eyed Peas, Maluma, Ozuna, Rosalía, and Carlos Vives.

Additional participants and schedules will be announced in the coming weeks. Check out the Billboard Latin Music Week website for more information and to RSVP.

Related Post: J Balvin’s #ColoresDJChallenge Winner Announced

| Music Industry
Billboard, DJcity Latino, Latin Music Week,
Monday, July 20, 2020

Verzuz Officially Names Apple Music as a Broadcast Partner: What’s Next?

Verzuz co-founders Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. (Source: Getty Images)

Verzuz, the quarantine-borne Instagram Live streaming producer and artist competition series started by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, will now be available on Apple Music and Beats 1. The forthcoming July 22, 8 PM EST “Battle of the Dogs” between Snoop Dogg and DMX will be the first official Verzuz battle broadcast via the partnership. Previously, Apple Music and Beats 1 live-streamed a dueling piano Juneteenth episode of Verzuz, featuring Alicia Keys and John Legend.

The move is likely aimed at creating greater structure and longevity for the series. Past battles have featured significant technical difficulties, as well as connection issues posed by solely using Instagram Live. As well, the ability to maintain the series as an episodic-style catalog has not been possible. As quarantine moves into its fourth month with no definitive end in sight, Verzuz gaining sustainability as a breakout music industry leader for compelling content feels necessary. Concerns about paying artists and developing live music options are an industry concern. Ideas like simulcasting Verzuz, for free, via Instagram Live, but making it available via paywalled, subscription-only services like Apple Music and Beats 1 begin to solve this issue.

Peak musical content engagement goals during quarantine spiked 400 percent in the 50 days between D-Nice‘s 150,000 peak viewer March 21 DJ stream to Jill Scott and Erykah Badu‘s 750,000+ peak viewer May 9 Verzuz battle. However, top producers like Pharrell Williams and musical acts with Verzuz-ready catalogs like Jay-Z and Beyoncé have yet to be tabbed to “compete.” It is entirely likely that their involvement could potentially raise those numbers well over one million-plus peak viewers. If this were to occur, having multiple live arms for engagement, as well as the ability to both monetize and archive Verzuz, would be valuable.

For more Verzuz information, visit them via Instagram.

Related Post: Music Industry Adapts to Increasing Power of Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch

| Music Industry
Apple Music, Beats 1, Instagram Live, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland, Verzuz,
Wednesday, July 15, 2020

DJ E-Rock Talks Power of Twitch, Diversifying Your Income: The 20 Podcast

DJ E-Rock

DJ E-Rock, a veteran party rocker and host on REAL 92.3, sits down with DJ Spider on this week’s episode of The 20 Podcast. The San Francisco native discusses the power of Twitch, the importance of diversifying your income, among other topics.

Watch the interview above. An audio version of the podcast is also available on all major platforms.

Hosted by DJ Spider, The 20 Podcast features conversations with influential DJs, producers, and other music industry professionals.

Related Post: Ka5 Talks Miami DJ Scene, Making Most of Lockdown: The 20 Podcast

| DJ Culture, Music Industry, Videos
Beatsource, DJ E-Rock, DJ Spider, Interview, The 20 Podcast,
Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Aluna Talks Appropriation in Dance Music Industry, Going Solo: The 20 Podcast

Aluna

Following her open letter on Billboard, UK singer/producer/DJ Aluna meets with DJ Spider on this week’s episode of The 20 Podcast. Aluna, who gained fame as part of the duo AlunaGeorge, discusses appropriation and segregation in the dance music industry, why she went solo, plus more.

Watch the interview above or listen to it all major platforms. Also, check out Aluna’s “Dance Renaissance” playlist on Beatsource, which is referenced in the interview.

Hosted by DJ Spider, The 20 Podcast features conversations with influential DJs, producers, and other music industry professionals.

Related Post: Eddie Mac Talks Reopening Clubs Amid COVID-19, How Venues Are Adapting: The 20 Podcast

| DJ Culture, Music Industry, Videos
Aluna, Beatsource, DJ Spider, Interview, The 20 Podcast,
Friday, May 29, 2020

Instagram To Pay Content Creators Via ‘Badges’ Program and Ad Revenue


DJ Mel. (Credit: Daniel Boczarski)

As of June 2020, Instagram will begin financially rewarding content creators who use Instagram Live. Through both the rollout of short advertisements and the new “badges” program, creatives will be rewarded for live fan engagement. Instagram’s updates were announced on their website on May 27 .

Created in part due to an increase in Instagram Live usage at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program, similar to incentivization programs used by online broadcaster Twitch, ultimately allows for creatives to earn revenue via their fanbase “tipping” during creators’ live videos. Also, the platform will utilize advertisements that play at the start of each user’s active engagement. The revenue from these ads will be paid at 55% to the creator, and 45% to Instagram.

Recently, DJs broadcasting live on Instagram had their sets flagged for copyright violations. As of May 28, DJs have been advised to play 90-second clips of music. Furthermore, they have reminded users that “people also have access to a library of custom music and sound effects at no cost using [parent company] Facebook’s Sound Collection.”

Instagram’s badge program will begin testing next month with a small group of creators and businesses. Over the coming months, it will expand across the US, Brazil, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Spain, and Mexico. The badge icons can be purchased by fans during live performances and appear next to that fan’s name in the chat. Instagram has asked content creators wanting to be considered for badge access to fill out a short application form.

Stay tuned for more updates on live streaming as the practice continues to show promise within the DJ community.

Related Post: D-Nice’s Instagram Live Set Goes Viral

| DJ Culture, DJcity News, Music Industry
Instagram Live,

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