Streaming Revenues - a tipping point?

Jeeni Blog

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Streaming Revenues - a tipping point?

At Jeeni, this is a subject we are following closely, being a platform set up to address this very subject. The balance of revenue on most platforms, is tipped far too heavily away from the artists, performers and writers, in favour of the suits and pen-pushers. Quite frankly, it's a disgrace! Jeeni's ethos is to ensure any performing members receive 100% of the revenue they generate. Should all streaming services work the same way?

Journalist Dylan Smith, from Digital Music News has written the article below, updating how far the DCMS Committee has got with their fact finding and the issues to be presented on 11 December.

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Chair Julian Knight. Photo Credit: David Woolfall

British lawmakers have stated that artists are hesitant to participate in the ongoing investigation into streaming royalties “because they fear action may be taken against them” if they do so.

The House of Commons’ Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS Committee) announced the high-profile probe of streaming royalties last month. The comprehensive analysis aims to identify streaming’s impact on all relevant stakeholders, including labels and artists, as well as its long-term effects concerning “the sustainability of the wider music industry.”

Last week, singer-songwriter Nadine Shah, Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien, and Elbow frontman Guy Garvey spoke before the DCMS Committee to address the contemporary music landscape. Of particular note was Shah’s statement that she doesn’t “make enough money from streaming” to cover her rent, despite having north of 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

Possibly in response to the abundance of information that the investigation has turned up thus far, the DCMS Committee also announced last week that it had extended the window for artists and others to submit written testimonials regarding royalties. From the original deadline of Monday, November 16th, members of the music industry now have until Friday, December 11th, to express their opinions.

The probe’s upcoming oral testimony, for its part, is slated to take place next Tuesday, December 8th, with Maria Forte Music Services’ namesake owner, Ferocious Talent owner Kwame Kwaten, and José Luis Sevillano, director general at Spain’s AIE, set to participate via livestream.

Ahead of the formal sitdown, DCMS Committee Chair Julian Knight has relayed that many would-be witnesses are opting not to come forward due to their fear of the potential professional consequences associated with speaking out against streaming royalties.

“We have been told from many different sources that some of the people interested in speaking to us, in relation to this inquiry, have become reluctant to do so because they fear action may be taken against them if they speak in public,” said the Solihull MP, who became the DCMS Committee’s chair in January of this year.

“I would like to say on behalf of the Committee that we would take a very dim view indeed if we had any evidence of anyone interfering with witnesses to one of our inquiries. … This Committee will brook no such interference and will not hesitate to name and shame anyone proven to be involved in such activity,” continued Knight.

And in concluding his statement on the matter, the lawmaker emphasized that others who reach out to the DCMS Committee with information or insight pertaining to streaming royalties “will be treated in confidence.”

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05
May

Artists' rights have been stuck like a broken record, until Broken Record asked for Reform

An open letter was sent to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the 20th of April, demanding, finally, that there be a reform in music streaming services. Hoorah! We hear you say, but what does this mean? Well, everything that Jeeni stands for, in essence the fair and equal treatment of music makers and artists. High profile artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Boy George and Jessie Ware, have all signed the open letter and petition asking for a regulator to ensure these actions, in order to make the UK “…the best place in the world to be a musician or songwriter.” The move was spearheaded by the Musicians’ Union and the Broken Record campaign but has garnered more than 150 signatures from famous faces across the UK music industry and the support of over 5000 musicians and fans. Since the launch of Spotify in 2008, streaming services have quickly become our primary method for listening to music instead of through the more traditional methods of radio and Television. What these streaming services don’t offer however, is protection and fair treatment of the artists and songwriters. In November 2020, as part of an investigation into streaming royalties, it was found that some artists were receiving just a fraction of a US cent per song streamed and worse, some no compensation at all. In order for this to change, only small amendments need to be made to the 1998 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, however the outcome for artists could mean the difference in being able to pay next month’s rent or not as many have unfortunately experienced. At a time when we need to be looking for ways to restart the post-Covid financial recovery, a truly free market would allow a song to achieve greater profits and therefore, as the letter addresses, put more money in the pockets of UK taxpayers which can only benefit our economy. Fundamentally we don’t want to stop listening to and seeing the artists and musicians we love. When we are able, we want to dance along at concerts, sing our hearts out at gigs and sway to the rhythm that an artist has worked hard to create for us, so why should they not be paid and treated fairly? We want the music industry to thrive, and it is why we at Jeeni believe that it is so important to do this. You can support the petition at https://www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-put-the-value-of-music-back-where-it-belongs-in-the-hands-of-music-makers Let’s make 2021 a great and fair one.

11
Feb

Weekly Round-Up #9

The latest developments and additions to Jeeni’s mission! New Content Contributed to Jeeni’s Database of Talent! New and exciting content is always being added to Jeeni’s library and the past two weeks have not been an exception. Award-winning rock-star, Eden James has added two more tracks from his extensive rock discography to Jeeni’s database. ‘Don’t Give Up’ and a live performance of ‘Bad Girl’ are now available on Jeeni. Three new artists to Jeeni have also been uploading new music this week. Hip-hop and electronic collective, Ace Bermuda have uploaded their debut single, ‘WTF Is Ace Bermuda’, as has brand-new Jeeni artist, Julience with his track, ‘Alcohol’. Alana Sukul has also put forward five new additions to Jeeni, including her newest track, ‘Good To You’ and her hit track, ‘Closer’. Jeeni regulars have also been contributing exciting new music such as Zeeteah’s brilliant ‘Wat A Ting’, Nnaomi’s ‘Hate Me’ and Maple Sky’s ‘Vision’, all three of which have been reviewed and published onto Jeeni’s blog page: https://jeeni.com/blog/ . Here are more details about the blogs we’ve published in the last two weeks. Six new reviews for Jeeni artists’ newest projects have been published since our last Weekly Round-Up! Jeeni published a full review of Nnaomi’s incredible new single, ‘Hate Me’, “Nnaomi evokes even more emotion and sentiment with her swirling, impactful and atmospheric new single, ‘Hate Me’”. Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/nnaomi-hate-me-single-review-blog-jeeni/ Listen to ‘Hate Me’ here: https://jeeni.com/nnaomi-hate-me/ Also, this week, Jeeni ambassador, Zeeteah Massiah released the playful yet important, ‘Wat A Ting’, “Zeeteah’s newest single is a brilliant, tongue-in-cheek poke at misinformation and its relentless spreading, all the while being a dancehall banger in its own right.” Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/zeeteah-massiah-wat-a-ting-single-review/ ‘Wat A Ting’ is available on Jeeni here: https://jeeni.com/wat-a-ting-zeeteah-massiah/?channel=zeeteah- Released last Saturday, “Maple Sky broaden their sound once more with this explosive, brand-new funk banger, named ‘Vision’”. Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/maple-sky-vision-single-review/ Check out the jazz quartet’s newest single here: https://jeeni.com/vision-maple-sky/?channel=maple-sky&rtn=btasc&artist=maple-sky Multi-instrumentalist and folk singer, Daisy Chute blessed the Jeeni library of talent with her newest EP, ‘Cradle Songs’. “Daisy Chute’s newest EP consists of three sonic fairytales, crafted with swelling strings, twinkling percussion and her bewitching vocals.” Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/daisy-chute-cradle-songs-ep-review/ Listen to Daisy’s new EP here: https://jeeni.com/cradle-song-daisy-chute/?channel=daisy-chute&rtn=btasc&artist=daisy-chute-2 Another review published to Jeeni this week was for Nigerian/British rapper, I K 8OY’s debut single, ‘Let You Know’, “Stirring together afroswing with tuneful rapping, the first official release from I K 8OY is a shimmering and glossy UK hip-hop achievement.” Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/i-k-8oy-let-you-know-single-review/ Listen to I K 8OY’s debut single here: https://jeeni.com/let-you-know-i-k-8oy/ And finally, a review of yet another debut was published this Monday for Ace Bermuda’s ‘WTF Is Ace Bermuda’. “If the elusive, grand and electrifying Ace Bermuda were a TV show, ‘WTF Is Ace Bermuda’ would be their theme song. The collective’s first official release perfectly encapsulates the group’s innovative intentions and collaborative nature.” Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/ace-bermuda-wtf-is-ace-bermuda-feat-jada-freeman-profiiit-single-review/ Check out the collective’s debut here: https://jeeni.com/wtf-is-ace-bermuda/?channel=ixohnlybtrod&rtn=btasc&artist=ace-bermuda Calling All Graduates Looking for Work, Jeeni Officially Partners with Gradfuel to Create 654 New Jobs! Among the 654 new roles available across England include; 116 sales positions, with a focus in London, Manchester and remote situations, 143 roles in Marketing, also for people based in London, Manchester or remote, 118 hospitality roles particularly in London and Birmingham, 121 admin positions focused on remote and London. There are also 31 roles for those specialised in graphic design such as Photoshop and Adobe for remote and London-based applicants. IT and data have 81 roles for London-based and remote situations and finally, there are 25 roles in finance, also for London and remotely working applicants. Check out our full blog on Jeeni’s partnership with Gradfuel: https://jeeni.com/blog/calling-all-graduates-looking-for-work-jeeni-officially-partners-with-gradfuel-to-create-654-new-jobs/ Reach out to the Jeeni marketing team at doug@jeeni.com or ella@jeeni.com. Make sure you’re following us on social media to keep up to date with new releases from our artists, our blogs and any job openings. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeenimusic/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeenimusic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeenimusic Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/33222018/admin/

05
Jun

How to Build Your Own Playlist

In our previous blog called, "Top Ten Tips on How to Promote your Music Independently" http://bit.ly/2W2nCJ5 we suggested you get yourself PLAYLISTED. Maybe we should have said, Build your own Playlist and then get yourself Playlisted. So what is the difference? Building your own PLAYLIST is an easy way to boost the promotion of your own music, so why not give it a go. The video is 3 minutes long so I have taken the highlight. (Approx. 60 second read time) Start by creating your own public playlist filled with great music, and include your own tracks too. With a small amount of work you you could get a few hundred followers, it'll still help your chance of landing on other, bigger playlists. With a lot of work and fun, you could build your playlist to have thousands or even millions of followers over time. Discover Weekly algorithm takes EVERY playlist into account, no matter how small. The algorithms behind Discover Weekly find users who have built playlists featuring the songs and artists you love. It then goes through songs that a number of your kindred spirits have added to playlists but you haven't heard, knowing there is a good chance you might like them too.Ideally, you want to be uploading & submitting your tracks to playlists weeks in advance of your release. For example Spotify alone get 20,000 new tracks every day. Make sure you get your tags rights so you can be featured automatically and help the editors find you. No guarantee, but you need to start somewhere. Share your music on your own social media platforms to get on a playlist, stay on a playlist and grow your fanbase. Drive traffic from off platform, that means share your links everywhere. Post them on your socials, website and other channels. You can only submit one track per release, so if you're releasing an album or an EP, have a good think about which track is most likely to get picked by a playlist. Pitch your music to independent curators, if you are not sure how to do this, keep a eye out for our next blog. Try not to disheartened if you do not get thousands of followers straightaway, keep choosing music you love and keep adding to your playlist, be true to yourself, only add your favorite tracks and have some fun. Check out our new community of facebook, called: Unsigned Artist Community and join today. http://bit.ly/2Q45ri8 https://vimeo.com/396927442

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