Monday, September 14, 2020

• September 10: In July, TikTok launched a $200 million fund dedicated to the platform's US-based creators, but some influencers are disappointed with the small payouts and cloudy program details.
• September 10: If you're creating content on TikTok, bookmark this detailed article on TikTok's algorithm because shooooooooot, it's good. 
• September 11: "We're not planning on going anywhere." I've been fascinated with Vanessa Pappas, the new interim leader of TikTok after Kevin Mayer's surprise exit. I wish this short profile of her from The New York Times went a bit deeper but it still offers some unique insight. 
• September 13: Looks like Oracle won the bid for TikTok, meaning Microsoft is out. 

• Expand your playlist experience on YouTube Music --- "In the Explore tab, you’ll find thousands of programmed playlists to match nearly any mood. From Chill to Focus, our programmed playlists pull in music from across YouTube’s expansive catalog to give you the right mood for the moment. We also offer specially branded genre playlists that feature some of your favorite artists across YouTube." (Read more)
• Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle's Verzuz Battle: Here's What Happened --- "Iconic R&B and soul singers Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle were the most recent artists to battle it out on Verzuz. Tonight (September 13), the icons went hit-for-hit on the Instagram Live and Apple Music series. The two discussed their love for each other and also sang each other’s songs. They were joined by another legend, Dionne Warwick, and the three of them performed their collaborative single 'Superwoman' to close things out." (Read more)
• YouTube Music Partners with NIVA to Support Independent Venues Across the US --- "Together, according to a press statement, YouTube and NIVA 'will work on unique programming that will help bring live performances back into music venues safely'. In addition, YouTube will help raise awareness and funding for the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund." (Read more)
• DJs Scared Facebook Livestream Ban is Coming --- "In its updated terms of service, which come into force on 1 October, Facebook states users may not publish content that 'infringes or violates someone else’s … intellectual property rights', going on to say that 'We … can remove or restrict access to your content, services or information if we determine that doing so is reasonably necessary to avoid or mitigate adverse legal or regulatory impacts to Facebook.'" (Read more)

--- Song Exploder may have to remove episodes due to music licensing fees

• Data Shows 90 Percent of Streams Go to the Top 1 Percent of Artists --- "If you were to take the more than 1.6 million artists who released music to streaming services in the past year and a half and ranked them by their total streams, you’d find that the top 16,000 of those artists pulled in 90 percent of the streams. And it doesn’t take more than a basic grasp of math to realize that this leaves 1.6 million artists with just 10 percent of the streams." (Read more)
• Music streaming revenues on course to grow by over $1BN in the US in 2020, Despite Everything --- "US recorded music body RIAA has revealed in a new report that total recorded music retail revenues in the US for the first six months of this year increased 5.6% to $5.65bn. On a wholesale basis (i.e. the money working its way back to to record labels and artists) H1 revenues grew 5.1% to $3.7bn. That 5.6% climb in retail revenues represented a rise of $302.2m versus the same six month-period of 2019." (Read more)

• Big Sean ft. Anderson .Paak, Earlly Mac, Wale, "Guard Your Heart" 
• SZA ft. Ty Dolla $ign, "Hit Different"
• Talking Heads, "Psycho Killer"
• James Blake, "Godspeed"
• Thundercat, "Them Changes"
• Best Coast, "Everything Has Changed - Live at World Cafe / 2020"
• Ari PenSmith ft. Jonah Christian, "City Girl" 
• Dissect podcast, "Childish Gambino: Because the Internet"

• John Was Trying to Contact Aliens (Netflix) proves that music is always the preferred communication device, even when the other party you're trying to connect with is space. 
• "On Brand: Hip Hop as Storytelling" by Ramel Wallace x San Diego Design Week
• The Royal Family Virtual Experience: Artist Edition will get you hype and is well worth the $20 ticket

• I'll be announcing my guest for this week's Music Marketing Meetup on Instagram Live and trust me, this one is going to be helpful for musicians, music tech industry peeps, and anyone seeking to take their creativity to a corporate setting.