• ER is used in the UK to pay royalties from the *broadcast* of music, with collecting society PPL splitting them 50/50 between labels and artists.
• A *lot* of famous British artists signed a letter addressed to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking for laws around ER to be updated, allowing it to be applied to certain types of streaming (for instance, songs autoplayed to users.) 
• Impala, which represents independent music companies in Europe, and the BPI, which represents the UK's recorded music industry, pushed back firmly against ER, arguing that it would reduce music's value, and creators would be paid less.

• Gregor Pryor and Nick Breen from law firm Reed Smith wrote a guest column for us about 'understanding ER and music streaming' and its potential impact. 
• And our Expert Panel of industry figures explain what they think about ER and streaming (SPOILER: there are lots of polarised opinions). 

• A simple starting point is getting a brand to sponsor a livestream – although sponsored banners and pre-roll video may now be a bit boring and ineffective.
• Brands that provide unique experiences or embed themselves into the livestream in some meaningful or fun way may be more successful.
• Virtual events – like Travis Scott's hugely successful Fortnite show – require time and money: a good opportunity for a brand to get on board and help.
• Michelle Collins of A Non-Agency, which specialises in consumer experience marketing, believes that musicians and DJs should think about collaborating with partners and being innovative. 
• For instance, before a gig, an artist could host a sponsored drinks-mixing class that doubles as a live fan Q&A.

With 2.8bn global monthly active users, many monetisation features for artists, and premium music videos, Facebook is a vital – and valuable – platform for artists. Our new Facebook Best Practice module helps artists make the best of profiles, content and monetisation on Facebook.

But first, you need to know what opportunities Facebook can offer you:

• Interaction is vital to get your content onto fans' newsfeeds: an artist with an engaged fanbase trumps an artist with a larger lean-back fanbase
• Post-covid, artists are thinking global. Here, Facebook has scale and reach: in India, Facebook has 310m users, in the US 190m, 140m in Indonesia, 130m in Brazil and 92m in Mexico.
• It's important for any artist and music marketer to remember that the majority of Facebook users watch videos with the sound off –  this is the default setting.
• You'll need to invest (thoughtfully and creatively) in paid advertising to reach a larger audience: the average organic reach for a Facebook post is around 5.5%.

The Knowledge subscribers get a frankly enormous 50% DISCOUNT on our 'Facebook Best Practice – Profiles, Content and Monetisation' module. It looks at optimising your page setup, crafting content for posts, using analytics effectively, getting the most out of Facebook groups, music licensing, and monetisation features. You'll also learn tips and tricks using real, inspiring examples.

• Headline of the week: "I knit with pet hair"
• Wine lovers! Fancy buying a fancy bottle of Pétrus 2000? It's been aged for 14 months... aboard the International Space Station.
• SongBird is a 3D-printable turntable kit.
• Think you're hungry? You may not be after watching one of New Zealand's top competitive eaters demolish a tower of waffles and fried chicken.
• What’s the future for holidays in space and/or virtual reality? Naturally, we’re turning to 1991 local TV in Atlanta for the answers.
• Headline of the week 2: "Covid: Japan town builds giant squid statue with relief money"