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In this edition, we explore Apple Music's new analytics toolkit for premiere partners, Live Nation's massive year-over-year growth in concert attendance, and TikTok's legal battle against the US government's potential ban.
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Hey Everybody,
Welcome back to another edition of the Indie Insider Newsletter, as per usual we are going to be diving into three of the most important stories shaping the music landscape this week and exploring why each of them has the potential to effect your music business or your artist project.
But before we jump in, I want to make sure that everyone knows about a small project we’ve been working on for our long-form podcast, Indie Insider with Calvin Windschitl. This week we launched our Music Biz 101 series, a collection of 3-4 thirty-minute episodes that lay out the fundamentals of the music industry in easy-to-understand terms. We’ve designed this series to be an easy way for artists, students, and early-career music industry operators to dive in and gain a better understanding of how the business side of music works. Listeners will learn industry-specific vocabulary and be introduced to important (but often confusing) topics like music rights, the supply chain, and more. Honestly, this all started as an easy way from me to convey some of the industry basics to our summer interns at Habitat Financial , so if you have some interns coming on in the next few weeks, feel free to link them our show—you can find the new episodes under Season 2 of the Indie Insider with Calvin Windschitl podcast feed. Alright on to the news.
Apple Music is improving its analytics offerings with the introduction of the new 'Apple Music Partner Program'. This premium data analytics toolkit offers select record labels and distributors new tools to help track trends on the streaming service and beyond. Key features include a new 'Chart Explorer' tool which provides access to over 4,500 Apple Music charts, and a slick new ‘Radio Spins’ tool which utilizes Shazam technology to monitor 40,000 radio station in 200 countries.
For many independent artists, Spotify for Artists is the default analytics platform. Apple Music's continued investment in analytics tools demonstrates its dedication to challenging that perception. With the addition of charts and radio tracking Apple is venturing into analytic territory currently unoccupied by Spotify for Artists—potentially hoping that artists and rights-holders will spend more time thinking about Apple Music.
Longtime readers will know that I always advice artists to move away from a Spotify-centric point of view and embrace a more wholistic approach to the analytics.
Live concerts are back with a bang, and Live Nation Entertainment is reaping the rewards. The concert giant reported a staggering $3.8 billion in revenue in the first quarter, marking a remarkable 21% year-over-year growth. This surge in revenue spans across all divisions, including concerts, ticketing, and advertising & sponsorship, showcasing the robust demand for live events worldwide.
Arena concerts, like those from superstars like T-Swift & Beyonce, saw a whopping 40% increase in attendance globally, underscoring the strong appetite for in-person performances by pop’s major players. This development comes at a time where festival attendance is down. This dynamic undermines the narrative of a shrinking monoculture. It’s clear that music fans are currently willing to spend more to see the hottest act of the year in an all-out bash, but hesitant to spend on experiences with many smaller up-and-coming acts.
Live Nation's stellar performance this year underscores the enduring power of live music and the unwavering enthusiasm of fans to experience it firsthand—something AI will not be able to replicate. As we look towards the future of AI in music creation, its worth remembering that part of what makes the fan experience special is attending live performances—even in a post-pandemic world.
TikTok and its parent company ByteDance have filed a lawsuit against the US government over the recently-passed law that could force ByteDance sell TikTok's US operations or face a nationwide ban. The law, known as the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, has been branded as "unconstitutional" by TikTok in their lawsuit, sparking a fierce legal battle.
The crux of TikTok's argument lies in the unprecedented nature of the law, which specifically targets and bans TikTok—a platform utilized by 170 million Americans for entertainment, creative expression, and community engagement. TikTok argues that the law not only violates free speech rights but also imposes an impossible ultimatum: sell its US operations or face a ban. TikTok contends that selling its US operations is not feasible for several reasons.
Firstly, TikTok argues that cutting off US users from the global TikTok community would undermine the platform's value and viability. Additionally, the law's requirement to transfer TikTok's source code to the buying company poses significant technological and legal challenges, making a sale practically impossible. Furthermore, TikTok highlights the Chinese government's refusal to permit the divestment of key technologies, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.
It's hard to say what will happen here. TikTok is correct in that bans on internet companies are nearly unheard of in the US. Should courts rule in favor of the US this would set completely new precedents. That said, this is one of very few issues where there seems to be support from across the political spectrum. In a time where so many of our judicial placements are seen as quasi-political, and in an era of significant great power competition between the US and China, it’s hard known for certain what way this ruling might go. The US market accounts for only about 10% of TikTok’s user-base, so it’s clear that while this is a big deal for the Chinese tech company, it doesn’t present an existential crisis. For US based artists wondering how much to invest in building a fanbase on TikTok, I’d say continue cultivating relationships there, but make sure you’re also investing time in an alternative should TikTok go belly up.
That's if for this weeks news! I'll catch you all again next Friday!
