Celebrity Life
How 2020 Changed the Music Business Forever
From six-figure TikTok snippets to virtual-reality stardom to Travis Scott McNugget pillows, here are 12 ways the bizarre year upended the music industry — setting artists and fans up for an even wackier 2021
Get Ready for a Music-Making ‘Arms Race’ in 2021
Beatport's acquisition of Loopmasters may have just fired the starter pistol on an acquisition frenzy in sector of "sample packs," plugins, and other modern technologies that have become key to music production
When Will Live Music Return?
After a bruising 10 months of Covid shutdown, live music businesses — not to mention artists and fans — are hoping concerts and tours can return in the spring of 2021. But is it a pipe dream?
All They Want for Christmas Is a TikTok Hit
Labels are trying to use TikTok to launch a new song into the Christmas music canon
BMG Finds Financial Disparities in Black Artists’ Old Record Contracts
The music company's audit found that black artists from four of its labels had "significant disparities" in the royalty rates of their old record contracts, providing them with smaller payouts than non-black artists
Grand Theft Auto Now Boasts Julian Casablancas and Dr. Dre
"We want to create a musical event, but we want to do it on our terms," says the head of music behind the long-dominating Grand Theft Auto video game, which recently added a slate of star artists into gameplay
At Work With Mega House, Maroon 5 and Miley Cyrus’ Secret Weapon
This company fires up hits for everyone from Dua Lipa to Shawn Mendes and Ozzy Osbourne. Its cofounders break down how they built the powerhouse
The Exponential Rise of Leah Kate’s ‘F-ck Up the Friendship’
"She's practically running a full-service label for herself from her bedroom," says Alexis Ohanian, founder of Seven Seven Six, who partnered with Kate through a data-driven music startup earlier this year and provided her with funding
Megan Thee Stallion Is TikTok’s Most Listened-To Artist in 2020
TikTok says over 70 artists who first went viral on the app signed major record deals this year
Bandcamp Fridays Brought in $40 Million for Artists During Covid Pandemic
Bandcamp has distributed $40 million to artists and labels from the nine Bandcamp Fridays it's held this year, and will continue the initiative to spring 2021
How Do Composers Score Music During a Pandemic? One Single Instrument At a Time
Inside the painstaking and "very convoluted" process of building film scores in Covid, which involves meshing together hundreds of individually recorded files from every member of an orchestra
New Venues, High-Tech Concerts: AEG’s Plan to Come Out of Covid Stronger Than Ever
Construction of new music venues and technology updates are happening faster "as a result of not having to remodel the airplane while still flying in the air," says the concert company's CEO Jay Marciano