INDUSTRY
Output Celebrates $45 Million Series A Funding
The music software company Output is celebrating its recent Series A funding. Valued at $45 million, the round was raised by Massachusetts-based investment firm Summit Partners. Output is commonly known for its loop synthesizer program, Arcade, which promises new content daily. All of their loops are contained within the application so producers will not have to search through their files to load them into a project. On YouTube, a short demonstration video was shared so producers and music fans can see how the software works for themselves. Despite only recently receiving Series A funding, Output has been used by many major players in the music industry. Representing the dance music world on the growing list of Output alumni are Zedd, Diplo, Chris Lake, and&n...
Martin Garrix Moves PR In-House, Ends 8-Year Relationship With Previous Firm
Martin Garrix has officially cut ties with The Media Nanny, his longtime PR firm whom he has worked with since 2012. In the future, Garrix’s team will be handing all public relations matters in house. Announced October 22nd via a press statement, the news has not been circulated on his social media platforms, keeping the split fairly quiet. Clear and concise, the statement thanked The Media Nanny for “pleasant cooperation over the past 8 years,” but didn’t offer any details regarding the end of their relationship. The Media Nanny, an all-female PR firm based in The Netherlands, where Garrix is from, continues to represent other high-profile dance artists such as Charlotte de Witte, David Guetta and Disclosure. Garrix has so far been removed from thei...
Investment Firm Acquires Calvin Harris’ Publishing Catalog for $90 Million
In what could be a watershed moment for electronic music producers, Calvin Harris has sold his publishing catalog for a staggering $90 million. Vine Alternative Investments—a New York-based entertainment industry investment firm—has acquired the rights to Harris’ expansive publishing catalog of over 150 tracks, many of which are considered modern dance music classics. Billboard reports that the purchase cost Vine a cool $90 million and could close as high as $110 million. “Vine’s process was extremely smooth,” said Mark Gillespie, Harris’ longtime manager and CEO of music management firm Three Six Zero. “We valued their quick response time, exceptional knowledge of the space and straight-forward approach. We are very comfortable that they w...
Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Timbaland to Speak at 2020 Amsterdam Dance Event
While the 2020 Amsterdam Dance Event will look much different than previous iterations due to COVID-19, organizers are still bringing out some giants for this year’s programming. One particular program that has turned heads is the upcoming “Evolution of Our Sounds” panel discussion. The hourlong talk is set to feature insights from Martin Garrix, David Guetta, and Timbaland and will be moderated by BBC Radio 1‘s Danny Howard. ADE The event description states that attendees will get to learn more about the artists’ backgrounds and what it’s like collaborating remotely, among other topics. “The three will be discussing the artists and recordings that formed their musical universe as they were growing up, the events and personalities that contrib...
UK Government Launches Investigation of Streaming Platforms’ Economic Impact on the Music Industry
The world’s music streaming platforms have often been a source of controversy and debate in the music industry. While many love the convenience they offer to listeners and the ability to reach markets easier than ever, many artists are facing economic and financial strife due to the low payout per stream. The United Kingdom’s Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee (DCMS) is aware of these issues and is now getting involved in a new investigation into streaming platforms’ economic impact on the music industry as a whole. On the DCMS Committee’s website, officials shared a statement highlighting the large revenue brought in by the companies and emphasized how small the portion actually paid to artists is. “With streaming currently accounting for more than ...
Disabled Musicians Face “Significant Barriers” to Music Education, New Study Shows
The new “Reshape Music” study from Youth Music and the Take it away Consortium reports key disparities in industry access for disabled musicians in the UK, including in music education and instrument sales. Researched via a national survey, it is the first study of its kind to specifically look into the experiences of disabled people in music education and music making. According to its findings, the majority of people surveyed have been unable to find a music teacher who both meets their needs and understands the support they require, proving the struggle for access starts from the very beginning. In fact, just 7% of disabled young people are actually making music through their local Music Education Hub, government-supported groups of organizations designed specifically ...
Arts Council England Awarding Financial Grants to DJs, Sound Engineers, More
Performing artists and creators—including DJs, sound engineers, and lighting technicians—can now apply for grants from Arts Council England. The Developing Your Creative Practice fund (DYCP) is open to new applicants seeking relief in the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the grants is to assist “cultural and creative practitioners” financially by covering expenses related to the creation and development of their work. The organization is awarding £2,000 to £10,000 per grant. October 2020 to January 2021 will see four additional rounds of applicants awarded grants. Creatives may now apply for the first round, which opened on October 15th and will close on November 5th. Any unsuccessful applicants in each round may re-apply for consideration in ...
This Jewelry Line Made of Recycled Plastic from Ibiza’s Beaches Will Fund Future Cleanups
Since its 2019 launch at Glastonbury Festival, UK-based organization Orca Sound Project (OSP) has been actively partnering with corporate clients to raise awareness for the global plastic waste crisis, namely ocean pollution. At Glastonbury, for example, OSP created a stage built entirely from recycled ocean plastic that volunteers had collected in England. Other partners include Miami Music Week, Ultra Music Festival and Amsterdam Dance Event. Now, OSP is calling attention to Ibiza, dance music’s island hub, where there are only five years left until the island’s landfills run out of room, according to the organization. A partnership with jewelry brand hW has culminated in a capsule collection sourced entirely from plastic collected from Ibiza’s beaches. With ...
“Songs are Forgotten”: Danny Howard Says the Pandemic Impacts Longevity of Music Releases
As the pandemic continues to wreck havoc throughout the US and Europe, the nightlife industry is finding it difficult to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Public health restrictions including lockdowns have left clubs and industry professions in distress, with limited direction on how to move forward. BBC Radio personality Danny Howard added color to the dire picture and implored government officials to share their estimates as to when the nightlife scene could safely reopen. Howard is calling on the government to be more transparent with their return to normal expectations so organizers can plan accordingly. The renowned DJ and music producer called the financial measures taken thus far to support the industry as “papering over the cracks.” In 2019, the UK nightlife s...
Bubble Boys: The Flaming Lips are Planning a Concert With Audience in Giant Globes
No, we are not in the Matrix. The Flaming Lips are planning a performance in their hometown of Oklahoma City amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but they have a unique way of thwarting a potential spread of the virus. According to frontman Wayne Coyne, each member of the audience will enjoy the show while encapsulated in their own giant bubble, a-la Jake Gyllenhaal from Bubble Boy. Coyne, of course, has encased himself in a plastic bubble many times over the course of his career, using it to traverse on top of crowds. The Flaming Lips also recently used the bubbles in their remote Fallon and Colbert late show sets following the onset of the global lockdown period, doling them out to a limited capacity audience for the latter performance. However, the fabled psyc...
Miami’s Club Space is Reopening This Weekend—But You Can’t “High-Five Strangers”
As bars and nightclubs across the globe continue to flounder due to the convoluted and often nebulous reopening process, one famed Miami venue is reentering the fray. Club Space has announced that it will reopen this weekend with stringent guidelines and rules in place to ensure the safety of its patrons amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The announcement arrived after governor Ron DeSantis moved forward with the third phase of his reopening plan for the state of Florida, which allows bars and nightclubs to resume operations. With regards to their reopening, Miami New Times reports that Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Giménez instated an 11PM curfew, mandatory facemasks, and capacity limits, among other restrictions. Club Space shared a number of guidelines t...
Carl Cox Criticizes UK Government for Lack of Support in the Dance Music Community
Last week, Calvin Harris took to social media to call out the UK government for its treatment of the music industry during COVID-19, elucidating how much money it brings in to the community as well as its social impact. Techno legend Carl Cox is next to share his concerns, doing so at a Q&A at the Brighton Music Conference, where he slammed the UK government for saying the dance scene is not “viable.” Helen Whately the UK’s Minister for Care at the Department of Health and Social Care, recently shared disheartening comments regarding nightlife. She stated that supporting the nightlife industry “doesn’t make sense” and that instead they recommend people working in the industry to consider other lines of work. Whately’s comments di...
