Music Biz Monday: Promote On SoundCloud Launches, TikTok Hits 1.5 Billion Downloads, + more

Every Monday, we’re sharing the latest news and information for the music industry and technology worldwide.

Get your learn on and stay in the know with Symphonic’s Music Biz Monday!

Soundcloud Launches Promote On SoundCloud Self-service Marketing Platform

SoundCloud has launched Promote on SoundCloud, a self-service promotional tool for artists to boost their original tracks to the top of listeners’ Soundcloud feeds and mobile homepages.

With Promote on SoundCloud, creators can set a budget and choose targeting to help drive track plays, reach a more diverse listener group, build real-time, interactive connections with fans, elevate new tracks and album releases or build local buzz in advance of tour dates.

\\ Read more on Hypebot //

TikTok Hits a Whopping 1.5 Billion Downloads

According to data from Sensor Tower, TikTok’s total downloads across both Apple’s App Store and Google Play just passed the 1.5 billion mark, after reaching one billion earlier this year. It has further had more than 600 million downloads for this year alone, with more than a month left ago. This represents a 6% increase over 2018.

TikTok’s success can be tied to its explosive growth rate in Asia’s emerging markets. 31% of the app’s downloads came from India while another 11.5% came from China. Both numbers exceed downloads from the United States, which account for 8.2% of the app’s total downloads.

\\ Read more on Digital Music News //

WHY THE MUSIC INDUSTRY MUST HAVE AN ‘ALWAYS ON’ APPROACH TO AI, AND NEW TECH STARTUPS

The following MBW blog comes from Tanguy Giraud (pictured), COO & Program Director at Marathon Artists LABs. Marathon Artists LABs, which is run from Marathon Music Group’s HQ at Tileyard Studios in London, has collaborated with a wide range of music startups to accelerate business development objectives whilst building a pipeline of sales prospects within the music sector.

\\ Read more on Music Business Worldwide //

Inside Colombia’s world-class techno scene

Max Pearl finds wild scenes at clubs and festivals in Bogotá and Medellín.

“It’s inevitable: in Colombia, any meeting of more than six people, of any class and at any hour of the day, is bound to turn into a dance party.” – Gabriel García Márquez

\\ Read more on Resident Advisor //

The Spotify Blacklist Continues ⁠— Artist Faces Retaliation After Magazine Exclusive

Fresh allegations of a ‘Spotify blacklist’ are surfacing, with artists still excluded from editorial playlists if their music debuts elsewhere.

Initially, we thought this was primarily a reaction to Apple Music exclusives and pre-release promotions. But the ‘Spotify blacklist’ now seems to go beyond competing streaming services, and includes blogs, music publications, radio, or, according to our latest source, ‘anywhere in advance of Spotify’.

The concept of a Spotify blacklist isn’t a new one ⁠— Nicki Minaj says she experienced the phenomenon with her recent album, Queen. Minaj went on record saying that Spotify refused to promote her album because of her involvement with Apple Music.

\\ Read more on Digital Music News //