The Music Business Journal Talks Samsung & Jay Z, Apple Radio and more!

If you’re in the mood for playing catch up on some of the latest happenings in the music industry, look no further. Berklee College of Music’s Music Business Journal (MBJ) has just released its August issue! Spearheaded by some of the most intelligent and driven students at Berklee, the MBJ is one of my most trusted resources for music industry news.

The August MBJ explores everything from the relationship of artists and brands to viral videos and YouTube to the future of streaming and everything in between.

In the cover story, student Annette Oduor gives us a briefing on a partnership between Samsung and Jay Z. The agreement led to a pre-release of Magna Carta Holy Grail, Jay Z’s first solo album in four years to Samsung  Galaxy users – giving them the album for free three days before its commercial release. It also makes Magna Carta Holy Grail the “first major release to be premiered exclusively by a brand.” Talk about limited exclusivity – I wonder how that affected sales of Samsung products. Oduor questions whether smartphones are the future of music distribution. Read more on Jay Z and Samsung’s partnership, and how brands and artists are coming up with innovative changes for the music industry, here.

Apple continues to be the company we look to when it comes to new technologies and ideas that will without a doubt have a great impact on the way the music industry functions. But there’s one question that has been on everyone’s mind… Where is Apple’s streaming service?  During the Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Francisco the company finally announced iTunes Radio – however the implications on how this streaming model will affect the music industry is a whole other issue. One of the many concerns that’s got the industry talking? Pay per streams on iTunes Radio are proposed to be less than those of Pandora. With the value in paying for recorded music decreasing, it’s hard to imagine the general public ever valuing music as much as they once did. Read more on Apple’s plans for iTunes Radio and what it means for the average indie artist, here.

Have you noticed the increase in albums available for streaming in full on iTunes about a week before they’re available on-sale recently? It seems to be the new trend among artists from Local Natives’ Hummingbird to The Civil Wars’ self-titled release, to Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience and even more. In this issue of the Music Business Journal, student Nina Thistlethwaite analyzes the strategy behind making albums available in advance on streaming services. I’ve definitely been more inclined to buy music on iTunes after having this option, what about you? To read her full argument and analysis in the latest Music Business Journal, click here.

This is only a small sample of what the August 2013 Music Business Journal has to offer, so check out the full issue here and share your thoughts on any of the articles with me – I’d love to hear them!