Thursday February 16, 2012 2:30pm - 4:00pm
@ Rockefabrikken
With high profile artists like Coldplay and Adele apparently shunning streaming services for new releases, particularly at the beginning of a release window, is there a worrying trend developing? Or is Bob Dylan’s recent return to Spotify a more significant event?Some artists feel that their royalties from streaming services are too low – witness the recent heated debate kicked off by ST Holdings withdrawing its catalogue from Spotify and other streaming services. On the other hand the recent announcement from Spotify that it has hit a conversion rate of 20% among active users and that it has 3 million paying subscribers can only be a good thing while it starts to generate serious revenue for the music industry. At the same time Sony Music digital boss Dennis Cooker has stated that Sony doesn’t see any evidence of streaming services significantly cannibalising sales, while its business is growing in the areas where subscription services are the predominant player in the market; and UMG’s VP of digital Francis Keeling has said that artists who withhold their albums from streaming services risk alienating their fanbases. Do the artists have a point? Is it the structure of record and distribution deals that is really the problem? Or is the most important point that streaming music is already helping to grow the digital music industry, and will continue to do so? Presentation 10 mins Spotify: How streaming services have helped grow the overall market and how artists can benefit. Will Hope, Label Relations Director, Spotify Panel discussion 1hr Panelists: Will Hope, Label Relations Director, Spotify Charles Caldas – Chief Executive Officer, Merlin Erik Nielsen – Music Managers Forum board member; Manager of A genuine Freakshow Billie Ray Martin – Solo artist, label owner, e101, Disco Activisto Records Stefan Blom (Chairman & President, EMI Music Nordic) After the seminar: meet the panellists networking session