Music Ally

Having sniped at MySpace’s streaming music service ever since its launch after being left out of initial licensing negotiations, Merlin finally has a deal with MySpace Music. That means its member labels – which Merlin says account for 10% of the global music market – will see their music added to the site’s catalogue.

The exact details of the deal have not been disclosed, but Merlin’s announcement says it involves “a plan tailored specifically for the independent music community that offers Merlin what it has sought from the outset – an opportunity to participate in and benefit from the financial growth of MySpace Music”.

An equity stake? Merlin does say that it will have a nominee who can attend and participate in MySpace Music board meetings. “MySpace Music values the support of the independent community and it has been a top priority for us to create a program that would reward their steadfast support of the service,” says MySpace Music boss Courtney Holt. “I am thrilled to have a plan in place that will allow them to reap additional financial benefits from their support and loyalty.”

Streaming music service Spotify says that 20% of all tracks streamed by UK users are from independent labels.

The company revealed the news on its blog, as part of a hymn of praise to independent licensing body Merlin, which got labels including Beggars Group, Domino, Epitaph, PIAS and Warp onto Spotify.

Merlin isn’t the only indie licensor for Spotify – the company also has deals with The Orchard and Bonnier Amigo among others – but the blog post says that Merlin accounts for 10% of all tracks streamed on Spotify UK.

“All in all, we are grateful for the support and effort that many independent labels and aggregators have given us over the last few months but an extra thank you goes to Merlin, as Spotify was the first service they ever licensed,” says the post. Which should come in handy when the Merlin deal is up for renewal…

This week has seen several reports claiming that MySpace Music has so far been a bit of a damp squib. Why? According to boss of independent music licensing company or “the virtual fifth major” Merlin, it’s because there’s scant few indies on the service. (more…)

As you’ll know if you’ve read today’s Music Ally Bulletin, MySpace Music went live last night, with US users able to get hands-on with the much-vaunted streaming / downloads service.

However, independent rights agency Merlin isn’t impressed with the lack of indie labels on MySpace Music. Although currently in negotiations with MySpace to add its labels to the service, CEO Charles Caldas has slammed the decision to go live without them.

“It is incredibly disappointing that MySpace will launch their new service without having finalised a deal with the world’s most important independent labels and artists,” he says in a prepared statement. “It certainly makes Chris DeWolfe’s public statements that the “indie bands are really the heart of MySpace”, ring extremely hollow.”

The rest of Caldas’ statement can be read by clicking below.

(more…)