Wooo, buddy, so, LOTS happened this week/past weekend. Take a gander: 

• US streaming mechanical royalty rates to rise 44%. The courts ruled in favor of songwriters this past weekend! The ruling includes an increase in the overall percentage of revenue paid to songwriters from 10.5% to 15.1% over the next five years – the largest rate increase in Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) history.
• APPLE MUSIC INSIGHTS! guys - HUUUUUGE, massive news for independent artists here. Apple Music for Artists is going to roll out this spring giving us the data we have longed for since the launch of the platform! My nerd heart... she soars.
• Fake Spotify Playlists - guys, pay attention! If you are out pitching to playlists and spending your precious time, realize that there are always scam artists (how many times have we talked about that?). This shit is no good and gets you NOWHERE. Again, fake listeners will not get you anywhere - even if your stream count gets a bump.
• Grammys happened.... and here's a full list of the winners. Not too much "news" for the indie artist, but it is worth noting (big time) that independent artist, Jason Isbell, took home 2 trophies last night. Way to go to Jason, Thirty Tigers, and his whole team/band. 
• Remixers get more respect on Spotify. The green giant has changed the rules and will now also credit remixers for streams on songs they remixed. Previously, only the main artist got the stream count/monthly listener love. 
• Do not ignore Amazon! Guys, remember this post about not dumping all of your eggs into one basket. Case in point. Read up on what Amazon has going on (PS, they also pay a higher avg per stream rate than a few other big ones). 

LISTEN TO OPRAH

Each Monday we post relevant news stories from the previous week that you should be paying attention to as an indie artist. We'll mainly focus on streaming platforms, artist pay rates, and what's going on in the world of social media so you can access your fans better. What you won't find here: top level executive changes at major labels, big money marketing partnerships with giant artists, and things of that nature. As always, send us comments, suggestions, or things we may have missed!