HITS HIGH 5: THE WINDS OF MARCH

Despite winter storms blanketing the entire country this weekend, we encourage you to get outside and take a bike ride like the one CicLAvia has this weekend in L.A. If that doesn’t interest you, stay dry and catch up on the week’s highlights in the HITS High 5.

We just published a special issue that is the first part of a project examining the historical and social contexts of music made by African-Americans and its influence on the world. We also created a playlist to accompany the writing on Spotify and Apple Music.

In the first edition of 2019’s New & Developing Artists, we feature such buzzing acts as Flora Cash, Spotify sensation FLETCHER, sibling production duo Grey, and femme K-Pop quartet BLACKPINK. It, too has a playlist at Apple Music and Spotify.

Spotify made India the 79th country in which the streaming service is available but not before getting into a battle with Warner Music Group over publishing rights.

Here are two more samples from our recent special issue profiling the industry movers making history now, Bob Pittman and Joel Katz.

In Europe they’re moving forward with a copyright directive while in the U.S., the DOJ is examining the consent decrees issued to ASCAP and BMI during WWII. ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews and BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill weigh in on the action as does National Music Publishers’ Association chief David Israelite.