In a shocking turn events, Ultra Music Festival has pulled the plug in Miami. That’s right, it’s cancelled. The electronic music festival will be postponed — possibly for a full year. The Miami Herald said it was cancelled over the concerns over the coronavirus. That’s a bit odd. There are no travel restrictions in the U.S. and SXSW and other festivals have announced that they will not be cancelling any events.

In instagram post Halsey said, “I think 2020 will mark the end of me touring for a very long time. Thank you for making the memories so special. I am cherishing every single night.”

The pop singers overseas Manic tour has begun with a rocky start. Halsey’s concert in Stockholm on February 24th was cancelled. Her show at WiZink Center, Madrid (16,000 capacity) grossed $259,769.00 w/ 4,053 (66%) Tickets Sold with an $64.09 Average Ticket Price. According to sources, artist that booked big stadium tours are wishing they booked smaller venues because ticket sales are soft. Nobody likes walking on stage to a near half empty arena. Why are ticket sales soft? We can’t blame the coronavirus, not yet, at least. It’s most likely competition on the road and artists have overestimated their worth. Big Instagram and TikTok followings doesn’t mean big crown turnout on the road.

Lady Gaga returns with a single and a video for Stupid Love. It’s a fun 80’s inspired track released in a timely fashion. Rising pop singer Dua Lipa released nostalgic dance songs that put her on top of the charts. Gaga is a risk taker and never sounds the same. Sometimes she wins and other times she loses but that’s part of the game. The new track which was co-written with Max Martin is polar opposite of the sleeper hit Shallows.

Major music labels make $1 Million from streaming. In fact, 80% of the music industry’s revenue came from streaming says a new report. Other figures worth highlighting –
Streaming revenues brought in $8.8 billion – that’s more than the entire amount of money made from recorded music in 2017. The total number of streaming subscriptions increased by 25%, which accounted for 93% of streaming revenue growth from last year.
Can artist earn a million an hour? Yeah right! Artists are earning about $0.012 per song stream on Apple Music or $0.003 per song stream on Spotify. Is this bad news for artists? Yes and No. It’s not the best for the singer-songwriter who wants to stay in the bedroom and release songs on digital streaming platforms. It’s not bad for the superstar artist that has a big fan following and can generate revenue through a variety of avenues.

Chrysalis Records has relaunched itself as a front line label. The label which got it start in 1968 was a home to Jethro Tull, Billy Idol, Blondie, Pat Benatar, and Sinead O’Connor. The label was dormant for two decades and will celebrate its opening with the signing of British singer-songwriter Laura Marling.