Prof Snyder's Music Biz News

AI Music and Music Industry Educator, Jeff Snyder

Current, Interesting, Offbeat, Music Biz News Updates Curated from Various Sources. “The secret to success is to know something nobody else knows.” – Aristotle Onassis Video Versions at https://www.youtube.com/@snydersmusicbiznews For 27+ years as a Music Professor teaching Music Business and Recording classes, as well as being a professional musician, one of my favorite classes was Intro to Music Business. Each week we discussed current news in the music industry that I found interesting and worth discussing. Now retired, I still try to stay current on what's happening, and have decided to share what I find with a (potentially) much bigger class...Prof Snyder's Music Biz News. Links to articles referred to in the topics discussed will be posted on my blog https://snydersmusicbiznews.blogspot.com/ So if you actually learn something new, please follow, like, and subscribe. Thanks! Snyder

  1. Reanimated. Repackaged. Redeployed. By Agentic AI

    May 17

    Reanimated. Repackaged. Redeployed. By Agentic AI

    George Romero's Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain. (That's why I can use a screen grab and not worry about copyright infringement.) But Hal Roach made the zombies green and so created a derivative that he could copyright and make $ licensing. BMG's announcement about Synch + brought to light how agentic AI is replacing music supervisors and song pluggers. "AI tools analyze BMG’s repertoire of over three million songs and 200,000 production music tracks to find precise matches for film, TV, and advertising briefs." Those who opt-in to allow BMG's agentic AI train on their music should be aware of the results. AI training creates a permanent capability to generate unlimited similar works....derivatives that BMG owns, with nonstop countless derivatives of the derivatives that only create $ for the label. Once your song's DNA is out there, there's no pulling it back. Maybe even if you decide to later opt-out. (Be sure to read the license you grant. Even better seek legal counsel). "While the “ethical” data training touted by some in the music industry may provide certain compensation in the short-term for the music on which these models are licensed, there are tangible long-term risks to production music libraries, composers and creators that should be considered." "It is not just about selling a song. It is about owning the source material, the derivatives, the licensing pathway, and the machine that helps produce the next wave of derivatives." Romero never made a dime on the derivatives of his creation. Will those who opt-in to feed AI? Sources: https://snydersmusicbiznews.blogspot....

    9 min
  2. DDEX Adds AI Info to Meta Data: Now The Required Ticket Into The New Music Ecosystem

    Apr 15

    DDEX Adds AI Info to Meta Data: Now The Required Ticket Into The New Music Ecosystem

    This is the 3rd and last podcast linking 3 music biz events that I believe marks a change in access to the music markets. Indie distributors and labels being swallowed by majors, major labels and Spotify now allies working together to create an answer to AI music (and market control), and DDEX becoming the required meta data required for access to the new music ecosystem. DDEX has added AI descriptions into the Meta data of song files. Spotify and the major labels have adopted DDEX as the sole source of Meta Data Spotify requires to accept new uploads. While this will gratefully screen out false or misleading AI generated music, it also gives them control...they make the rules. Meta data has been a mystery to most musicians and who have left it up to distributors like Distrokid and Record labels to create and add meta data to their songs based on the accuracy and truthfulness of the artists' submissions. Most music companies accepted the data without question. Now, meta data comes into view with the dominant majors and Spotify creating a new collaborate music ecosystem controlling access to the market, with the DDEX standard becoming the sole accepted meta data source. Spotify's 'gatekeeper' now closely examines uploaded songs for DDEX before accepting them for streaming. Only labels and record labels can add DDEX data to your songs. While the accuracy of the DDEX data created by indie distributors and indie labels may vary based the accuracy of info when submitted by the artist, requiring closer examination, Spotify knows that music presented by the major labels in their new agreement is 'clean', with legit AI use of licensed music and accurate song info, so fast-tracks the music into the streams. It's imperative that musicians now learn the importance of meta data and providing accurate information when submitting a song to a distributor for upload to Spotify, publishers, etc. or risk their music being rejected. sources: https://snydersmusicbiznews.blogspot.com/2026/04/ddex-and-new-music-world-order.html

    10 min

About

Current, Interesting, Offbeat, Music Biz News Updates Curated from Various Sources. “The secret to success is to know something nobody else knows.” – Aristotle Onassis Video Versions at https://www.youtube.com/@snydersmusicbiznews For 27+ years as a Music Professor teaching Music Business and Recording classes, as well as being a professional musician, one of my favorite classes was Intro to Music Business. Each week we discussed current news in the music industry that I found interesting and worth discussing. Now retired, I still try to stay current on what's happening, and have decided to share what I find with a (potentially) much bigger class...Prof Snyder's Music Biz News. Links to articles referred to in the topics discussed will be posted on my blog https://snydersmusicbiznews.blogspot.com/ So if you actually learn something new, please follow, like, and subscribe. Thanks! Snyder