Weekly update of key events in music, entertainment and technology compiled by Laura Montarroso, CORD Spain and edited by Anthony Vanger, MD CORD EMEA.
MUSIC AND BRANDS
When Beyoncé Mentions Your Brand, Don’t Repeat Red Lobster’s Social Failure
Authentic communication in advertising is crucial for brands trying to create a deep, meaningful connection with their audiences. Red Lobster’s team either doesn’t understand its audience or is afraid to embrace the madness of impactful social media marketing in 2016.


More info: http://goo.gl/3ulSFD
Brands that Engage with Jazz Fans Won’t Be Left Singing the Blues
While Nielsen’s 2015 U.S. Music Report found that jazz accounted for just 1.3% of total music consumption (physical album sales, digital track and streaming equivalent albums), jazz music listeners outspend the average music listener on digital music.

More info: http://goo.gl/EmHwPa
More Companies Sponsor Performers to Boost Brands and Music Industry
MasterCard is one of a growing number of companies that poured a combined $1.4 billion into the music industry last year to connect with a broadening swath of young consumers during what tends to be a particularly emotional pastime: listening to tunes.

More info: http://goo.gl/q19aIE
Billboard’s 2016 Branding Power Players: Meet the Masters of Marketing
Some $2 billion in revenue reaches the music industry from the branding business. That includes $1.4 billion in sponsorship spending in the United States on music tours, venues and festivals during 2015, according to IEG. This is a comprehensive list of the industry’s biggest players.

More info: http://goo.gl/Iqnjmo
Audi equates technology to rock and roll
Audi is launching an effort focused on the Audi A4 that follows the theme “Intelligence is the new Rock and Roll.”
More info: http://goo.gl/kOnxfd
MUSIC BUSINESS
Sony confirms SoundCloud licensing deal, including The Orchard and RED
Sony Music Entertainment has officially confirmed that it has licensed SoundCloud, ahead of the launch of a subscription service in the US and other markets later this year.

More info: http://goo.gl/8UMt3F
DIGITAL
Pandora wants to ‘evolve out of’ autoplay video ads
Pandora has been making acquisitions and launching new features over the past year, which hints at big changes coming to the music discovery platform. Pandora is the largest music streaming platform, but in last month’s quarterly earnings call, it reported a net loss of $19.4 million, down from $12.3 million in net earnings in the year-ago period.

More info: http://goo.gl/CKIXbY
Fans Who Follow Bands on Instagram Spend More Money on Music and Live Shows
Results of a recent Nielsen study showed that Instagram users are 42 percent more likely to spend money on music than the general population. Those who follow artists and bands spend twice as much on music each year as those on other social media apps. Users also spend 30 percent more time listening to music on a weekly basis with pop, hip-hop, rap and R&B leading the way.
The trick for marketers that want in on the action, though, is knowing who those fans are and what they’re listening to.

More info: http://goo.gl/vF5y9m
What Instagram’s New Algorithm Could Mean for Agencies and Brands
With more than 400 million monthly users and a growing number of advertisers, Instagram is adding an algorithm that reorders pictures and videos in users’ feeds based on their interests. It’s a move marketers say was inevitable, as the photo-sharing app builds out its ad business and takes a page from sister company Facebook’s playbook, even if it irks Instagram’s core users.

More info: http://goo.gl/zclYGB
Spotify, Music Publishers Announce Out-of-Court Agreement
Today, the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and Spotify have announced a landmark agreement, one that could deflate a $200 million class action lawsuit. The agreement will allow independent and major publishers to claim and receive royalties for mechanical licenses on Spotify in the United States.

More info: http://goo.gl/QvQ8yr
FESTIVALS
SXSW & Facebook Launch New Live Video Portal for Behind-the-Scenes Festival Access: Exclusive
South by Southwest and Facebook have launched a new portal for artists to communicate with fans across the globe during the Austin, Texas, music festival and conference. http://facebooklive.sxsw.com/

More info: http://goo.gl/83pUki
News and updates SXSW: http://goo.gl/wXcwmR
OTHER ARTICLES
Why music companies need to think carefully about today’s UK Budget

The UK Spring Budget today included one change, relating to withholding tax (otherwise explained as “tax deducted at source”), which may have particular relevance for the worldwide music industry. It relates specifically to music companies that register copyrights in jurisdictions with more favourable tax rates than the UK.
More info: http://goo.gl/fOsM3V
For more info please contact:
anthony@cordww.com
laura.montarroso@cordww.com