May 05, 2016
Full disclosure: I'm completely biased here. Not only did I start SubmitHub, I also own a blog. From that perspective, this seems like a detrimental decision on UMG's behalf.
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Since I launched it late last year, SubmitHub has quickly emerged as a very effective means for bloggers to sift through the hundreds of submissions they receive daily.
Publicists, managers and artists have used the platform to send more than 110,000 submissions to nearly 100 blogs, with an average response rate of ~70% within the first 48 hours.
For many bloggers (myself included), SubmitHub has solved one of our biggest headaches: spending hours a day sifting through email submissions. On top of that, it's allowing us to earn some money working on something we're passionate about: to date, more than $20,000 has been paid out to blogs - money being used to upgrade servers, improve website functionality, and in one case - save the rainforest.
So yeah... that's cool and all. It seems to be working quite well, and while it's not perfect for everyone, there are many people who are enjoying it.
Except Universal Music Group. Today, SoundCloud confirmed that the label has made an official decision to block its artists and subsidiary labels from using the platform. This is effectively saying: "we don't need blogs to share our music anymore." I suppose it is their decision to make, but it sure sucks for those artists who fall under their umbrella.
On the bright side, UMG's competitors can rest easy knowing that they've got a leg up in the promo game: there are nearly 100 blogs eagerly awaiting their submissions on SubmitHub - and if the song kicks ass, there's a good chance you'll see it blowing up all over the blogosphere.
If UMG decides to change their mind, we'll be waiting. Until then, we won't be able to discover new music from their catalog.