Bit Hit Entertainment has announced its acquisition of Seoul-based music game company Superb. The K-pop powerhouse declined to reveal any details around the arrangement — at least beyond the top level. According to an email sent to Digital Music News,…
Author archives: Ashley King
Spotify Is Upgrading Its Family Plan With Actual Family Features
Spotify is upgrading its Family Plan subscription with new features that are — wait for it — family-oriented. Spotify is currently running a new test of family plan features in Ireland, with some enhancements geared towards parental oversight. As part…
Slayer’s NASCAR Sponsorship Pulled Over “Long-Time Sponsor Concerns”
The thrash metal band Slayer has been pulled from being a NASCAR sponsor. The deal was yanked at the last moment. Slayer is currently on their final world tour and partnered with Rick Ware Racing for the car. The #54 car was to compete at Saturday’s Mo…
After Helping to Save SoundCloud In 2017, Chance the Rapper Hits 1 Billion Streams on the Platform
Chance the Rapper is the first independent SoundCloud creator to hit 1 billion streams, according to the company. SoundCloud held a special event to present Chance the Rapper with two plaques during a Good Morning America concert this week. SoundCloud…
iHeartMedia’s CEO Says ‘73% of Spotify’s Listening Comes from Just 3% of Their Audience’ — Spotify’s CEO Responds
Bob Pittman came out swinging against Spotify in iHeartMedia’s recent Q2 earnings call. Now, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has responded. Pittman noted that quarterly digital revenue for iHeart increased by 32.8% year-over-year. iHeart now reaches around 275 …
YouTube Overhauls Its Copyright Claim Rules for “Very Short Clips” of Music — Rights Owners May Not Like the Changes
YouTube is making some broad changes to how it handles copyright claims of ‘brief unintentional clips’ of music. The new system is supposed to make the copyright claim system fairer to content creators. The intention is to stop small bits of music fr…
Lil Nas X Makes the Cover of TIME Magazine
Four months after the rise of “Old Town Road,” rapper Lil Nas X is on the cover of TIME Magazine. Detractors thought the rapper’s meteoric rise to success would fade quickly. But Lil Nas X has dominated the top of the charts for months, blocking out si…
Hi-Res Streaming Service Qobuz Says Its Has 200,000 Paying Customers — 25,000 In the U.S.
Hi-Res streaming music service Qobuz launched in the United States on Valentine’s Day. Now, the service says it has attracted at least 25,000 subscribers in the country, just a fraction of its worldwide customer tally. Qobuz recently revealed some fin…
Nintendo Drops The Hammer on YouTube Music Channels — Virtually Guaranteeing an Increase In Piracy
Nintendo is hitting YouTube channels featuring popular game soundtrack with copyright strikes. Many channels are voluntarily shutting down in the wake of the strikes. Several YouTube channels shut down yesterday after Nintendo issued repeated copyright…
After Initial Tests In Norway, Spotify Is Testing Higher Prices Throughout Scandinavia
After a seemingly-successful test in Norway last year, Spotify will raise prices across Scandinavia. An initial report suggests that Spotify will increase family plan pricing by about 13% across Scandinavia. Sources to Bloomberg tipped the increase, wh…