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Skips ads on Spotify free, but only in Australia. Australian users on Spotify Freemium can now choose whether to listen to audio ads (or watch video ads) or skip them altogether.  With the campaign – dubbed Active Media – the company will use the test …

Thank You Spotify for Stuffing Drake Down My Throat

Spotify gave Drake an unprecedented takeover of its entire platform, starting on Friday.  But what if you didn’t like Drake — or rap in general? Drake easily broke Spotify’s all-time, one-day streaming record for an album with more than 130…

Is the ‘Tip Jar’ Idea Finally Dead? Radical.fm Shuts Down

Radical.FM officially shut down its services on June 30th. The idea was fairly unique, and actually garnered some acclaim over years.  In its relatively brief lifespan, Radical.fm allowed anyone to play online DJ with little effort.  That included the …

Banned Drill Music Videos Are Surfacing on Pornhub Instead

UK-based drill music is getting banned by YouTube and police alike.  But censoring this sub-genre is proving tricky. Drill music started in the violence-torn streets of Chicago, and quickly crossed the Atlantic into London boroughs like Brixton.  But t…

Moog Music Says Trump’s New Tariffs Will Lead to Layoffs

And now, Trump’s trade war is impacting the music industry.  Just this morning, Moog Music pointed to possible job losses ahead because of stepped-up Chinese tariffs. The 25 percent tariff increase on Chinese goods that President Trump is proposi…

Drake’s ‘Scorpion’ Could Become the First Album to Receive 1 Billion Streams In a Week

Drake appears on track to create a brand-new record for streaming with his latest album’s release. On Friday (June 29), Drake dropped his newest studio album, Scorpion.  Now, the 25-track album is on pace to possibly become the first album to rec…

James Blunt Weighs In on Article 13: ‘We Desperately Need This Fixed’

Is this the tipping point? Just ahead of the weekend, James Blunt threw his considerable weight behind Article 13.  He’s now one of several superstars speaking out. Superstar musicians usually keep quiet when it comes to touchy issues like piracy…

Drake’s Album, Scorpion, Is Being Played 10 Million Times an Hour on Spotify

Drake is practically breaking Spotify at this stage with his just-released album, Scorpion. Ready to take back his crown, Drake is set to break Spotify’s all-time record for the most album streams on the day of release.  The record was originally…

Spotify Is Opening a Brand-New Office — In Detroit

It’s nothing fancy.  But Spotify is opening a small satellite office in Detroit metropolitan area. The Detroit metropolitan area will soon host a tiny Spotify outpost.  Recent reports have indicated that the New York-based company is going to ren…