The format that started it all is now getting ditched by hi-res platform Qobuz. The move is part of a broader streamlining of the service. In audiophile-speak, two terms often pop up: ‘lossless’ and ‘lossy,’ with the latter bein…
Category archives: music streaming
People Aren’t Getting Paid on Spotify’s $43.5 Million Class Action Settlement — No Responses, No Payments
Two years ago, independent songwriters and publishers agreed to a $43.5 million settlement with Spotify over unpaid mechanical licenses. Now, the payout process doesn’t seem to be happening. Back in 2017, Digital Music News broke the story that S…
Napster Quarterly Revenues Drop as Shift Towards B2B Continues
On November 6, RealNetworks, which is the parent of Napster, released its 3rd quarter financials for 2019, with revenue at the music streaming service dropping precipitously as the company shifts toward B2B. Napster generated $27.3 million in revenue f…
Sony Music and The Onion Team Up for a Satirical Podcast Series — Introducing ‘The Topical’
Sony Music has announced a new partnership with The Onion to create a daily satirical podcast. The new show called ‘The Topical’ will launch next year in January. Sony will provide marketing and content creation expertise, while creative as…
TuneIn Downplays Its Major Label Legal Defeat — “The Judgment Will Have Very Little Impact”
Last week, TuneIn suffered a legal defeat against two of the major labels on copyright infringement grounds. In the UK-based decision, TuneIn was found liable for streaming stations based outside of the country. In his decision, judge Colin Birss in L…
The NFL Is Opening ‘Official Hubs’ on Spotify, Pandora, SoundCloud, Tidal
As further indication that music streaming services have gone fully mainstream, the National Football League (NFL) announced that it is opening official hubs on leading streaming platforms. Recently, the NFL has been looking for ways to better connect …
SiriusXM Adds 210,000 Subscribers This Quarter — Pandora Subscribers Plunge
SiriusXM’s financials reveal the company added roughly 210,000 net subscribers, while earnings slipped substantially. The story at Pandora wasn’t rosy. The company’s third-quarter 2019 total revenue was $2.0 billion, which increased …
Streaming Giant Balks at Mechanical Licensing Collective’s $66.25 Million Startup Budget
The Mechanical Licensing Collective’s healthy startup budget is meeting resistance from at least one major streaming platform. Just how much does it cost to start a US-based licensing agency for streaming mechanicals? The newly-minted Mechanical …
Apple Music Is Producing a Short Film for Miranda Lambert’s Latest Release
Apple will release a new original short film showcasing the making of the latest studio album from Miranda Lambert. Wildcard is Lambert’s seventh studio album and will release later this week. Apple released a teaser for the upcoming short film t…
Spotify’s CEO Once Called the Black Keys to Explain Why Their Royalties Were So Bad
After Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney publicly complained about his royalties, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek gave him a call to explain how streaming really works. The Black Keys certainly aren’t the only band feeling stiffed by streaming platforms lik…