Are both tech giants abusing the people that make their businesses possible? By opposing the Copyright Royalty Board’s (CRB) recent 44% increase on royalties for songwriters and publishers – the first in 110 years – Spotify, along with Pandora, Google,…
Category archives: music streaming
Nearly Three Months After Launch, Spotify Officially Unveils Its ‘Lite App’ in India
Last summer, in an effort to compete in emerging markets, Spotify unveiled a new, slimmer app. Dubbed ‘Lite,’ the minimalist app allowed users to stream their favorite music on Android devices. Visually, both the Spotify and ‘Lite’ apps look almost the…
Apple Music Strengthens Its Publishing Division By Poaching a Key Google & YouTube Executive
Last year, under its then-new Head of Music, Oliver Schusser, Apple Music quietly unveiled a new global publishing business. The company promoted Elena Segal – previously Legal Director of iTunes International – to the role of Global Director of Music …
Google Now Has 16 Million Paid Music Subscribers — Here’s Why That Doesn’t Matter
According to a new report, Google now has over 15 million subscribers on its streaming music platforms – Google Play Music (GPM) and YouTube Music. Despite the great news for the Alphabet-owned company, here’s the kicker – subscriptions have abruptly s…
Pandora Introduces Cut-Rate Student and Military Discount Plans — Starting at $4.99
Pandora is once again offering discount packages as it attempts to compete with companies like Spotify and Apple Music. Recently, the company launched its Family Plan, which lets as many as 6 family members have access to the company’s premium services…
Is Hi-Def Streaming a Thing? Rhapsody Packs MQA Into Its ‘Powered by Napster’ Streaming Service
Rhapsody International Inc. has reached a new deal with MQA to deliver high-definition audio to the Powered by Napster streaming platform. The Powered by Napster b2b platform now offers listeners the option to choose between high-resolution and studio-…
Tool Profile Pages Appear on Spotify and Apple Music — Is the Streaming Holdout Over?
Tool is one of the last streaming music holdouts. Now, there are more signs that the band is rethinking its stance. Back in 2017, the band was reportedly negotiating terms with Spotify, not to mention Apple Music and other streaming platforms. But li…
Spotify Adds XXXTentacion to Its ‘Make Out Jams’ Playlist
Spotify’s confused morality crusade continues. After initially removing XXXTentacion under its ‘Hate Conduct Policy’ last year, Spotify has had a serious change of heart about the slain rapper. Last year, the controversial rapper was removed from the p…
Spotify Is Now Integrating Podcasts Alongside Music Recommendations — Or at Least Testing It Out In Portuguese
Get ready for the podcast wars. Over the past few months, music streaming giant Spotify has spent upwards of $400 million to acquire podcast networks Parcast, Gimlet Media, and others. In fact, Spotify spent $56 million alone on the acquisition of Par…
Sony/ATV Ex-Chairman Marty Bandier: ‘I’ve Never Gotten a Call from [Spotify CEO] Daniel Ek’
He never wrote, he never called. Why didn’t Spotify CEO Daniel Ek reach out to music publishing’s biggest exec — even once? Earlier this week, Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s former Chairman & CEO, Marty Bandier, revealed the strange fact, part of a br…