Spotify Stats Reveal Hidden Challenges And Opportunities [Mark Mulligan]

Spotify’s public stock offering has led to a mountain of internal data being shared in required SEC filings. Mark Mulligan and the team at MIDiA Research dug deep into those numbers to extrapolate some revealing trends not reported by the music streamer _____________________________________ By Mark Mulligan of MIDiA One of…

It’s Time For People To Learn How Streaming Really Works

Despite it being the fastest growing form of music consumption, many people still don’t fully grasp how streaming works or, as this article maintains, doesn’t work. _________________________ Guest post by Faza of The Cynical Musician Odd as it may seem, people apparently still don’t understand how streaming music works. Spotify…

Spotify Says 2 Million Used Hacked Apps To Block Ads

Spotify says that 2 million users of its free ad-supported music service have used hacked apps to block ads in the last few months. The revelation came in a Friday morning SEC filing that also included lower user and total hours streamed counts than it previously reported. _______________________________________ In a…

Spotify Takes Action To Prevent Playlist “Playola”

Back in the days when radio was king, labels would attempt to game the system by bribing radio stations to play their tracks, a practice known as payola which was then outlawed. The concept seems to be making a resurgence however, but this time with highly influential Spotify playlists instead…

NOI Copyright Loophole Costs Songwriters, Protects Tech [Chris Castle]

There has been much talk surrounding the "mass NOI" issue stemming from the loophole, allowed by the copyright office, which allows tech companies to profit from works without obtaining a proper compulsory license. Here Chris Castle breaks down the problem in detail. __________________________________ Guest post by Chris Castle of The…

Beatport Adds Creative Services

EDM and DJ music platform Beatport has launched Beatport Creative Services, which it touts as “one of several significant developments planned for the company” in 2018. BCS is designed to deepen the platform’s relationship with artist and brands by connecting brands with the DJs that use Beatport and their audiences….

Playlist Sharing Startup Cymbal Joins Deadpool

Music tech startup Cymbal is shutting down. Cymbal, which offered an app that enabled users to create playlists and share them, emailed users that it would be stopping service on June 1st. Founded in 2015, Cymbal took in just $250,000 in seed funding, but it was unclear from launch how…

Two Music Companies Named To Linkedin 50 Best Workplaces

Two music companies were named to the 2018 LinkedIn Top Companies which represent where professionals most want to work in the U.S. based on the actions of LinkedIn’s 546 million users. Amazon, Google parent Alphabet and Facebook (prior to this week’s data scandal), were the top three place to work…

‘First On SoundCloud’ Launches To Support New Artists

SoundCloud has debuted new creator-focused advertising, which features the stories of musicians who got their start on SoundCloud. The “First On SoundCloud” initiative will feature emerging talent on the platform through multimedia content. Initial featured creators include Kehlani, Galimatias, Taylor Bennett, Lorine Chia, Melo Makes Music, Party Pupils, Jay Prince,…

Two Music Companies Named To Linkedin 50 Best Workplaces

Two music companies were named to the 2018 LinkedIn Top Companies which represent where professionals most want to work in the U.S. based on the actions of LinkedIn’s 546 million users. Amazon, Google parent Alphabet and Facebook (prior to this week’s data scandal), were the top three place to work…