Spotify
Daniel Ek, Defense Tech and Why Some Artists Have Joined a Call to ‘Boycott Spotify’
With his 2,141 SoundCloud followers, veteran U.K. psychedelic-music producer Darren Sangita didn’t exactly wound Spotify when he pulled his music from the streaming service last month. “I’m a zed-list music celebrity,” he says. But he couldn’t support a company whose founder, Daniel Ek, invested more than $114 million in Helsing, a European security startup that manufactures artificial-intelligence software to “keep liberal democracies from harm.” “The circumstantial evidence points to a massive investment in military/AI tech,” says Sangita, who runs indie label Sangita Sounds. “I was just enormously disappointed. Are there not any other alternatives that Mr. Ek could have possibly thought about investing in to make the world...
Here’s a Playlist of Over 2,000 EDM Songs Released In 2021
With so many new songs released in 2021, it’s difficult to remember all of them, let alone keep track of each one. So we made a playlist with as much dance music as we could find. At the beginning of 2021, I set out to make a single playlist to house as much of the electronic dance music released in the year as I could. With help from the Reddit EDM community and multiple other sources, I was able to gather over 2,000 songs in one playlist, all released last year. Check out this massive playlist below, throw it on shuffle, and enjoy endless music for days. Recommended Articles FOLLOW PXEYES: Instagram: instagram.com/pxeyesSpotify: spoti.fi/3qdXOZh [flexi-common-toolbar] [flexi-form class=”flexi_form_style” title=”Submit to Flexi” name=...
Armin van Buuren Curates Spotify Playlist With His Favorite Trance Anthems of All-Time
Trance music icon Armin van Buuren has taken over Spotify’s “Trance Classics” playlist and filled it with his favorite trance anthems of all-time. The list contains 50 nostalgic tracks from Above & Beyond, Tiësto, Gareth Emery, 4 Strings, Ian van Dahl, Marsha, and many more. van Buuren was recently named in EDM.com‘s “Best of 2021: Songs” list in the trance category, where his single “Turn The World Into a Dancefloor” was honored alongside songs by Alpha 9, Ilan Bluestone & Ellen Smith, Au5 & HALIENE, and Aly & Fila & Jes. Before 2021 came to a wrap, van Buuren performed in front of 20,000 fans at halftime of a Chicago Bulls’ game against the Knicks at United Center. He opened with ...
Skee Mask Removes Music From Spotify After Founder’s Investment In AI Technology
German DJ and electronic music producer Skee Mask has removed his catalog from music streaming giant Spotify. Last year, Skee Mask released his album Pool physically and digitally, minus streaming platforms. He took to social media to announce his reasoning behind the removal of his music, citing that Spotify is giving their money to the “development of warfare” instead of “actual progression in the music business.” “it’s done, all of my shit is gone from spotify..” Skee Mask wrote. “i have nothing against streaming in general, it’s one of many ways to make music even more accessible! for me it’s about how much / less the creators behind the music receive in terms of value, respect or space. i’m aware of the fact that ...
Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’ Is the First Song to Reach 3 Billion Streams on Spotify
Ed Sheeran is closing out 2021 with a major achievement under his belt. On Wednesday (Dec. 22), the singer posted a video to his Instagram announcing that his 2017 hit “Shape of You” has become the first song in Spotify’s history to reach 3 billion streams. Explore Explore Ed Sheeran See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I’ve just heard ‘Shape of You’ has reached 3 billion streams on Spotify, which is absolutely insane. I remember this song hitting a billion and thinking that that was weird,” Sheeran said. “The first song to hit 3 billion streams and I’m really, really chuffed with it. Thank you, Spotify, for your support over the years. We’ve had a great 10 years together and hopefully, we have a great 10 years more.” The 30-year-old also took a brief mome...
Disney Taps Spotify Exec Horacio Gutierrez as General Counsel
Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek has found the successor to longtime Disney executive and general counsel Alan Braverman. Disney has named Horacio Gutierrez senior executive vp, general counsel and secretary for the company, succeeding Braverman, who is retiring at the end of the year. Guttierez joins from streaming audio giant Spotify, where he was head of global affairs and chief legal officer. The executive, who starts at Disney Feb. 1, previously served as general counsel at Microsoft. “Horacio is an incredibly skilled attorney and dynamic leader who comes to Disney with 35 years of legal experience in markets around the globe. Having spent more than two decades working for premier technology companies, he has an extensive understanding of the complex legal questions that come with techn...
How Spotify Helped Nearly 300 Afghan Music Students and Teachers Reach Portugal
On Dec. 1, Elizabeth Nieto‘s boss at Spotify — chief human resources officer Katarina Berg — learned that nearly 300 Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) students and teachers and their families were in limbo in Doha, Qatar. Promised asylum in Lisbon, Portugal, they were attempting to charter a plane to the European city and needed money. “See what we can do,” Berg told Nieto, the streaming giant’s global head of equity and impact. Nieto had to wrangle with Spotify’s in-house lawyers to cut a sizable check for the plane by Dec. 6; on Monday (Dec. 13), the SAS flight carrying 273 Afghans landed in Lisbon, where the musicians and faculty members will be able to recreate their school. “The renaissance of Afghanistan music will start in Lisbon,” Nieto says. “We have an opportunity to...
Nick Holmstén’s Next Venture Will Attempt to Reinvent the Superstar Rollout
Nick Holmstén wants to reinvent the superstar rollout and revitalize Times Square with his new startup, the former Spotify executive tells Billboard. When Holmstén first sat down with Billboard to unveil his next move in November 2020, he unveiled a “multi-billion-dollar development with a street-facing stage and retail space in Times Square,” in partnership with Fortress Investment Group called TSX Entertainment with plans to open in 2022. A year later, Spotify’s former global head of music and the architect of its playlist strategy has more to share about his new startup, his vision for the future of music marketing, and one of his biggest goals: “I believe there is a fair to big chance that this will be the place where future New Year’s Eve celebrations will be,” Holmstén says. Holmstén...
Lewis Black Calls for Spotify to Remove His Content Until Comedy Licensing Dispute Is Resolved
Comedian Lewis Black is calling for Spotify to remove his content amid a licensing dispute between the streaming service and hundreds of comics. Black’s request comes in response to Spotify’s removal on Nov. 24 of numerous comedy recordings it offers, including work from major comedy stars like Mike Birbiglia, John Mulaney and Jeff Foxworthy. The streaming giant is currently battling with collection agencies Spoken Giants and Word Collections over whether comedians and spoken word artists should receive royalties for their underlying works, as well as their recordings. “I believe that the written words that go into making songs or comedy should be valued equally,” Black said in a statement to Billboard. “Comedy is an art form that starts on the page before it moves to the stage. Just as in...
Here are the Funniest Spotify Wrapped Memes of 2021
Ah, Spotify Wrapped. Our annual bombardment of personal musical intel that nobody asked for. And since this is 2021, when people decide to force-feed their opinions down our throats like geese for foie gras, we all saw some shocking—and hilarious—results on social media. But therein lies the poetic justice of social media. After Spotify launched its annual Wrapped campaign, the Twittersphere did what it did best in 2021: roast it. Check out some of the funniest Spotify Wrapped memes of the year below. Recommended Articles Spotify’s marketing team sounded like a dorky parent trying to connect with their Gen Z kid. Some saw Spotify Wrapped as an opportunity for self-deprecating humor. And since EDM Twitter never sleeps, others saw it as an opportunity to throw shade. Another...
Kàra Màr Is the First AI-Driven Social Artist to Release an Album On Spotify
Kàra Màr, an AI-powered DJ developed by Sensorium Galaxy, has released their debut album. According to the metaverse company, they are the first AI-driven social artist to release a full-length album on Spotify. While we’ve seen AI artists perform live DJ sets and write songs, we’ve yet to receive an entire album released on the streaming giant. The pounding techno album, dubbed Anthropic Principle, comprises eight instrumental tracks that Sensorium Galaxy says connects Kàra Màr directly to their backstory: Meet Kàra Màr, an AI-empowered virtual artist from Sensorium Galaxy metaverse ahead of their first performance in PRISM World. Cutting-edge look, non-binary gender. As their back-story tells, Berlin-based techno DJ and producer make for a special case in ...
EDM Artists Strike Gold With Spotify’s 2021 Artist Wrapped
Memories fade, but listening history lasts forever. No one knows this better than Spotify, who has rolled out their annual Wrapped campaign. Once per year, this ubiquitous feature comes out of the woodwork to give us a glimpse into the inner workings of our musical minds: Were we happy this year? Were we sad? Who did we turn to? Now in its fifth year, not only does Spotify Wrapped provide a platform for listener self-reflection, but it also gives artists a unique opportunity to see—and share—just how much they accomplished. And in 2021, EDM emerged victorious, with artists taking over social media to thank their fans for their dedication. From the millions of plays they achieved on their tracks to the hundreds of countries their music was streamed from, there’s a lot...
