Streaming
Spotify Expands Its Podcast Subscriptions to All U.S. Creators
Though the focus is on building exclusive content within Spotify, which has 165 million paid users and 365 million monthly users, Anchor will also provide creators with private RSS feeds that are compatible with other podcast distribution platforms. “Our model is built to maximize creator revenue and offer the widest possible reach so creators can grow their audiences and develop deep connections with listeners,” the company said. Spotify’s top competitor in the podcasting space, Apple, went global with its own podcast subscription options in June. Like Spotify/Anchor, Apple subscriptions provide support for ad-free listening for exclusive content, however, there are more fees involved. In line with other App Store purchases, Apple will keep 30% of sub fees for the first year a...
Tencent Music Reports Strong Quarter Before Regulator Crackdown
While Chinese regulators were placing strict control upon the country’s tech sector this spring, its local music streaming giant Tencent Music Entertainment improved revenue and subscriber numbers substantially. In the period from April 1 to June 30, the parent company to steaming services QQ, Kuguo and Kuwo saw music revenues climb 32.8% to 1.79 billion RMB ($277 million) and subscribers jump 40.6% to 66.2 million, compared to the prior quarter, according to the company’s second-quarter earnings report released Monday (Aug. 16). For a company with a 77% market share in the country, it’s a testament to the rapid pace of growth in China’s hot music market. (That’s far greater gains on both accounts, in percentage terms, than Spotify achieved in same time span — 17% and 19.6%, respecti...
Music Companies Delay Return to Office, Mandating Vaccines
Moore adds that the highly-global nature of the Spotify workforce — the company boasts 50 offices across 25 countries — made instituting a blanket vaccine mandate even more challenging. “In some countries, in some regions, it would actually be illegal to do so,” says Moore, “and so we’re just sort of taking the stance that people will make good decisions.” Notably, local ordinances in major urban centers could force companies’ hands. Earlier this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that a proof of vaccination will be required to enter indoor restaurants, gyms and performance venues in the city starting on Aug. 16 — though the order does not yet apply to offices. Last Tuesday, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted to look...
Tencent Music Value Plummeting Amid Regulatory Uncertainty in China
The Chinese government has unleashed 50 regulatory actions — mostly affecting tech companies in recent months, by The Economist’s count, that has created what Richard Kramer, managing partner of Arete Research, called “a tsunami of uncertainties.” Investors have reacted by pricing their uncertainty into Tencent Music’s stock price. Its shares currently trade at 27.1 times forward price-to-earnings compared to 44.2 on March 31, according to Refinitiv. At its all-time high price, Tencent’s market capitalization almost equal with that of Spotify. Now, at roughly $17 billion, Tencent Music is worth 41% of Spotify’s roughly $41 billion market capitalization. The problems began in July when China’s State Administration for Market Regulation aimed to reduce Tencent Music’s market dominance ...
Ariana Grande Song Streams Spike After ‘Fortnite’ Concert
The second-biggest gains went to Sweetener’s “R.E.M,” streams of which rose 94% from 43,000 on Aug. 5 to 84,000 on Aug. 8. Streams of “The Way,” Grande’s 2013 collaboration with Mac Miller, rose 44% from 146,000 to 211,000. Streams of thank u, next standout “7 rings” rose 23% from 446,000 to 552,000. “Positions,” Grande’s most recent hit single, gained an extra 10,000 or so streams – from 611,000 to 621,000 – but given the song’s high starting stream count, the surge only accounted for a 2% increase. Grande’s concert also included a handful of tracks by other artists, which enjoyed streaming gains as well. Australian rock band Wolfmother‘s “Victorious” saw the biggest percentage jump of all: Streams rose from close to 3,000 ...
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Took Long Enough: De La Soul’s Catalog To Hit Streaming Platforms In November [Video]
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: PYMCA / Getty 2021 is presenting better days for De La Soul. The legendary group’s catalog will soon be available on digital streaming platforms. The Long Island, New York trio have delivered some news to their fans that they have waited on for too long. After decades of making pennies on the dollar from their albums they finally acquired the master rights to all of their projects on Tommy Boy Records. This includes 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) and AOI: Bionix (2001). In a rare Instagram Live the group said these gems will indeed be available via streaming. “We have come to a deal between ourselves and Reservoir to release our musi...
Kanye West’s Latest ‘Donda’ Event Is Most-Watched Apple Music Livestream Ever
West held a first Donda listening event on July 23 and since then has been living at Mercedes-Benz Stadium while putting the finishing touches on Donda, his 10th studio album. Between the two listening parties, West made considerable tweaks to the album, adding and removing features and entire songs, so it remains to be seen what the definitive version of Donda will sound like once the album is released. After numerous delays, Donda is expected to be released in the coming weeks. The second event on Aug. 5 also pulled in $7 million in revenue from in-person merchandise sales, sources say. That number matches the revenue for the first drop from Yeezy x Gap, West’s new collaboration with the Gap, which former Gap CEO Mickey Drexler told Yahoo Finance generated $7 million overnight when ...
Four Tet Sues Label Over Perceived Discrepancy In Streaming Royalty Rate
A new lawsuit brought forth by Four Tet claims his label Domino Recordings underpaid his streaming royalties for music released over a decade ago. The contract, singed in 2001, led to a partnership between the producer and Domino that manifested multiple albums, including 2001’s Pause, 2003’s Rounds, and 2005’s Everything Ecstatic. At the heart of Four Tet’s claim is the assertion that he is entitled to a 50% share of the streaming royalties for these albums. However, he was historically paid only 18%, according to the suit. The basis for the claim comes from a clause in the contract which suggests that any licensing of his masters to services based outside of the UK entitles Four Tet to a 50% royalty rate. A judge could potentially rule this to be the ca...
iHeartMedia Stock Drops 21%, Even as Radio Recovers
But iHeartMedia’s net loss per share was $0.22 compared to the $0.14 loss per share expected by analysts polled by FactSet, according to DowJones Newswire, and investors were clearly hesitant about the company’s future. iHeartMedia shares began Friday at $26.49 — 415% above its pandemic-era low of $4.31 — but fell by 17% on the day and another 4.9% on Monday (Aug. 9), bringing the two-day drop to 21.1%. Investors have also continued to hammer Audacy, the country’s third-largest radio company, after its $0.01 earnings per share on Friday fell well below the $0.09 consensus estimate. Audacy’s forecasted 10% revenue growth from the second to the third quarter was lackluster compared to iHeart (20%), and investors reacted accordingly. Audacy shares dropped 10....
FX’s Reservation Dogs Is a Sweetly Incisive Series About Native American Life: Review
The Pitch: When we first meet the quote-unquote “Reservation Dogs,” a tight-knit gang of four Indigenous teens growing up in northeast Oklahoma, they’re making off with a stolen spicy chip delivery truck. It’s a risky, exciting gamble — they relish the danger of it more than the profit potential, right down to not wearing seatbelts — that should take them closer to their goal: saving up enough money to move away to California. The rez, they posit, killed their close friend Daniel a year ago, and they want to take his spirit with them when they finally escape. But amid the petty crimes and odd jobs they’ll take to scare up the scratch to leave, they’ll navigate the myriad pains everyone feels growing up, with the specific concerns and anxieties of Native American life — generational tr...
Alanis Morissette Transforms into Starlene the Shy Hermit Crab on Season 4 of Madagascar: A Little Wild: Stream
This little crustacean’s got a big voice. Alanis Morissette is joining the upcoming season of Madagascar: A Little Wild as a hermit crab named Starlene. In a preview clip of the children’s show released by Dreamworks, the Zoosters stumble upon Morissette’s adorable decapod singing her heart out on the Coney Island boardwalk — that is, until she realizes people are listening. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you! I just had to meet the crab behind that incredible performance!” Shaylin Becton’s Gloria the hippo gushes to a shellshocked Starlene after the gang applauds her song. Advertisement Related Video “Oh, I was just dancing like no one was watching…because I thought no one was watching,” a sheepish Starlene replies, leading Gloria to exclaim, “Starlene? You’re kidding! You were born to be a...
Entertainment Industry Insiders Discuss Making the Most of Streaming: Watch
Consequence is back with CREATV University to shine a light on the mysteries of finding success in entertainment, tech, and media. Today, we’re joined by a number of industry insiders to discuss how to make the most of the streaming era. The on-demand world of entertainment, media, and technology can be hard to keep up with, and it’s equally as difficult to try and predict how it will change and transform. In 2021, every way of consuming media — whether it be news, music, TV, or film — has its advantages and disadvantages for both creators and consumers. The rise of streaming has given us new ways to market products, causing a major shift in all industries. Breaking into the media world this way came make you famous overnight or leave you stuck in the crowd. So, for this week’s set of CREA...
