Streaming
NetEase’s Cloud Music Streaming Service Files to Go Public in Hong Kong
The timing of the proposal comes at a significant juncture for NetEase, which is expecting its music streaming service to “undergo relatively rapid business expansion” moving forward. Earlier this month, NetEase signed a first-ever digital distribution deal with Sony Music, following a similar deal with Universal Music, expanding its catalog significantly at a time when Tencent, its biggest rival, is facing regulatory scrutiny in China over its market dominance and exclusive deals with artists and labels. Reports suggest that regulators could force TME to offload two of its music streaming services and pay a hefty fine. Tencent’s music services claimed 615 million active users in the first quarter of 2021 and 61 million paying users, according to its financial filings. The NetE...
SoundCloud Inks First-Ever A&R Partnerships With T-Pain’s Label, Linda Perry & More
Repost and Nappy Boy Entertainment will first support signee SprngBrk, an artist and producer who has collaborated with the likes of Ty Dolla $ign and Drake and is releasing the new track “Pride” today. Repost will work alongside Perry — who has written and produced hits for artists like P!nk, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani — on the British singer-songwriter Frances Lion, who is signed to Perry’s record label, publishing, management and production firm We Are Hear. “I’m always ready to jump on board when I see a company supporting the independence of an artist, and when I heard of the changes SoundCloud wanted to make to support emerging talent, I immediately said ‘count me in,'” Perry said. “We will be focusing on the art and the ...
Reducing Artists’ Royalties for Promotion — Haven’t We Heard That Before? (Guest Column)
At the moment, Spotify says Discovery Mode will only apply to the radio and autoplay playlists (the tracks you hear when the playlist or album you were listening to ends). Make no mistake, Spotify is explicitly clear that they intend to expand this “pay for play” program to other “personalized” areas of the service. More opportunities to connect with new listeners and innovative tools are always appreciated, but Discovery Mode brings into question the credibility of Spotify’s recommendation engine. From its beginning Spotify proudly stated that it would be a good partner and maintain a democratized service that would never allow the proverbial “thumb on the scale.” Again, and again, we were assured that all artists would have a fair and impartial chance of success. We were promised that th...
Tencent Music Reports Steady Q1 as China’s Streaming Market Grows
In 2020, China had the fourth largest music streaming market globally, growing 90.7% to $718 million, according to IFPI. Just as Western music services are jumping into podcasts, TME is making a hard push into long-form audio — mainly audiobooks — in what Cussion Pang, chairman of Tencent Music, said in a statement is an “evolution into an all-in-one online music and audio entertainment destination in China.” TME isn’t turning this plan into more money just yet: average revenue per subscriber dropped 1.1% to 9.3 yuan ($1.44) from the first quarter of 2020. Long-form audio does, however, make the music apps stickier by increasing engagement: in Q1 2021, the percent of monthly active users who listened to long-form audio improved to 20.0%, compared to 5.5% in Q1 2020 and 15% in Q...
New Merger Alert: AT&T Announces It Is Merging WarnerMedia With Discovery
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: SOPA Images / Getty After fighting to make the initial merger happen, AT&T has decided to switch things up by creating a new media giant. Monday (May 17), AT&T announced that it would be spinning off WarnerMedia by merging it with the TV company Discovery leading to the creation of a new media giant that could compete with streaming titans Netflix and the new kid on the block Disney+. The new deal will see WarnerMedia properties like HBO, CNN, Cartoon Network, TBS, TNT, and the Warner Bros. movie studio plus channels like HGTV, Animal Planet, Food Network, and TLC which Discovery operates under one tent. Both companies also have their own streaming platforms with HBO Max and Discovery Plus. As per the press release announcing the move, the b...
Amazon Music Drops HD Tier to $9.99, Shaking Up Hi-Fi Streaming Market
Amazon’s success with its HD service, which has grown 100% year-over-year, has pushed Spotify to announce a Hi-Fi tier as well, with rumors of an Apple Music Hi-Fi plan possibly also priced at $9.99 a month. For years, the music industry was focused on using high-fidelity audio streaming as a means to raise the average revenue per user with higher-priced subscriptions. That would mean bigger payouts for rights holders and the streaming services. But with Amazon, Spotify, and Apple all getting in on the high-fidelity push, the labels have become more amenable to lowering the price of high-fidelity tiers in the hopes of increasing the overall number of subscribers across the industry. “The other services are coming around to the fact that this is really important.” Boom says. “And that ...
Apple Music Announces Hi-Fi Streaming at No Additional Cost
“Apple Music is making its biggest advancement ever in sound quality,” Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats said in a statement. “Listening to a song in Dolby Atmos is like magic. The music comes from all around you and sounds incredible. Now we are bringing this truly innovative and immersive experience to our listeners with music from their favorite artists like J Balvin, Gustavo Dudamel, Ariana Grande, Maroon 5, Kacey Musgraves, The Weeknd, and so many more. Subscribers will also be able to listen to their music in the highest audio quality with Lossless Audio. Apple Music as we know it is about to change forever.” Apple Music is also launching spatial audio (with support from Dolby Atmos) for music, which will allow artists to re...
Universal Music’s Spotify Stock Could Be Worth $2B
If it still holds the shares, their current value is $1.45 billion — which would yield a profit of nearly $1.4 billion if sold at Friday’s share price. UMG and the other major labels, Sony Music and Warner Music Group, each took equity as part of their licensing deals that allowed Spotify to launch in the U.S. in 2011. As of Dec. 31, UMG maintained a larger equity stake in Spotify than any of its competitors. Sony Music sold half its 5.707% stake for $768 million following Spotify’s IPO in April 2018, leaving it 5.082 million shares a 2.85% stake at the time — a percentage that would have been diluted since then. (Based on Warner Music, meanwhile, confirmed in August 2018 that it sold its full 4% stake for $504 million. In March 2018 UMG committed to givin...
Ciara, Russell Wilson Sign First-Look Amazon Deal
Wilson is heading into his 10th season as the quarterback with the Seattle Seahawks. He led the team to a Super Bowl win in 2013. Off the field, he launched a lifestyle brand, Good Man Brand, and has a number of endorsements. He formed the Why Not You Foundation, a nonprofit where Ciara is also a board member, to focus on motivating and empowering young kids. Ciara has sold more than 23 million records and 22 million singles worldwide. Her “Level Up” video has more than 300 million views and is certified platinum. She launched Beauty Marks Entertainment as a platform for music, media, film, fashion, philanthropy and more. “Russell and Ciara are a true powerhouse producing duo — both with extraordinary success in their respective careers on the field and the stage, their business ventures, ...
Streaming Wars 2021 Mid-Year Scorecard: How Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, and HBO Max Stack Up
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-10T19:00:25+00:00“>May 10, 2021 | 3:00pm ET Q1 earnings for media and tech companies are now behind us, so it’s a good time to recap how Netflix and its four biggest challengers — Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, and HBO Max — stack up and are trending for the rest of 2021. Just 18 months ago, Netflix largely played alone. What a difference those months make for the reigning champ in these “streaming wars.” Now, Netflix faces giant global competitors seemingly around every turn. Ditto for us consumers, as streaming became our activity of choice (frequently, our only activity!) during the past pandemic year’s global lockdown. While life during the COVID-19 pandemic has been...
Paramount+ Share Trailer for Rugrats CGI Revival: Watch
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-06T02:43:48+00:00“>May 5, 2021 | 10:43pm ET So far, Paramount+‘s lineup is anchored by nostalgic revivals. While we are still awaiting more details on the Fraiser and live-action Fairly Odd Parents reboots, the streamer is ready to unveil its reimagined Rugrat series on May 27th. Watch the newly revealed trailer down below. This beloved cartoon ran for nine seasons from 1991 to 2004, finding immediate success in Nickelodeon’s primetime roster and later birthing three theatrical releases and the sequel series All Grown Up. Thankfully, the new reboot features the same group of babies that audiences grew to love. Voiced by all the original cast members, Tommy (E.G. Daily),...
