For the release of his newest work, Jay-Z opted to gate the album to his Tidal streaming service for one week. But even after distributing the music to most other digital platforms, Spotify still does not have 4:44. That may not be a cheap decision for the artist, and it also shows that Spotify has still not shaken some long-held assumptions among A-list performers. Continue Reading
Spotify has reportedly made progress toward securing a licensing deal with Warner Music Group. Reuters cited four unnamed sources in its exclusive report that the streaming company was moving closer to an agreement with the third major label. The specifics of this alleged arrangement are still being hammered out, but the sources told Reuters that the parties had already agreed to Spotify paying a smaller share of revenue to Warner in exchange for the label’s artists to window their work to paid subscribers for a period. Continue Reading
Video platform Vimeo has announced that Anjali Sud will be its new CEO. Her previous role with the company was general manager and senior vice president of the creator business. She replaces Kerry Trainor, who departed as CEO more than a year ago. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Podcasts at twice the speed spark debate. Will Apple ever offer podcast creation tools? SoundCloud shuts down volunteer “archive” project. Continue Reading
Apple Music has secured a new exclusive, this time a livestreamed performance by indie rock outfit Arcade Fire. The band is playing a concert to promote its upcoming album, Everything Now, but for those who can’t physically attend the show in Brooklyn, it will be streamed exclusively on the Apple platform. Continue Reading
Host and distributor audioBoom posted its mid-year financial report with results for the six months ending May 31. Revenue rose 460% over the year-ago period to more than £1.84 million. CEO Rob Proctor added some insight to the numbers. Continue Reading
PodcastOne has launched a new mobile app that includes interactive features in social and video alongside its audio programming. Listeners can tune into their shows and engage with them in new ways, such as viewing behind-the-scenes photos, taking polls, and messaging other fans. The app also introduces a virtual currency for its loyalty program. Continue Reading
7digital has published its 2016 financials, which showed continued revenue growth for the B2B music provider. The company’s revenue was up 15% from the previous year, reaching £11.9 million. Net losses declined from £7.9 million to £5.3 million. Continue Reading
Vevo has expanded its shared viewing feature with a live component. The video company rolled out Watch Party in March, allowing multiple people to watch the same clip across multiple computers. The new development is Watch Party Live, which adds a real-time broadcast component for artists to interact with their fans. Continue Reading
BVMI, Germany’s music industry group, has released the mid-year report for the country. The total market revenue for the first six months of the year grew by 2.9% to reach about €740 million ($853 million). Continue Reading
Most musicians dream of having a No. 1 hit, and today marks the arrival of one. “Despacito,” a track by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, is now the most-streamed song of all time. With 4.6 billion streams since its release in January, “Despacito” has surpassed the previous champ, “Sorry” by Justin Bieber. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Sirius XM in the royalty spotlight. Judge nullifies UMG’s Prince deal. Continue Reading