Spotify has opened access to yet another feature for its free listeners. Spotify Connect, which lets listeners stream their music to speakers enabled with the tech over Wi-Fi rather than Bluetooth, will be updated to include people on the ad-supported tier. Continue Reading
Spotify has been dedicated to its ad-supported free tier since the service’s inception, and is now slowly introducing an interesting feature which could make commercial interruptions more agreeable to listeners, and make the ad platform smarter for advertisers. Continue Reading
Spotify has unveiled a new version of its mobile app that adds select on-demand features to its freemium tier. Free listeners will get on-demand access to 15 of Spotify’s personalized discovery playlists — such as Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and the Daily Mixes — and its popular curated collections — including RapCaviar and Ultimate Indie. 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
Spotify is reportedly testing a new feature that would, according to The Verge, introduce select on-demand features to its free tier. The feature is called Jump and it would let freemium listeners choose the songs they want to hear on select playlists. Currently, free-tier playlists work only in shuffle mode. Continue Reading
Apple has proposed a new royalty structure for streaming music, one that would be simpler but could create a financial pinch for freemium services. In a proposal to the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board, Apple recommended a system where all on-demand streaming services would pay songwriters a statutory rate of 9.1 cents per 100 plays. Continue Reading
Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton spoke at the Code/Media conference, sharing the major label perspective on streaming and where it’s headed. He endorsed the concept of windowing, where fans can pay more for quicker access to content. Continue Reading
In a big potential strategy shift, Spotify is allegedly open to some artists temporarily restricting their music to its paid tier. Unnamed sources told The Wall Street Journal that Spotify will consider windowing content based on whether a listener pays for the service. An insider said Spotify would be trying this strategy as a test first to assess the impact it might have on usage and subscription membership. Continue Reading
New research by Bain & Company determined that native digital media has reached a critical mass, and give some insights into how companies in entertainment, publishing, and services could begin to adapt. “Entertainment has passed a point of no return in its transition to native digital,” the report said. It pointed to five key points that businesses would need to address in order to see the most success and shared insightful data points to support this fast-moving trend. Continue Reading
Popular British songstress Adele may be the latest major artist to be “pulling a Taylor.” Unnamed sources with knowledge of her upcoming release told The New York Times that the album “25” would not get a launch on streaming services. The Verge has a slightly different take on the situation. It reported that Adele’s camp was willing to put the album on Spotify, but only if it was restricted to paying listeners. Continue Reading
The freemium streaming model has taken a lot of fire in recent months. The latest to lock and load is Jimmy Iovine. The Apple/Betas exec spoke at Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit and had some pointed words for the freemium approach to music, calling it a shell game. But his comments need some context. Continue Reading
The New York Post has reported new numbers about sign-ups at Apple Music. Considering how much hype centered around the new entry into the streaming market, it’s somewhat to be expected, but the degree to which rumors and speculation have swirled around Apple Music is impressive. Continue Reading