Spotify reportedly close to Warner licensing deal

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

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Apple pitches flat rate for on-demand songwriter royalties to CRB

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

Spotify may test out windowing content

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

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RESEARCH: Native digital media is “past a point of no return”

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

Adele’s new album drops tomorrow. Will it stream?

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