Account-sharing has been a concern for the music and streaming industry, and there have been several attempts to quantify how common the practice is. A survey by financial company Rankrate found that 42% of all U.S. adults have used someone else’s account to access a subscription service. Continue Reading
The IPFI and German music trade body BVMI won a victory in a legal case against a website that sold stream manipulation services. The organizations received an injuction against Followerschmiede.de. The site creates “plays” on digital service providers such as YouTube and Spotify that do not represent actual human listening. Continue Reading
Boomplay Music has partnered with MUSO for an effort to reduce piracy in Africa. The streaming service is owned by China-based Transsnet Music Limited but focuses on listeners in African countries. Continue Reading
MusicWatch reported that 10.7 million people in the U.S. accessed a major streaming service through illicit account sharing. Those people represent a potential $995 million in unpaid access. Continue Reading
The European Union Intellectual Property Office has released a new report on trends in digital consumption and piracy. The assessment found that overall music is the digital content most commonly accessed by people ages 15-24, with 97% streaming or downloading music. Continue Reading
RIAA released its annual list of leading copyright infringement offenders. The Notorious Markets List includes several familiar operations, including continued concerns about stream-ripping and illicit activities within legitimate mobile apps. Continue Reading
The recorded music industry has scored another win in shutting down stream-ripping sites. German based operation Convert2MP3, which reportedly generated 684 million visits over the past year, has been closed thanks to a joint effort by the IFPI and local trade group BVMI. Continue Reading
Digital music distributor DistroKid has entered a deal aimed at curbing unauthorized streaming. DistroKid signed an agreement with Audible Magic and will use its new partner’s RightsRxTM solution to check the authenticity of all uploads by its artists. DistroKid is furthering its internal tools for stopping piracy. Continue Reading
MusicWatch has released its new annual study into piracy in the United States, and found that stream-ripping remains a major issue in the country. The report estimated that the U.S. had 17 million stream-rippers in 2018, a rise from 15 million in 2017. Continue Reading
The RIAA has been doggedly continuing its legal fight against piracy, and has made progress in identifying the operators of stream-ripping sites. The trade group recently collaborated with Music Canada and the IFPI to force illegal file-hosting service DBR.ee offline. Continue Reading
Muso, a piracy tracking startup, has raised £3.5 million. The move is an extension of a Series A round worth £2.5 million with Harwell Capital in 2017. The new financing will support expansions of Muso’s sales and marketing efforts. It will also grow the company’s footholds in digital media, gaming, and live broadcasting. Continue Reading
Muso has released its latest piracy statistics for 2018. Its new report found that piracy websites attracted 189 billion visits last year, down from 300 billion visits in 2017. Those totals include illegal access of all forms of entertainment. Continue Reading