Former Vevo executive Tom Connaughton left the video platform for a position at Spotify in March and he’s already rising through the ranks. Connaughton initially joined the streaming company as head of artist and label marketing for the UK. Continue Reading
Spotify is testing a scaled-back version of its Android mobile app that cuts down on features in favor of less data use. Spotify Lite has appeared on the Google Play Store as a beta version in select markets. Continue Reading
Spotify is continuing its push into the live music space. After turning its popular Rap Caviar playlist into a concert event, the Viva Latino! playlist will get the same treatment. Concerts are becoming a notable revenue stream for the company. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Amy Schumer’s casual approach to podcasting; podcasts > television for true crime; questions about Anchor and ownership. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired Dawn Ostroff as its new chief content officer. Ostroff will be based in Spotify’s New York office. She was previously president of entertainment at Condé Nast Continue Reading
Spotify has teamed up with Foursquare to collect data about the connections between audio ads and brick-and-mortar storefronts. Attribution by Foursquare will measure whether ads playing on a Spotify stream drive visits to physical stores. Continue Reading
Sony has made yet another move toward transparency in how it is distributing the proceeds from its sale of Spotify stock. Sony Music Entertainment has informed indie labels by email that it intends to make payments to eligible artists and participants as soon as possible. There is one interesting and revealing point. Continue Reading
Spotify held its slight lead over Pandora in March stream listening, an advantage established in January after three years of chasing. Aside from that metrics rivalry, the Top 20 group in Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics report gained one percent in overall listening compared to February. PLUS — a little bit of smart speaker reporting. Continue Reading
Mark Williamson has departed his role as global head of artist and industry partnerships at Spotify. Williamson had been at the streaming service since 2011, rising through the ranks of leadership working with artists, managers, and music executives. Continue Reading
Spotify is reportedly offering advances to managers and indie artists as an incentive to consider direct licensing deals with the streaming service. Billboard reported that the company is offering up to several hundred thousand dollars in advances for managers that agree to license a particular number of tracks by indies directly to Spotify. On the platform, the managers and acts could then earn 50% of the revenue from those songs being streamed. Continue Reading
YouTube has hired Tuma Basa as its new director of urban music, confirming the move that had been circulating on the gossip mills for a few months. Basa was previously the top hip-hop curator at Spotify, where he built the Rap Caviar playlist into a must-listen destination for fans of the genre. Continue Reading
Spotify has secured a partnership with Amy Schumer for the comedian to host and produce a podcast for the streaming audio platform. Her show, which doesn’t have a planned release date yet, will cover “pop culture, politics and the world of standup comedy.” Continue Reading