Spotify 36 - RAIN News

Spotify is reportedly offering hefty advances to land more direct licensing deals

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Anna Washenko

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 →

Tuma Basa is officially in as director of urban music at YouTube

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Anna Washenko

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 signs on Amy Schumer for original podcast production

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Anna Washenko

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 →

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Peter Gabriel albums land in Spotify, ending long holdout

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Brad Hill

Another streaming holdout has reversed course: Peter Gabriel has released most of his albums to Spotify, and possibly other services. In addition to other business considerations in releasing the music, there is the enduring value of back catalogs in streaming services. Continue Reading →

Merlin sells off its entire Spotify stake for undisclosed total

Posted on May 15, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Merlin has opted to cash in its entire stake in Spotify. The independent label network acquired a 1% holding in the company back in 2009, but that share has been diluted over years of additional external investment. The group did not disclose the value of the shares sold. Continue Reading →

Spotify gets NPR as two giants combine strengths

Posted on May 11, 2018 by RAIN News Staff

In a pivotal deal, NPR announced that its entire podcast catalog is now available on Spotify for the first time. All shows from the public media outlet, both familiar favorites and new titles, will have a home on the streaming audio service. The arrangement brings the world’s largest podcast publisher into one of the largest podcast distribution platforms. Continue Reading →

Spotify testing two new social playlist features

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Spotify is working on testing a couple new features that would amp up the social angle of the streaming music service. First is called Friends Weekly, a collection of tracks that your social connections are favoring. The second feature is a new section on the home screen called Friends’ Discover Weekly. Continue Reading →

Spotify partners with Bloomsbury to share music book series

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Spotify has inked a partnership with book publisher Bloomsbury. Under the terms of the deal, Spotify will exclusively offer titles from the publisher’s 33 1/3 series, which includes short books centered on a single album. The first one to become available on Spotify will be the book about Miles Davis’ album Bitches Brew. Continue Reading →

Sony and Warner each net millions from Spotify stock sale

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Spotify’s direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange marked a new chapter for the streaming music service, and the action has continued to make waves in the industry. The latest developments are that two of the major labels that were early investors in Spotify during its startup days have sold portions of their shares. Continue Reading →

Spotify releases first quarterly earnings report: Subscribers and revenue up, losses narrow

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Spotify shared its first quarterly earnings report since the company listed on the New York Stock Exchange last month. Despite a solid performance in listener and subscriber numbers, Wall Street was unimpressed with the results. Spotify’s stock price sunk after the data was released, falling from about $170 per share to about $153 per share. Continue Reading →

Two Spotify updates: Instagram integration and a long-time exec departs

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Spotify has announced a new deal with Instagram for an integration with the social network. Also, Music Business Worldwide reports that long-time exec Angela Watts is leaving the company. Continue Reading →

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Amazon and Spotify make new commitments to country music

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Amazon and Spotify have both announced developments involving country music playlists. First, Amazon has debuted a playlist containing country songs and artists chosen to appeal to an international audience. Second, Spotify’s Hot Country collection is now an “enhanced playlist” that includes original videos alongside the musical selections. Continue Reading →