As the United States faces an emboldened white supremacist movement, many businesses have taken stronger stances to limit the spread of racist and fascist messages. After a direct call-out, streaming services have been spurred to take action and remove hate bands. Here’s a timeline of what transpired this week, and how similar situations could be prevented. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Japan and the vinyl trend; more on Spotify playlists; how much do podcasting pros actually make? Continue Reading
Spotify has been tightening its integration with Facebook, particularly with the social network’s direct chat system. After an initial integration in 2016, followed by capabilities for group playlist creation in June, Facebook Messenger can now offer Spotify music recommendations. Continue Reading
Spotify is hosting an event later this month where it is expected to announce its launch in Thailand. The streaming platform’s Bangkok event is scheduled for August 22. The subscription costs will likely be revealed at that time. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Where are the women? Updated Spotify desktop app display. New music…Thursdays? Continue Reading
Europe’s Nordic region continues to be a standard-setter for digital music adoption. The Polaris Nordic Digital Music Survey 2017 surveyed residents in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark about their listening habits. It found that 80% of all inhabitants between the ages of 12 and 65 used at least one streaming service in the past year. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Audiobooks versus podcasts; Rap Caviar gets video; happy birthday to 8tracks! Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: New chapters in the licensing database saga; Apple’s original programming begins with Carpool Karaoke; iHeartRadio’s latest in-car collaboration; Spotify Xbox app reportedly in the works. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired Jane Huxley as its new managing director for Australia and New Zealand. She will start in this position on Sept. 1. The MD role was most recently held by Kate Vale, who departed Spotify in May after a five-year tenure. The hire is extra noteworthy coming on the heels of Pandora’s ANZ shutdown. Continue Reading
Spotify has made several developments this week aimed at expanding its footprint for podcasts. First, Bloomberg reports that Spotify will promote podcasts in its mobile app and in advertisements in exchange for positive buzz from show hosts. Second is a distribution deal with Australia’s Omny Studio. Continue Reading
Spotify has reportedly reached a new subscriber milestone. Sources familiar with the streaming company told the Financial Times that it now has 60 million paying listeners. The milestone would mean that Spotify added 10 million subscribers since March. Continue Reading
For the release of his newest work, Jay-Z opted to gate the album to his Tidal streaming service for one week. But even after distributing the music to most other digital platforms, Spotify still does not have 4:44. That may not be a cheap decision for the artist, and it also shows that Spotify has still not shaken some long-held assumptions among A-list performers. Continue Reading