It seems that each week kicks off with some new development in exclusive releases. The distribution approach has strong advocates and critics, and today’s news demonstrates just how controversial the path has quickly become for the music industry. Continue Reading
Spotify has amped up its partnership with Songkick, bringing Concerts tabs to all artist pages on the streaming platform. Songkick’s data includes listings and ticket links. The two parties have been working together since 2013. Continue Reading
One of Spotify’s latest hires announced that the streaming service now has 39 million paid subscribers. Troy Carter, global head of creator services, told Billboard that Spotify has added 9 million paying customers since the last audience update in March. The interview also touched on the streaming sector’s current race for exclusive releases. Continue Reading
Spotify is reportedly engaged in a juggling act over its licensing deals with the major labels. According to The Wall Street Journal, the streaming service is running off short-term extensions of its agreements with all three of the major labels. As Spotify continues to move toward a potential IPO, getting all its ducks in a row for these complex legal questions is a must. Continue Reading
David Gray is getting a “Best Of” collection, but he and Kobalt Label Services are taking a unique approach in distribution. The release will be on sale as a CD and vinyl format in October, but for now, it’s a dynamic Spotify playlist. Rather than serve as a traditional album release, the Best Of playlist will be updated every week to reflect the most popular tracks by the artist. Continue Reading
Spotify is going full-steam ahead with its new video content, launching a documentary about Metallica. The four-part series is called Landmark – Metallica: The Early Years and the first episode is available today. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Spotify exec on data-driven marketing; behind the scenes with Coloring Book’s success; Spotify as SoundCloud suitor? Continue Reading
Children and family programming has been an area of interest for streaming services, and Spotify is the latest to add that content into its audio offerings. The new section under its Genres & Moods section features playlists made in-house as well as by Walt Disney Records and other children’s companies. Continue Reading
President Barack Obama has released his summer playlists on Spotify. In what has become a fascinating annual tradition, POTUS gives a sneak peek at what’s playing in his headphones. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio is sending an email survey which describes a prospective on-demand music service and asks recipients how likely they would be to subscribe. It could be the the first hint of an important dent in the competitive forces which rule the online music industry. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Spotify gets animated with first original video; interview with the hip-hop curator; new gaming playlists. Continue Reading
Spotify occasionally releases widgets that put data analysis tools into the hands of its users. The latest one is dubbed Organize Your Music. It surveys your saved music collection and proposes reorganization by genre, mood, decade, style, popularity, and other categories. The RAIN editorial office gave it a spin. Continue Reading