New research from Cowen explores the current state of the streaming music industry and gave forecasts for its future. Spotify and Amazon emerged as two of the top brands to watch. The data predicted a compound annual growth rate of 4% for the 2016-2021 period, with on-demand music services expected to double revenue and secure a 40% share of the industry by 2021. Continue Reading
Spotify has been putting up big numbers in recent months as it grows a subscriber base. Now, sources say that the streaming service reportedly has expanded to about 37 million paying subscribers. The company has not confirmed that number, but given its recent rates of listener acquisition, the reports aren’t much of a surprise. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: A Discover Weekly data dive; Rdio accuses Sony of antitrust activity; UK report finds piracy on continued decline. Continue Reading
Following on yesterday’s barbs, Spotify is making another, more aggressive attack against Apple Music. A lawyer from Spotify sent a letter to the rival streaming service stating that Apple Music is causing harm to Spotify and its customers by rejecting an iOS update to its app. [Update: Apple responds.] Continue Reading
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) gave a speech about business competition with some pointed remarks about three of the top tech companies in the U.S. She criticized Google, Apple, and Amazon for using their size and clout to limit inroads from other companies, particularly smaller upstarts. Continue Reading
Spotify and iHeartMedia have been sued on allegations that they are infringing on a patent for sharing and retrieving playlist information online. Post Media Systems is the plaintiff, representing Alan Bartholomew of SoniClear. The central patent is titled “System and Method for Creating and Posting Media Lists for Purposes of Subsequent Playback.” Continue Reading
Is music discovery important in a society where most of the stardom and audience are concentrated in a few top acts? Research tells us it is, and new music discovery products tell us that major online music services know it. Music discovery initiatives from Spotify, Pandora, and SoundCloud are bringing music discovery into an era of personalized delivery. Continue Reading
Spotify announced a new partnership with Merchbar. This deal means that artists who list their merchandise through Merchbar will have top products automatically populated on their artist page for the streaming service. Continue Reading
Spotify has surpassed 100 million active users, a representative confirmed to RAIN News. It’s a big milestone for the streaming service. At the end of 2015, Spotify had 89 million active users, including about 28 million paying subscribers. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired a new exec as head of investor relations, the latest signal that an IPO is in the streaming service’s future. The new addition is Paul Vogel, who joins Spotify after most recently running Barclays’ Internet and media research group. Continue Reading
This week Spotify will release the newest edition of its ongoing consumer survey that seeks to measure listening reach — specifically how Spotify Free compares to local AM/FM radio. The results offer a view of radio listening that unites traditional broadcast with Spotify Free, the ad-supported listening tier. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Troy Carter goes to Spotify — is it a trend signal? Also The Pirate Bay returns to its original domain and Apple’s App Store is getting a big revamp. Continue Reading