In a big potential strategy shift, Spotify is allegedly open to some artists temporarily restricting their music to its paid tier. Unnamed sources told The Wall Street Journal that Spotify will consider windowing content based on whether a listener pays for the service. An insider said Spotify would be trying this strategy as a test first to assess the impact it might have on usage and subscription membership. Continue Reading
Another major album release, another segmented digital launch. Coldplay dropped a new album on Friday but have restricted its online availability to paid-only music services. That means A Head Full of Dreams can be heard on the likes of Apple Music and Amazon Prime Music, but not on Spotify. At least, not yet. Continue Reading
The end-of-the-year roundups continue apace, this time with Adweek’s Hot List detailing the top 24 digital brands, startups, and games from 2015. The list included nods for the ‘hottest music app,’ and if you can remember back to last year’s choices, you’ll be seeing very familiar names. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: PRS subject to anti-competition review; BBC’s Sound of 2016; Nepal’s community radio after the earthquake; dissecting Rdio vs Spotify. Continue Reading
The results are in! Sound like election night? In a sense, the release of Adele’s new album, 25, served as a referendum in many people’s minds. The issues? Magnitude of stardom, and distribution strategy. Some numbers, a bit of conjecture, and a conclusion. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: How modern podcasting is like the glory days of blogging; Spotify’s new parental leave policy; Apple Music: the mansplainer? Continue Reading
Popular British songstress Adele may be the latest major artist to be “pulling a Taylor.” Unnamed sources with knowledge of her upcoming release told The New York Times that the album “25” would not get a launch on streaming services. The Verge has a slightly different take on the situation. It reported that Adele’s camp was willing to put the album on Spotify, but only if it was restricted to paying listeners. Continue Reading
Spotify has unveiled a new tool for musicians and labels called Spotify Fan Insights. This dashboard will include demographic data about listeners, their location, their other listening preferences, and their level of fandom. Analysis of the listeners and fan base could help performers facilitate more growth and success on the platform. Continue Reading
The wave of live music integrations into streaming continues, with a new feature emerging from Spotify. The company has added a Concerts feature that displays personalized show recommendations based on artists a person has listened to and their location. Continue Reading
Spotify has put Victory Records’ catalog back up for streaming on its service. The music was removed after highly publicized allegations that the streaming platform owed royalties to the indie label and its publishing arm. Continue Reading
David Lowery, a former professional musician and now an advocate for artists’ rights, has written to the New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman to seek an investigation into unpaid mechanical royalties. This fall has seen some heated debate about licensing payments in the streaming music economy, particularly for publishers. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Jason Aldean back on Spotify; another public radio addition to VuHaus; Mixcloud positioning itself for DJ value. Continue Reading