Apple - CMU | the music business explained (Page 3)

EU fines €1.8 billion at end of Spotify initiated competition law investigation

public

Apple • 4 min read

EU fines €1.8 billion at end of Spotify initiated competition law investigation

Apple has been fined €1.8 billion by the European Union, following an investigation into its App Store rules. The massive fine is almost four times larger than the €500 million that had been expected and is the result of a complaint filed by Spotify in 2019…

Chris Cooke • 04 Mar 2024

Setlist Podcast: UK music revenues are back to their CD peak (sort of)

public

Setlist • 5 min read

Setlist Podcast: UK music revenues are back to their CD peak (sort of)

Music retail revenues are now higher than their 2001 peak (just don't adjust for inflation), and the brewing legal battle between Kanye West and the Donna Summer estate…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 01 Mar 2024

And Finally! Apple brushed off Bing for its lack of Annie Lennox knowledge

public

And Finally • 6 min read

And Finally! Apple brushed off Bing for its lack of Annie Lennox knowledge

Six years ago, Microsoft made a play to convince Apple to ditch Google and make Bing the default search engine on its Safari browser. Why is this not the case? Because Bing didn’t know enough about Annie Lennox. Check out this and more of this week’s funniest music news stories…

Andy Malt • 01 Mar 2024

IMPALA urges Apple Music to rethink its spatial audio bonus

public

Apple • 3 min read

IMPALA urges Apple Music to rethink its spatial audio bonus

Independent label trade body IMPALA has called on Apple to reconsider how it has implemented a bonus for tracks delivered to Apple Music in spatial audio. Currently the system favours bigger record labels with greater resources, with independent labels more likely to lose out…

Chris Cooke • 27 Feb 2024

Spotify vs Apple name-calling kicks off again after EU mega-fine rumours

public

Apple • 2 min read

Spotify vs Apple name-calling kicks off again after EU mega-fine rumours

Apple issued a statement last week following rumours it is facing a €500 million fine as a result of an EU investigation prompted by a complaint made by Spotify. It claims that Spotify just wants a free ride, but Spotify issued its own statement arguing it is actually seeking a level playing field…

Chris Cooke • 26 Feb 2024

Setlist Podcast: The music business in 2024

public

Setlist • 3 min read

Setlist Podcast: The music business in 2024

In a special edition of the show, we preview our latest series of music business masterclasses…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 26 Feb 2024

Apple faces €500 million fine after Spotify-prompted EU competition investigation

public

Apple • 2 min read

Apple faces €500 million fine after Spotify-prompted EU competition investigation

Nearly five years after Spotify first submitted a formal complaint to the European Union over Apple’s App Store rules regarding in-app payments, EU regulators are reportedly about to fine the tech giant €500 million having concluded that those rules breach competition law…

Chris Cooke • 19 Feb 2024

Setlist Podcast: AI developments cause celebration and concern

public

Artificial Intelligence • 5 min read

Setlist Podcast: AI developments cause celebration and concern

The music industry welcomes the final draft of the EU AI Act but sees plans for the UK to develop an AI code of conduct collapse, and allegations that the BBC is going head to head with its commercial rivals by launching new decade and genre specific music radio stations…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 09 Feb 2024

Spotify hits out at Apple's plan to comply with EU's Digital Markets Act

public

Spotify • 4 min read

Spotify hits out at Apple's plan to comply with EU's Digital Markets Act

Spotify has criticised the way Apple is changing its App Store rules in Europe in order to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act - it argues those changes do not deal with the issues it has raised about Apple's in-app payment rules and which it hoped the DMA would solve…

Chris Cooke • 30 Jan 2024

Setlist Podcast: Apple Music’s “spatial audio bonus” favours major labels

public

Apple • 4 min read

Setlist Podcast: Apple Music’s “spatial audio bonus” favours major labels

Apple Music's spatial audio "bonus" is nothing of the sort for many independent labels and creators, grassroots venue closures in the UK, and more…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 26 Jan 2024

Spotify uses EU Digital Market Act blog post to take potshots at Apple, announces superfan clubs

public

Spotify • 5 min read

Spotify uses EU Digital Market Act blog post to take potshots at Apple, announces superfan clubs

Spotify is fighting the good fight! Apple is a meanie! The DMA means we can spam everyone! In its latest blog post, Spotify heralds the DMA as a “huge opportunity” for Spotify. And maybe - just maybe - it offers “good things” for artists and labels too…

Sam Taylor • 25 Jan 2024

CMU Exclusive: Apple Music’s “spatial audio bonus” will favour major labels at the expense of small labels and creators

public

Apple • 3 min read

CMU Exclusive: Apple Music’s “spatial audio bonus” will favour major labels at the expense of small labels and creators

Apple’s 10% 'bonus' operates at distributor level, not track, artist or label level - and creating Spatial Audio has significant costs. Major labels will definitely benefit - but whether independent labels and creators will is another question entirely.…

Sam Taylor • 23 Jan 2024