Spotify news

Spotify confirms changes to its payment process - including the 1000 plays a year threshold

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Spotify • 2 min read

Spotify confirms changes to its payment process - including the 1000 plays a year threshold

Spotify has confirmed the changes it is making to the way it pays out royalties each month, with new policies around stream manipulation and functional audio, and the 1000 plays a year threshold that tracks must pass to earn anything at all…

Chris Cooke • 22 Nov 2023

Specifics of Spotify's deal with Google on in-app payments revealed in Epic court case

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Spotify • 2 min read

Specifics of Spotify's deal with Google on in-app payments revealed in Epic court case

Details have been revealed about Spotify’s deal with Google around in-app payments on Android devices - when users make payments via Spotify’s own transactions system it doesn’t have to pay any fees to the tech giant…

Chris Cooke • 22 Nov 2023

New York judge dismisses Black Sheep lawsuit on Universal's Spotify equity

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Universal Music • 2 min read

New York judge dismisses Black Sheep lawsuit on Universal's Spotify equity

A New York court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by rap duo Black Sheep which accused Universal Music of agreeing to take a lower royalty rate from Spotify in return for getting equity in the streaming firm - and in doing so reducing the royalties received by artists…

Chris Cooke • 21 Nov 2023

Spotify says it will exit Uruguay next year because of new performer ER right in copyright law

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Spotify • 2 min read

Spotify says it will exit Uruguay next year because of new performer ER right in copyright law

Spotify has announced that it will stop operating in Uruguay next year because of a change to the country’s copyright law that provides performers with a statutory right to equitable remuneration when their music is streamed…

Chris Cooke • 21 Nov 2023

One Liners: Music NDA inquiry, Black Music Coalition, Everything Everything, + more

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One Liners - quickfire news from the music business • 2 min read

One Liners: Music NDA inquiry, Black Music Coalition, Everything Everything, + more

Deadline for parliament’s music NDA inquiry evidence, Spotify partners with Orange; Black Music Coalition launches memberships; Everything Everything, Yaosobi, Nouvelle Vague, O. and Vlure releases; tour news from In Flames and Arch Enemy, and Bellowhead…

Andy Malt • 20 Nov 2023

CMU Digest: YouTube’s voice-cloning announcements, Stability AI audio chief resigns over the company’s fair use position + more

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CMU Digest • 5 min read

CMU Digest: YouTube’s voice-cloning announcements, Stability AI audio chief resigns over the company’s fair use position + more

In this week's digest: YouTube launches a new voice cloning tool; Stability AI’s audio chief resigns over its insistence that training AI is ‘fair use’; Spotify’s new anti-fraud fines are criticised + more…

Chris Cooke • 18 Nov 2023

Distrokid boss critical of Spotify plan to fine distributors over tracks with heavy stream manipulation

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Spotify • 2 min read

Distrokid boss critical of Spotify plan to fine distributors over tracks with heavy stream manipulation

Spotify will start issuing fines to labels and distributors that deliver tracks that are subject to heavy stream manipulation - a move that has been criticised by at least one DIY distributor…

Chris Cooke • 16 Nov 2023

TikTok launches feature to save song straight to streaming apps

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TikTok • 1 min read

TikTok launches feature to save song straight to streaming apps

TikTok has launched a new feature called Add To Music App, which saves tracks heard on the video-sharing platform straight to a user’s streaming app of choice. So long as that app is Spotify or Amazon Music, currently…

Andy Malt • 15 Nov 2023

Setlist Podcast: Competition law concerns over Spotify’s royalty plans

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Spotify • 3 min read

Setlist Podcast: Competition law concerns over Spotify’s royalty plans

Competition law expert Amelia Fletcher's letter to Spotify boss Daniel Ek about the streaming services plan for a two-tier royalty system, and the rickrolling takedown battle between two stream-ripping platforms…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 10 Nov 2023

Spotify brings audiobook listening to US Premium accounts

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Spotify • 1 min read

Spotify brings audiobook listening to US Premium accounts

Spotify is bringing audiobook listening to premium accounts in the US. Lucky Americans. They join users in the UK and Australia, who had the fifteen hours of audiobook access dumped on them last month…

Andy Malt • 09 Nov 2023

Spotify two-tier payment "discriminatory and exploitative" says competition law expert

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Spotify • 4 min read

Spotify two-tier payment "discriminatory and exploitative" says competition law expert

Competition law expert Amelia Fletcher has written to Spotify boss Daniel Ek expressing concern about the plan to introduce a threshold below which tracks will not receive any royalties when they are streamed…

Chris Cooke • 06 Nov 2023

Competition law expert Amelia Fletcher writes to Daniel Ek

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Spotify • 4 min read

Competition law expert Amelia Fletcher writes to Daniel Ek

The following letter has been sent to Spotify CEO Daniel Ek by Amelia Fletcher, who is Professor of Competition Policy at Norwich Business School at the University of East Anglia. She is also a musician and songwriter, and co-founder of independent label Skep Wax Records.…

CMU Editorial • 06 Nov 2023