Spotify has signed a new multi-year licensing deal with Universal Music. Apparently the new agreement "further aligns the companies' efforts to foster groundbreaking new features providing value for artists and great experiences for music fans". I think that's code for "Universal will keep feeding Spotify with all that Drake shit that people seem to like" and "Spotify will keep feeding Universal with all that lovely dosh that Vivendi's shareholders seem to like".
Though, if you've got the time and would like to know more about all this "further alignment" nonsense, here's another paragraph of corporate bullshit for you to enjoy.
"With this new agreement, the companies advance their industry-leading partnership, reflecting a shared commitment to music's continued growth, deeper music discovery experiences and collaboration on new, state-of-the-art marketing campaigns across Spotify's platform. Additionally, as music's most innovative company and one of Spotify’s earliest supporters, UMG will deepen its leading role as an early adopter of future products and provide valuable feedback to Spotify's development team".
Lovely stuff. The announcement confirming Spotify's new Universal deal is somewhat more hyperbolic than the recent statement regarding its renewed Warner licence, which just talked about looking forward to "collaborating on impactful global initiatives". Maybe that's because, as you'll note from the statement above, Spotify reckons Universal is music's "most innovative company". Bold words. Though innovation is all about newness, and Universal definitely has the newest of all the Spotify deals.
Anyway, here are some quotes about Universal and Spotify being more aligned than ever. Mainly on new marketing gimmicks. You know, just in case someone somewhere isn't listening to all that Drake shit yet.
Spotify boss Daniel Ek: "From their early experimentation with Marquee, to testing new experiences like Canvas, Universal Music Group has been an important partner in helping to shape the development of our marketing tools. With today’s announcement, we will expand on this level of early stage innovation and further strengthen our partnership and shared vision for helping advance artists at all stages of their careers".
"We've said all along, the goal of our marketplace strategy is to harness Spotify's ability to connect artists with fans on a scale that has never before existed and bring new opportunities to the industry. Together, we look forward to reinvesting in and building new tools and offerings for artists around the world".
Universal boss Lucian Grainge: "With this agreement, UMG and Spotify are more aligned than ever in our commitment to ensuring the entire music ecosystem thrives and reaches new audiences around the globe. Given our commitment to innovation and early adoption of music technologies, and Spotify's leadership in the development of forward-thinking tools, our new partnership will provide our artists with new and powerful opportunities to connect with fans on Spotify's growing platform".
"Working together, our teams will expand and accelerate our collaborative efforts to deliver artist-focused initiatives, strategic marketing campaigns and new offerings to provide exciting new experiences for fans worldwide".