• Major Labels Like Universal Reportedly Looking to End Spotify's Unlimited Free Streaming

    If you are one of the millions who relies on Spotify to stream music for free, your unlimited access may soon be restricted if the major labels have their way. This according to a new report that says Universal Music Group is trying to leverage its current contract negotiations, which Spotify said it would make the company $1 billion in revenue, to restrict the free service.

  • 2014 US Record Industry Earnings: Sales Dip; Streaming, Vinyl Up

    Each year, the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) releases a recap for yearly earnings. They have generally been pretty doom and gloom with the overall industry bleeding money with sales from CDs dropping dramatically and the major players unable to capitalize and create new sources of revenue for themselves and their artists. The 2014 report shows that while total revenues did dip from $7 billion to $6.972, a .5% change, there are plenty of promising signs, notably in streaming.

  • Rihanna, Beyoncé & Katy Perry Are Most Popular Female Artists on Spotify of All Time: Taylor Swift Charts Despite Pulling Catalogue

    Let's hear it for the laaaadies! This weekend, people across the globe will honor International Women's Day, and to celebrate, Spotify has unveiled its most streamed female artists from the U.S. and across the world. Big names on the list include Rihanna, Beyoncé, Katy Perry and even Taylor Swift, who pulled her entire catalogue from the service last year ahead of the release of her new album 1989.

  • Spotify's Student Discounts Hurting Earnings AND User Numbers According to University of Georgia Study

    Those up on the numbers know not to believe the hype...despite the constant media coverage devoted to Spotify and streaming as the future of the music industry, if you've read up on the subject you'll know that the service has yet to turn a profit. David Lowery, a noted critic of the streaming frontier and professor at the University of Georgia's music business program, has published a new report suggesting that Spotify in particular is shooting itself in the foot. Apparently special rates offered to college students aren't helping the bottom line.

  • Spotify Partners With Musixmatch to Add Lyrics to Desktop App

    Spotify has announced a new update for its desktop app that will give users the option to show lyrics while they listen to songs using the streaming service. The new update will be rolled out in the next few weeks implementing a simple "lyrics" button at the bottom right of the screen.

  • Independent Music Label Reveals What Streaming Services Pay Best: YouTube Looks Nice While Spotify Lags (Last Place Might Surprise)

    If you're engaged with the debate over how much streaming services such as Spotify are paying performers for their wares and want to take your business to those who reward performers most, this chart from Digital Music News might help you in your quest. The site got data from an American independent label (unnamed to protect the imprint's business interests) with a global distribution deal with a "major" digital distributor.

  • Copyright Law May Allow Taylor Swift, Prince et al to Pull Covers from Spotify and Streaming Services As Well

    Taylor Swift made headlines during the end of 2014 by pulling her catalogue from Spotify, preventing listeners from checking out her sick beats without shelling out for the song or album 1989. She's not the only one who's keeping their wares off of the streaming service and others like it...The Beatles and Apple Records have yet to release the band's discography to the service. Yet many fans know a loophole, if they're willing to ignore subtle differences in quality: There are covers of the songs on Spotify, performed by bands aiming to sound exactly like The Beatles. Perhaps not for long however, as the U.S. Copyright Office is looking to allow performers to prevent covers of their work from being streamed as well.

  • Spotify Given Valuation of $5.7 Billion, According to New Report

    The news of Spotify's growth continues to roll in seemingly every week. The streaming giant just announced a deal with PlayStation and Sony that would launch a revamped service PlayStation Music across and PlayStation Network by connecting users's Spotify accounts to their gaming accounts. With all of the expansion that company has gone through in the past year or two, it has become one of the darlings of the music industry and tech startup world, where money flows like water. Spotify is seeing the payoff of that expansion with increasing valuations of its company, despite not being able to turn a profit. The latest valuation, according to a report from market research company Manhattan Venture Research, according to "Billboard," now has the Swedish streaming service sitting at $5.7 billion.

  • Spotify and Sony Partner With Playstation To Launch Playstation Music

    Spotify and Sony have teamed up with gaming giant, Playstation to launch Playstation Music. Playstation Network users will be able to link their Spotify accounts to their current accounts with their consoles. Users can import their current Spotify settings, including favorite artists, playlists etc., onto their Playstation 3 and 4 and Xperia smartphones and tablets. The move integrates Spotify's 30-million song library and over 1.5 billion playlists into the new network, which boats a membership of 64 million users.
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