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Setlist Podcast: Music publishers go to war with Spotify
The dispute over Spotify's audiobook bundle goes legal, media companies hit out at BBC's podcast adverts plan…
Spotify
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The MLC is suing Spotify over audiobook bundling
The audiobooks bundling dispute between the US music industry and Spotify has gone legal. This is about how the streaming service is classifying its main premium subscription product - which now includes audiobooks - as a bundle, which lets it reduce royalty payments to publishers and songwriters…
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Publishers accuse Spotify of licensing gaps in letter the streaming service has dubbed a “misleading press stunt”
The music publishers in the US have sent a letter to Spotify accusing the streaming service of having gaps in its licences in relation to lyrics, videos and podcasts. But Spotify says it’s just a “misleading press stunt” as part of the building beef over audiobooks…
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US music publishers ramp up the rhetoric against Spotify's royalty reducing bundling trick
US music publishers are ready to “fight again” as they attempt to halt efforts by Spotify to reclassify its subscription package. The streaming service wants to say that its main subscription product is a ‘bundle’ of music, podcasts and audiobooks. This would allow it to pay less to songwriters…
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Music services hit out at Apple’s plan to comply with EU in-app linking decision, call on European Commission to act
Apple is having to change its anti-steering provision, which previously stopped app developers from sign-posting alternative payment options, in both the EU and US. But the way it is making that change has been criticised, both in a letter to the European Commission and a court hearing in California…
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Spotify says Apple “defying” European law as its updated app is knocked back
Spotify is still trying to update its iOS app in the EU to take advantage of the recent regulator ruling in relation to Apple’s App Store rules. But Apple won’t approve the updates until Spotify agrees to new terms, including a new commission fee. That “defies” European law, says Spotify…
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Indie publishers hit out at Spotify’s bundling trick to lower songwriter payments
It recently emerged that Spotify was reclassifying its main premium subscription product as a bundle, because of the audiobooks, which means it can pay a lower song royalty rate under the compulsory licence in the US. A group of independent music publishers has now criticised that move…
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“Value, value, value!” is the mantra at Spotify as Ek downplays the negatives
Daniel Ek fixed a grin to his face and smiled hard as he ran us all through the company’s somewhat lacklustre numbers for Q1. Firing 1700 people helped the company show a €168 million profit, but no one - least of all Ek - seemed to anticipate the chaos shedding that many people could cause…
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Publishers hit out at Spotify’s bundling trick to reduce royalty payments
Spotify has been accused of trying to “radically reduce songwriter payments” in the US by reclassifying its subscriptions as music and audiobook bundles. The change allows it to pay lower US compulsory licence rates, but the National Music Publishers Association says it “will not stand” for this…
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Setlist Podcast: MPs want to see action on musicians’ income
UK politicians on the need for changes to how musicians get paid, Blur drummer Dave Rowntree's lawsuit against PRS, and more…
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Spotify planning tools to allow users to remix tracks
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Spotify plans to provide remixing tools within its app that will allow users to speed up, mash up and otherwise tweak tracks in a legitimate and licensed way. There’s a logic to that plan, but it also raises some copyright questions…
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Have a playlist idea but don’t know what songs to put on it? Spotify’s AI bot can help with that
Many people out there don’t like the idea of music discovery being handled by an algorithm. If you’re among them, Spotity has come up with a solution - hand the task over to artificial intelligence. Yes, that’s basically the same thing, but what you’re forgetting is that AI is cooler…