Music Biz Monday // 3.18

Every Monday, we’re sharing the latest news and information for the music industry and technology worldwide.

Get your learn on and stay in the know with Symphonic’s Music Biz Monday!

Spotify responds to Apple, calling it a ‘monopolist’

The tit-for-tat war of words between Spotify and Apple continued today, with the former calling the latter a “monopolist,” and that its response to the lawsuit was “entirely in line with our expectations,” according to Variety.

The statement is the latest in a highly public spat between the two companies. On Wednesday, Spotify filed a complaint with the European Union, alleging that Apple uses unfair practices in the App Store. Specifically, Spotify is upset at the 30 percent that Apple charges developers for subscriptions, and it says that it’s designed to give Apple Music an unfair advantage in the marketplace. Essentially, to match Apple’s price with its 30 percent cut, it can’t match the price of Apple Music, and it’s at the mercy of Apple’s technical restrictions. It also launched a website called Time to Play Fair, where it outlined its complaints against Apple.

\\ Read more on The Verge //

Why Spotify’s Appeal of The CRB Rate Decision Is A Huge Deal For Songwriters And Publishers

Is Spotify suing songwriters? The company says no.

But it did file an appeal to the Copyright Royalty Board’s rate determination, which consists of a three-step formula that ultimately produces a royalty amount that is paid to publishers, and thus songwriters, in exchange for a mechanical license — or, in other words, for the right to host the song. This formula has been in use since 2008, the year Spotify debuted, when on-demand streaming was still in its infancy.

\\ Read more on Billboard //

MYSPACE JUST LOST 50 MILLION SONGS

Myspace lost an estimated 50 million songs, i.e. all the music uploaded through the site by 14m artists, between 2003 (when it launched) and 2015.

The files were lost during a server migration, says the Tom Anderson-founded social media platform, and are unrecoverable.

\\ Read more on Music Business Worldwide //

YOUTUBE MUSIC INTRODUCES NEW ARTIST ON THE RISE CONTENT SERIES

YouTube Music is expanding its emerging artist program Artist on the Rise with a new content series.

Produced in exclusive partnership with Genius, the video series captures ‘intimate interviews’ with artists and their reactions to old YouTube videos of themselves and their fans to ‘showcase the artists’ evolution and connection with fans on YouTube’.

\\ Read more on Music Business Worldwide //

SPOTIFY PREMIUM SUBSCRIBERS IN THE US NOW GET HULU FOR FREE

Spotify’s hoping to attract new premium users and retain existing ones with an expanded Hulu partnership in what the two companies are calling a ‘first-of-its-kind entertainment bundle’.

Last year the streaming firm launched a $12.99-a-month bundle in the United States with the TV-on-demand service and in 2017 it launched a student bundle deal with Hulu for $4.99-per-month.

As of today (March 12), Spotify is giving the ad-supported version of Hulu (which usually costs $5.99-a-month) to all new and existing US Premium subscribers for free.

\\ Read more on Music Business Worldwide //