Music Biz Monday: Spotify Acquires SoundBetter, YouTube Bans Paid-For Plays, + more

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 acquires SoundBetter, a music production marketplace, for an undisclosed sum

Spotify today took another step in its efforts to build out services for artists to help diversify itself away from a business model predicated on paying music streaming royalties to labels: it has acquired SoundBetter, a music production marketplace for artists, producers, and musicians to connect on specific projects; and for people who are looking to distribute music tracks to those who want to license them.

\\ Read more on Tech Crunch //

YOUTUBE BANS PAID-FOR PLAYS FROM CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS ITS MUSIC CHARTS

Paid-for views on YouTube have become a controversial topic in the industry this year, ever since Bloomberg pointed out the curious case of Indian rapper BadShah in July.

Today (September 13), YouTube has announced it’s cracking down on exactly this kind of practice.

For starters, any paid for/assisted view on YouTube will now no longer be counted towards the platform’s own Music Charts – something which YouTube says pulls it line with the official charting policy of US industry monitor Billboard/Nielsen.

\\ Read more on Music Business Worldwide //

Snapchat Adds New Option to Share Music via Spotify Within Snaps and Stories

Snapchat has announced a new integration with Spotify, which will enable users to share playable Spotify tracks via stickers within their Snaps.

As explained by Spotify:

“With Spotify, you can listen to your favorite music and podcasts anytime, anywhere. With Snapchat, you can share what you’re up to instantaneously. Soon you’ll be able to combine the two seamlessly and share what you’re listening to in a Snap [story].”

\\ Read more on SocialMediaToday //

DEEZER PLANS 2020 USER-CENTRIC PAYMENT SYSTEM PILOT LAUNCH – IF IT CAN GET RIGHTSHOLDERS TO SIGN UP

Deezer has launched a new website and social media campaign to publicly champion a user-centric payment system (UCPS) and is planning to launch a pilot in France early next year – if it can get rightsholders onboard.

\\ Read more on Music Business Worldwide //

Vinyl Sales to Overtake CDs for the First Time Since 1986

Last week, we reported on a healthy boom in first-half streaming numbers for the U.S.-based recorded music industry. But digging deeper into the physical sales story, an interesting figure emerges.

Vinyl record sales have been steadily growing for more than a decade, despite constant predictions of a fad. Now, a mid-year report from the RIAA suggests that CD sales are likely to shrink below vinyl sales in the coming quarters. Earlier this year in February, the RIAA confirmed that vinyl sales account for one-third of the revenue from physical sales.

\\ Read more on Digital Music News //