Vinyl record sales continue to rise amid music streaming's dominance
(engadget.com)
Despite streaming services continuing to dominate the business of recorded music, there’s still very much a place for physical media in that sector.
Despite streaming services continuing to dominate the business of recorded music, there’s still very much a place for physical media in that sector.
Spotify has paid $4.5 illion to publishers, but songrwriters struggle
(variety.com)
Spotify announced earlier this year that it paid out a record $10 billion-plus to the music industry in 2024, bringing its total to nearly $60 billion since its inception in 2006.
Spotify announced earlier this year that it paid out a record $10 billion-plus to the music industry in 2024, bringing its total to nearly $60 billion since its inception in 2006.
Music labels will regret coming for the Internet Archive, sound historian says
(arstechnica.com)
On Thursday, music labels sought to add nearly 500 more sound recordings to a lawsuit accusing the Internet Archive (IA) of mass copyright infringement through its Great 78 Project, which seeks to digitize all 3 million three-minute recordings published on 78 revolutions-per-minute (RPM) records from about 1898 to the 1950s.
On Thursday, music labels sought to add nearly 500 more sound recordings to a lawsuit accusing the Internet Archive (IA) of mass copyright infringement through its Great 78 Project, which seeks to digitize all 3 million three-minute recordings published on 78 revolutions-per-minute (RPM) records from about 1898 to the 1950s.
Spotify's biggest sin? Its algos pushed artists to make joyless, toothless music
(theguardian.com)
In the hands of some of its most gifted practitioners, songwriting is a kind of emotional alchemy.
In the hands of some of its most gifted practitioners, songwriting is a kind of emotional alchemy.
Spotify's Beta Used 'Pirate' MP3 Files, Some from Pirate Bay (2017)
(torrentfreak.com)
Spotify is often credited as the music service most in tune with the 'pirate' mentality, having converted millions of former file-sharers in recent years. Interestingly, according to writer and researcher Rasmus Fleischer, a decade ago the site actually populated its beta with pirate MP3s, including some that were only available on The Pirate Bay.
Spotify is often credited as the music service most in tune with the 'pirate' mentality, having converted millions of former file-sharers in recent years. Interestingly, according to writer and researcher Rasmus Fleischer, a decade ago the site actually populated its beta with pirate MP3s, including some that were only available on The Pirate Bay.
ISP Will Unmask 100 Alleged BitTorrent Pirates in RIAA Lawsuit
(torrentfreak.com)
Altice, parent company of Internet provider Optimum, agreed to disclose the personal details of a hundred alleged music pirates. The request comes from a group of prominent record labels and is part of an ongoing copyright infringement liability lawsuit. Altice, meanwhile, will receive anti-piracy information, including that related to a letter the RIAA previously sent to BitTorrent Inc., the owner of popular torrent client uTorrent.
Altice, parent company of Internet provider Optimum, agreed to disclose the personal details of a hundred alleged music pirates. The request comes from a group of prominent record labels and is part of an ongoing copyright infringement liability lawsuit. Altice, meanwhile, will receive anti-piracy information, including that related to a letter the RIAA previously sent to BitTorrent Inc., the owner of popular torrent client uTorrent.
ISP Must Unmask 100 Alleged BitTorrent Pirates in RIAA Lawsuit
(torrentfreak.com)
Altice, parent company of Internet provider Optimum, must disclose the personal details of a hundred alleged music pirates. The request comes from a group of prominent record labels and is part of an ongoing copyright infringement liability lawsuit. Altice, meanwhile, will receive anti-piracy information, including that related to a letter the RIAA previously sent to BitTorrent Inc., the owner of popular torrent client uTorrent.
Altice, parent company of Internet provider Optimum, must disclose the personal details of a hundred alleged music pirates. The request comes from a group of prominent record labels and is part of an ongoing copyright infringement liability lawsuit. Altice, meanwhile, will receive anti-piracy information, including that related to a letter the RIAA previously sent to BitTorrent Inc., the owner of popular torrent client uTorrent.
ISP Must Unmask 100 Alleged BitTorrent Pirates in RIAA Lawsuit
(torrentfreak.com)
Altice, parent company of Internet provider Optimum, must disclose the personal details of a hundred alleged music pirates. The request comes from a group of prominent record labels and is part of an ongoing copyright infringement liability lawsuit. Altice, meanwhile, will receive anti-piracy information, including that related to a letter the RIAA previously sent to BitTorrent Inc., the owner of popular torrent client uTorrent.
Altice, parent company of Internet provider Optimum, must disclose the personal details of a hundred alleged music pirates. The request comes from a group of prominent record labels and is part of an ongoing copyright infringement liability lawsuit. Altice, meanwhile, will receive anti-piracy information, including that related to a letter the RIAA previously sent to BitTorrent Inc., the owner of popular torrent client uTorrent.
How Spotify Killed Lo-Fi Hip Hop
(gamechops.substack.com)
Lofi Hip Hop is an immensely popular style of music that exploded organically online beginning in the mid 2010s. But like all things in music, when too many folks jump on the bandwagon, it starts to slow down.
Lofi Hip Hop is an immensely popular style of music that exploded organically online beginning in the mid 2010s. But like all things in music, when too many folks jump on the bandwagon, it starts to slow down.
Spotify Paid $10B to the Music Industry in 2024, $1B More Than Last Year
(variety.com)
Spotify paid out $10 billion to the music industry in 2024 — some $1 billion more than last year, the previous record — making its total around $60 billion since it was founded in 2006. The company made the announcement in a blog post Tuesday morning.
Spotify paid out $10 billion to the music industry in 2024 — some $1 billion more than last year, the previous record — making its total around $60 billion since it was founded in 2006. The company made the announcement in a blog post Tuesday morning.
Second Circuit Rejects Record Labels' Attempt to Rewrite the DMCA
(eff.org)
In a major win for creator communities, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has once again handed video streaming site Vimeo a solid win in its long-running legal battle with Capitol Records and a host of other record labels.
In a major win for creator communities, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has once again handed video streaming site Vimeo a solid win in its long-running legal battle with Capitol Records and a host of other record labels.
Music sales hit 20-year high
(bbc.com)
Captivated by major new releases from Taylor Swift, Coldplay and Billie Eilish, music fans in the UK spent more on recorded music in 2024 than ever before, new figures show.
Captivated by major new releases from Taylor Swift, Coldplay and Billie Eilish, music fans in the UK spent more on recorded music in 2024 than ever before, new figures show.
Spotify Shuts Down ‘Unwrapped’ Artist Royalty Calculator with Legal Threats
(digitalmusicnews.com)
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has been busy selling stock this year, becoming a multi-billionaire worth around $7.3 billion according to Forbes. Now, the calculator for showcasing how relatively little Spotify pays to artists — and the absurd contrast to top-level Spotify executive compensation — has been shut down due to the threat of legal action.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has been busy selling stock this year, becoming a multi-billionaire worth around $7.3 billion according to Forbes. Now, the calculator for showcasing how relatively little Spotify pays to artists — and the absurd contrast to top-level Spotify executive compensation — has been shut down due to the threat of legal action.
Spotify's Plot Against Musicians
(harpers.org)
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The Ugly Truth About Spotify Is Finally Revealed
(honest-broker.com)
In early 2022, I started noticing something strange in Spotify’s jazz playlists.
In early 2022, I started noticing something strange in Spotify’s jazz playlists.
The Ghosts in the Machine – Spotify's plot against musicians
(harpers.org)
Spotify, I discovered, not only has partnerships with a web of production companies, which, as one former employee put it, provide Spotify with “music we benefited from financially,” but also a team of employees working to seed these tracks on playlists across the platform.
Spotify, I discovered, not only has partnerships with a web of production companies, which, as one former employee put it, provide Spotify with “music we benefited from financially,” but also a team of employees working to seed these tracks on playlists across the platform.
Ghost artists on Spotify
(harpers.org)
Spotify, the rumor had it, was filling its most popular playlists with stock music attributed to pseudonymous musicians—variously called ghost or fake artists—presumably in an effort to reduce its royalty payouts.
Spotify, the rumor had it, was filling its most popular playlists with stock music attributed to pseudonymous musicians—variously called ghost or fake artists—presumably in an effort to reduce its royalty payouts.
Save Music, Save the Archive
(savethearchive.com)
Over 350 musicians are speaking out to demand that major labels drop a lawsuit aimed to destroy the Internet Archive—and for their industry to take concrete actions to realign their actions with the interests of working artists. Sign their open letter now to show your support.
Over 350 musicians are speaking out to demand that major labels drop a lawsuit aimed to destroy the Internet Archive—and for their industry to take concrete actions to realign their actions with the interests of working artists. Sign their open letter now to show your support.
The decline of the working musician
(newyorker.com)
Before the gig economy consumed a third of the workforce, it was mostly musicians who worried about gigs.
Before the gig economy consumed a third of the workforce, it was mostly musicians who worried about gigs.
Subvert – Collectively owned music marketplace
(subvert.fm)
Bandcamp's corporate acquisitions threaten independent music. It's time for a new model - one we collectively own and control.
Bandcamp's corporate acquisitions threaten independent music. It's time for a new model - one we collectively own and control.
Limp Bizkit fraud lawsuit rattles music industry–'These accusations are massive'
(theguardian.com)
One of the world’s largest music companies has been accused of depriving “potentially hundreds” of artists and bands of their royalties by the 90s nu-metal band Limp Bizkit.
One of the world’s largest music companies has been accused of depriving “potentially hundreds” of artists and bands of their royalties by the 90s nu-metal band Limp Bizkit.
The $621M Legal Battle by Record Labels Against Internet Archive
(rollingstone.com)
In the old chapel of a former Christian Science church in San Francisco, late-afternoon sun pours orange through the windows and several giant servers are hard at work.
In the old chapel of a former Christian Science church in San Francisco, late-afternoon sun pours orange through the windows and several giant servers are hard at work.
Music Industry's 1990s Hard Drives Are Dying
(arstechnica.com)
One of the things enterprise storage and destruction company Iron Mountain does is handle the archiving of the media industry's vaults. What it has been seeing lately should be a wake-up call: roughly one-fifth of the hard disk drives dating to the 1990s it was sent are entirely unreadable.
One of the things enterprise storage and destruction company Iron Mountain does is handle the archiving of the media industry's vaults. What it has been seeing lately should be a wake-up call: roughly one-fifth of the hard disk drives dating to the 1990s it was sent are entirely unreadable.
Man accused of using bots and AI to earn streaming revenue
(bbc.com)
A musician in the US has been accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) tools and thousands of bots to fraudulently stream songs billions of times in order to claim millions of dollars of royalties.
A musician in the US has been accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) tools and thousands of bots to fraudulently stream songs billions of times in order to claim millions of dollars of royalties.