Source: ViacomCBS Shortens Theatrical Window for Paramount+ Streaming Service
February, 2021
Disney Keeps 80% of Streaming Revenue By Calling It ‘Home Video’
For years, Disney has been keeping 80% of the revenue from older shows that it distributes to streaming platforms, leaving only 20% to be available to stars and other profit participants. It does so by classifying the revenue as “home video.” Under a formula dating from the introduction of the VCR, Disney subtracts an 80% royalty to its in-house distributor to cover the costs of distribution.
Source: Disney Keeps 80% of Streaming Revenue By Calling It ‘Home Video’
DistroKid teams with Twitch to help indie artists earn money from live streams via Twitch
Independent music distributor DistroKid – which says it distributes approximately a third of all new music released around the globe – has partnered with live-streaming platform Twitch to offer qualifying DistroKid members the opportunity to get “accelerated” access to the Twitch Affiliate Program.
Facebook pledges $1 billion investment in news over next 3 years
Facebook announced on Wednesday that it would be investing $1 billion in the news industry over the next three years, a week after a standoff with Australia over new laws that would require it to pay publishers to share their content. “We absolutely recognize quality journalism is at the heart of how open societies function — informing and empowering citizens and holding the powerful to account,” Facebook said in a statement.
Source: Facebook pledges $1 billion investment in news over next 3 years
Spotify: Price rise ‘could push users into piracy’
The music industry has been keen to increase prices for some time, saying it could help artists earn more money. But Spotify told MPs it was wary of tweaking its monthly £9.99 subscription fee, which hasn’t changed in a decade. If music becomes “unaffordable to consumers”, warned chief legal officer Horacio Gutierrez, it could end up “pushing them back into online piracy”.
With blockchain buzz building, LuckyMe artist Jacques Greene sells NFT publishing stake in cryptocurrency
LuckyMe, part of Warp Records, is currently exploring the possibilities of selling publishing rights in cryptocurrency via blockchain. The label’s Montreal-based electronic artist Jacques Greene uploaded a six-second snippet of a new song, Promise, to the emerging digital art marketplace Foundation.
Regulators keep close eye on Facebook’s deal with Australia
Facebook and Australia’s eleventh-hour agreement Monday letting users resume sharing news links on the platform is being closely watched by regulators around the world as a possible model for requiring the social media giant to pay for news content on its site.
Source: Regulators keep close eye on Facebook’s deal with Australia
Bill to Make Facebook, Google Pay for News Clears Last Major Hurdle in Australia
The upper house of Australia’s Parliament passed legislation effectively requiring Facebook and Google to pay news outlets for content, moving the media code a big step closer to becoming law. The amendments announced Tuesday include requiring an additional round of negotiation before binding arbitration kicks in, as well as more acknowledgment of any deals Facebook reaches with publishers on its own.
Source: Bill to Make Facebook, Google Pay for News Clears Last Major Hurdle in Australia
What the major record companies really think about the economics of music streaming
In recent weeks, the UK arms of the major record companies – Universal Music UK, Sony Music UK, and Warner Music UK – have filed written submissions with this Parliamentary Committee, setting out their views on a number of streaming’s most fiercely-debated talking points. Each of these submissions was published online February 23.
Source: What the major record companies really think about the economics of music streaming
Record Labels Blame YouTube For a Lot of Things But Continue to Upload Music
A UK parliamentary inquiry has once again revealed that many music industry insiders are not happy with YouTube. The platform is a source of piracy and doesn’t pay nearly enough to rightsholders, they claim. On top of that, it’s also seen as an important reason why subscription services such as Spotify can’t raise their prices. Meanwhile, labels continue to upload their music to YouTube.
Source: Record Labels Blame YouTube For a Lot of Things But Continue to Upload Music * TorrentFreak