The decisions were a major blow to attempts to rein in Big Tech. The judge said one of the complaints, from the Federal Trade Commission, lacked facts and gave the agency 30 days to refile it. In Congress, legislators pointed to the decisions as proof that century-old antitrust laws needed updating for the internet sector.
June, 2021
Knight Foundation Invests $5 Million in ‘Library-Centered’ Digital Platform
The funding will support the Palace Project, a nascent partnership between LYRASIS and the Digital Public Library of America to “develop and scale a robust suite of content, services, and tools for the delivery of e-books, audiobooks, and other digital media to benefit public libraries and patrons.”
Source: Knight Foundation Invests $5 Million in ‘Library-Centered’ Digital Platform
Global Streaming Content Spending Leapt 16% to $220B+ In 2020, Disney Led At $28.6B
Global gross cash spend on production and licensing of new content for streaming platforms leapt 16.4% in 2020, to hit a new high of $220.2 billion, according to a report from U.K.-based research and analytical service Purely Streamonomics. The report also projects that global spending will exceed $250 billion this year.
Source: Video Insider: Global Streaming Content Spending Leapt 16% to $220B+ In 2020, Disney Led At $28.6B
Norwegian Firm Creating Doomsday Vault For Music Recordings
Buried almost 1,000 feet below a snow-covered mountain, on an arctic island midway between Norway and the North Pole, a Norwegian company is planning to create what it says will be a doomsday vault to preserve the world’s most important music recordings for at least 1,000 years.
Source: Norwegian Firm Creating Doomsday Vault For Music Recordings
Media sector eyes opportunity to rebalance relations with online platforms
From advertising revenue to content moderation, the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) is set to shape a number of areas in which media industry actors have been calling for change, particularly in their relation to online platforms. This week, a joint letter from a number of leading media industry organizations voiced support for measures to increase the responsibility and accountability of global online platforms, which wield increasing power in the online environment.
Source: Media sector eyes opportunity to rebalance relations with online platforms
Microsoft’s Windows Adds Tipping Feature To Help Monetize Content
Microsoft’s tipping system comes as more digital platforms develop ways for creators — whether they’re journalists, yoga instructors or video game experts — to monetize their content. Amid the growing popularity of Substack, a platform for creating free and paid email newsletters, Twitter and Facebook are adding tools to start a homespun publishing business.
Source: Publishing Insider: Microsoft’s Windows Adds Tipping Feature To Help Monetize Content
Spotify’s ‘Discovery Mode’ Is Payola, Just Not the Bad Kind (Opinion)
Today, superstar artists on major record labels have both the resources and the connections to get their songs on coveted playlists without having to resort to “Discovery Mode.” Independent artists without major record deals or sufficient resources may not. For them, “reverse payola” serves as a means of access to crucial distribution outlets. Why target regulation at an innovation that could increase the diversity of musical offerings?
Source: Spotify’s ‘Discovery Mode’ Is Payola, Just Not the Bad Kind (Guest Op-Ed)
Facebook rejects talks with Australia publisher, may test online law
Australia’s competition watchdog is looking into a claim that Facebook refused a publisher’s request to negotiate a licensing deal, the regulator told Reuters, setting the stage for the first test of the world’s toughest online content law.
Source: Facebook rejects talks with Australia publisher, may test online law
Tax consequences of nonfungible tokens (NFTs)
After the artist has sold or otherwise transferred the NFT, it could continue to produce taxable income for the artist and generate taxable income for its new owner. For example, subject to the intellectual property license terms of that particular NFT, the owner can collect payments from viewers of the NFT; “smart contracts” embedded in the blockchain technology underlying this item can automatically channel to the creator a specified share of those fees.
Livestream monetization strategies, or what we can learn from Inter Miami CF
How we monetize fandom in an increasingly online world is a question that doesn’t just exist in music, but also in sports. As such we can learn from each other. Brand new American football club Inter Miami just launched a video strategy that is all about engagement. Let’s see what they’re doing, how they do it, and what it means for those monetization strategies.
Source: Livestream monetization strategies, or what we can learn from Inter Miami CFR