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The European heads of Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max and Paramount+ have talked up their autonomy from the U.S. as they gear up for rollout. Speaking during a Berlinale Series panel, Amazon Studios Europe head Georgia Brown said the local teams she has assembled after a “challenging” hiring period are completely distinct from the U.S. operation, as Amazon gears up to roll out several European dramas over the coming year.

Source: European SVoD Bosses Talk Up Autonomy From U.S.: “In My Head We’re A European Streamer,” Says Amazon’s Georgia Brown

Independent content creators thrive on social media, but that medium only addresses short-form offerings. There is a white space of potential open for the independents to have their voices heard on the big screen, whether through a channel, a show, a documentary or a movie — and one way to break through to audiences is with FAST.

Source: How streaming TV is elevating independent content creators

With an image of a phoenix emblazoned on a screen behind him, Stacy Spikes, the founder of MoviePass, announced on Thursday that the controversial and defunct service will relaunch this summer. But there were still many questions that were left unanswered. Namely, Spikes did not give pricing information for the various plans that MoviePass will begin offering in just a few short months.

Source: MoviePass Relaunching This Summer, But No Word Yet on Pricing

Streaming of Neil Young’s songs has increased 38% since his exit from Spotify in a flap over Joe Rogan’s podcasts, according to Merck Mercuriadis, the owner of half of the rights to the Canadian-American rocker’s catalog. Young pulled his music after Spotify refused his demand to sever ties with Rogan, the host of the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast.

Source: Streaming of Neil Young songs up 38 percent since Spotify exit: report

Hearst’s newspapers unit, with titles including The Houston Chronicle and The San Francisco Chronicle, ended 2021 with more than 300,000 digital subscriptions, a 50 percent increase over the year before, and nearly doubled digital subscriber revenue. The numbers still pale in comparison with print’s heyday, but the increase is giving some publishers an unusual feeling: hope.

Source: Local Papers Find Hints of Success With Online Subscriptions

Outside those working on play-to-earn games like Axie Infinity, hostility toward crypto in the gaming community tends to be overwhelming. One of the most popular recurring stories over the past two months has been for a game developer to announce some sort of NFT integration in a forthcoming video game, inspiring a massive backlash, only to later disavow the project and apologize.

Source: Why gamers hate crypto, and music fans don’t

As Hollywood studios battle pandemic fallout and feed movies to streaming services, audiences can expect far fewer theatrical releases than usual in 2022. Business over the next 12 months should help clarify the implications a lighter release schedule will have on the exhibition business.

Source: Now Showing: Fewer Movies. Theaters Brace for Dramatic Drop in New Films

Spotify’s staff was up in arms about the company and co-founder/CEO Daniel Ek’s defense of Joe Rogan in a town hall meeting Wednesday that followed its middling quarterly report and subsequent stock drop, according to a report in the Verge that cites a leaked audio recording of the meeting.

Source: Spotify CEO defends Joe Rogan deal in tense company town hall

A controversial NFT marketplace has drawn the ire of many in the music industry and creator economy at large. Legions of musicians are taking to social media to condemn HitPiece, a platform allegedly minting and selling music NFTs without artists’ knowledge. Per its website, HitPiece also claims to remit a royalty to artists whose music NFTs are purchased or sold, but suggests the rights-holder must create an account to receive payments.

Source: Artists Are Blasting an NFT Auction Platform After Their Music Appeared Without Their Knowledge

The service comprises roughly 31 percent of the music streaming market, outperforming Apple Music and Amazon Music, according to a report from Midia Research. As such, other major podcasters and musicians have been hesitant to jump into the fray — even if they may have existing qualms about their relationships with the Stockholm-based audio platform.

Source: Spotify’s Joe Rogan Mess Exposes Larger Rift Over Rules, Streaming Revenues