Strong growth in music-streaming subscriptions can’t be taken for granted. Within the music industry there has been growing talk about how to deal with any approaching ceiling or plateau in subscriptions in the biggest and most mature markets. The good news is that there is plenty of room to grow in the ‘Baby Boomer’ demographic. The bad news is that many of those people may simply not be interested.
Source: Boomers may not be the saviours of music subscriptions – Music Ally
Twitch is introducing Partner Plus, a program boosting the cut streamers earn to 70% of subscription revenue. The Partner Plus program will launch on Oct. 1, 2023. Streamers who meet the qualification criteria over the three months prior (July, August and September) will be automatically enrolled in the program and notified in October.
One of the nation’s largest libraries has nearly doubled its collection spending in the last five years in an attempt to keep up with patrons’ digital demands. But the push has introduced new headaches. Now that permission to read and lend out a book has gone digital, it’s provided publishers more control over how libraries lend out their content. Citizens see the impact of this battle in excessive wait lists for the most popular titles.
Source: Behind E-Books, Libraries Find Restrictions and High Costs
A new global task force aimed at eradicating streaming fraud, the Music Fights Fraud Alliance (MFFA) represents all corners of the music industry, aligning for the first time as a united front to combat fraud in music streaming. The movement’s mission is to ensure that the global music streaming market is fair and that all members actively contribute to solutions intended to balance the equity of its operations.
Source: Amazon Music, Spotify, Distrokid, Empire, Downtown, & More Launch ‘Music Fights Fraud Alliance’
A new music streaming study is shedding light upon the complicated potential effects of a pivot to the user-centric payout model. As part of the study, Berlin-headquartered SoundCloud “provided real market data regarding user behavior on its platform,” according to the resource, referring specifically to “50,300 artist profiles” – not necessarily proper artists – enrolled in the Fan-Powered program.
Source: Music Streaming Study Explores the Unexpected Impact of Reform
Scarlett Johansson spoke on the Writers Guild strike at the premiere of Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City.” “It’s a thing that has needed to happen for a long time, that we’ve been talking about for a long time, and it’s finally reached this breaking point,” she told Variety. “It’s important for all of us creatives to unite and support this massive shift so we can get over to the other side, which we will.”
The Writers Guild of America has enlisted members from the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds, Federation of Screenwriters in Europe and UNI Global Union to demonstrate global support for the union’s strike against Hollywood’s largest producers. The unprecedented rallying behind the WGA is especially relevant during this strike given the globalization of content.
Source: Charlie Brooker, Jesse Armstrong, Russell T Davies Turn Out to Support Global WGA Day of Solidarity
Antenna, a television analytics company, tracked the streamer’s signups and cancellations in the days following the announcement. The results are conclusive and clear: After eliminating password sharing, Netflix effectively doubled its daily signups while also improving its ratio of signups to cancellations.
A key lawmaker in the European Parliament’s culture committee wants to make streaming giants better remunerate and give more visibility to European music creators and artists. “There is a loophole in our regulation. We need to fill it,” Spanish lawmaker Iban García del Blanco said in an interview. He is drafting a report that he promises will be “intrusive in this market” because “it is the most unbalanced sub-sector of the cultural sector at the moment.”
Source: EU lawmakers aim to push Spotify on better pay for music artists
Warner Music Group is taking its first steps into games publishing with the upcoming release of Invector: Rhythm Galaxy, co-developed by Swedish game studio, Hello There Games. The partnership comes a year after WMG teamed up with STYNGR, a platform offering pre-cleared music for games and the metaverse, that will see the label supply game developers with access to pre-licensed tracks from portions of its music catalog.
Source: Warner Music Group ventures into games publishing with ‘Invector: Rhythm Galaxy’