Headlines

Spotify Stream Minimum Cost Indies $47M in 2024, Exec Estimates

According to one music industry exec’s estimate, the controversial Spotify stream minimum cost emerging artists $47 million during 2024. As many know, that approach sees Spotify pay recording royalties only for tracks with at least 1,000 annual streams. Implemented (along with other changes) at the behest of the majors, the revamped model is effectively preventing the vast majority of uploaded recordings from generating payments.

Source: Spotify Stream Minimum Cost Indies $47M in 2024, Exec Estimates

Charles Goldstuck’s GoldState raises $500m to buy music rights, 

According to the announcement on Thursday (April 17), the strategic capital raise includes “a structured capital facility” co-led by Northleaf Capital Partners and Ares Management funds, as well as “separately raised leverage”. Additional terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. Goldstate’s new backerAres Management Corporation is a giant of the alternative investment space.

Source: Charles Goldstuck’s GoldState raises $500m to buy music rights, with investment from Northleaf Capital and Ares Management

Deezer Says 20,000 AI-Generated Songs Are Uploaded Daily

Global streaming platform Deezer has reported that over 20,000 entirely AI-generated tracks — or around 18% of all tracks — are uploaded to its platform daily. That’s an increase from the previously reported 10% in January, when Deezer launched its cutting-edge AI music detection tool. The company’s AI music detection tool sets an industry standard — but the onslaught of AI-generated music is unrelenting.

Source: Deezer Says 20,000 AI-Generated Songs Are Uploaded Daily

‘Unsustainable status quo’: Publishers respond to Govt copyright consultation

The UK Government’s proposal to allow AI companies to automatically train their models on online content unless the rightsholder specifically opts out has been described as “unworkable”. A range of responses to the Government consultation on its proposed change to the existing copyright regime have been published, with many slamming the potential effect on the media industry.

Source: ‘Unsustainable status quo’: AI companies and publishers respond to Govt copyright consultation

DVD & Blu-ray Sales Have Dropped 90% Since 2014 As Streaming Grows

As streaming dominates home entertainment, with 59.6 million U.S. households cutting the cord per Evoca.tv, the physical media market for DVDs and Blu-rays has seen a dramatic fall over the past decade. New data reveals that combined DVD and Blu-ray sales in the U.S. dropped from $10.1 billion in 2014 to an estimated $900 million in 2024, a decline of over 91%.

Source: DVD & Blu-ray Sales Have Dropped 90% Since 2014 As Streaming Grows | Cord Cutters News

Global Media Consumption Will Decline This Year For First Time Since 2009 – Study

Global media consumption will fall 0.3% this year compared with 2024, which would be the first decline since 2009, research firm PQ Media predicts. “Also contributing to the media consumption decline in 2025 is expected deceleration in discretionary spending on media devices and content, as consumers worldwide tighten their overall budgets due to an expected rise in inflation and possible recession due to the tariff wars,” PQ Media CEO Patrick Quinn said.

Source: Global Media Consumption Will Decline This Year For First Time Since 2009 – Study

Wikipedia is giving AI developers its data to fend off bot scrapers

Wikipedia is attempting to dissuade artificial intelligence developers from scraping the platform by releasing a dataset that’s specifically optimized for training AI models. The Wikimedia Foundation announced on Wednesday that it had partnered with Kaggle — a Google-owned data science community platform that hosts machine learning data — to publish a beta dataset of “structured Wikipedia content in English and French.”

Source: Wikipedia is giving AI developers its data to fend off bot scrapers

Ex-Google CEO Schmidt: AI that is ‘as smart as the smartest artist’ will be here in 3 to 5 years

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says the world is three to five years away from “artificial general intelligence” that will be equal to, if not better, than any human thinkers or creators today. It’s a prediction that, if true, could have tremendous consequences for music and other creative industries. “What happens when every single one of us has the equivalent of the smartest human [working] on every problem in our pocket?” he asked.

Source: Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt: AI that is ‘as smart as the smartest artist’ will be here in 3 to 5 years

Netflix is revamping search with AI to improve discovery 

Netflix is building a new search experience aimed at improving the discovery experience, and it’s going to use AI to do it, the company’s CEO Greg Peters said during its first-quarter results conference call. Peters said Netflix is working on “interactive search that’s based on generative technologies” to help people find different titles.

Source: Netflix is revamping search with AI to improve discovery | TechCrunch

Netflix Is “Paying Close Attention” to Tariffs Talk, Says It’s ‘Less Exposed’ Than Others

Asked on Thursday’s earnings call about the current worldwide economic uncertainty, which for lay people means President Trump’s tariffs, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters acknowledged he is “playing close attention, clearly, to the consumer sentiment and where the broader economy is moving.” Not that he and his fellow co-CEO Ted Sarandos are worried.

Source: Netflix Is “Paying Close Attention” to Tariffs Talk, But Believes It’s “Less Exposed” Than Others

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