Streaming round-up – October 2024

by IDOL
News
25.10.24
Stay up to date on the latest in streaming news with our monthly round-up. This month, TikTok withdraws from Merlin negotiations, Spotify playlists go offline, and YouTube Shorts just got a bit longer. Don’t miss a beat!

The figure of the month: 2,780. According to the Centre National de la Musique, this is the number of kilotonnes of equivalent CO₂ generated by the French recorded music sector, or 1 million round trips by plane between Paris and New York. More info on Music Ally.

Economy

Apple Music
Apple Music signs a new agreement with China Mobile. More info on Music Ally.

Bluesky
Bluesky now has over 10 million users. More info onTechCrunch.

ByteDance
ByteDance, owner of TikTok, launches its first AI earbuds in China. More info on Kill the DJ.

HYBE
HYBE’s Weverse launches controversial new subscription levels for fans. More info onMusic Business Worldwide.

Meta
Warner Music Group and Meta signed a multi-year licensing agreement including, for the first time, WhatsApp. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Qobuz
Qobuz launches its high-fidelity streaming and download service in Japan. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Spotify
Spotify raises prices in Canada amid debate over proposed streaming tax. More info on Music Business Worldwide. After three and a half years, Spotify launched its freemium version in South Korea. More info on Billboard. Spotify announces that it is transferring some of its 250 Swedish-based jobs abroad, following a court ruling on night shifts. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Triller
The company is now listed on the stock exchange. More info on Digital Music News.

TikTok
TikTok shut down negotiations with Merlin, citing excessive stream fraud management. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Music industry trade associations condemn TikTok and request to restore collective licensing for the independent sector. More info on Billboard.

TikTok is sued by several US states for design specifications that harm the health of young users. More info on Complete Music Update. TikTok partners with South Korean streaming service Melon to develop their “Add to Music App” feature. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Twitter / X
New data shows that X is losing users in the US and UK. More info on Social Media Today.

Youtube
YouTube and SESAC have settled their tariff dispute: the performing rights organization’s catalog will soon be available again on the platform. More info on Billboard.

New Features

Apple
Apple has updated its Apple Music Classical app, adding digital booklets for thousands of albums and a new section on new releases. More info on Digital Music News. Apple Music’s haptic function makes music accessible to all. More info on Forbes. Apple Music’s latest feature encourages artists to upload their setlists as playlists. More info on Music Ally.

Instagram
After a successful test phase, Instagram now lets users add songs to their Spotify playlists. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Qobuz
Qobuz launches the cheapest student subscription on the market. More info on Digital Music News.

Spotify
Spotify now automatically creates an offline playlist when you no longer have Internet access. More info on The Verge. Spotify adds support for music videos in 85 additional markets. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify now lets you create personalized cover art for playlists. More info on The Evening Standard.

TikTok
TikTok updates its ad campaigns with keyword targeting. More info on Social Media Today. TikTok expands its #ElectronicMusic hub worldwide. More info on Music Week.

YouTube
YouTube now allows creators to remove rule-breaking elements from their videos. More info on Social Media Today. The maximum length of YouTube Shorts videos will increase to 3 minutes. More info on Variety. YouTube unveils new features, including collaborative playlists, fan badges and a sleep timer. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

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