Streaming round-up – February 2023

by IDOL
News
24.02.23
Every month, this section offers a summary of the latest news about the main streaming platforms, in particular the latest features offered by Spotify, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube…

Economy

Amazon Music
Amazon Music is catching up with Spotify in terms of listeners in the US. More info on Music Ally.

Apple
Apple announces 935 million paid subscriptions. More info on TechCrunch.

Bandlab
After reaching the 60 million creator mark, BandLab acquired the beat marketplace Airbit. More info on Music Business Worldwide

Bandcamp
Fortnite calls upon Bandcamp to integrate a radio station into the game. More info on Music Ally.

Beatport
Beatport takes a majority stake in the dance music conference, the International Music Summit, in Ibiza. More info on Music Week

Deezer
Sonos enlists Deezer to power its Sonos Radio services. More info on Music Ally

Google
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, will cut its global workforce by 6% and lay off 12,000 people. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Apparently Google has created an AI that can generate music from text description, but has chosen not to release it. More info on TechCrunch.

Lickd
Lickd signs a deal with Streamlabs to reach more creators. More info on Music Ally. Lickd has also signed deals with Empire and Kobalt to use their music catalogs in the metaverse. More info on Music Ally.

Napster
Napster takes its first steps into Web3 with the acquisition of NFT startup Mint Songs. More info on Forbes.

Snapchat
Snapchat reveals that it now has 750 million monthly active users. More info on Social Media Today. Snapchat’s ‘sounds’ generated an average of 109 million videos and 7.6 billion views per month. More info on Music Ally

Spotify
Spotify reaches 205 million paid subscribers, exceeding its growth targets. More info on Variety. This is the first music streaming platform to surpass 200 million paid subscribers. More info on The Verge. Following the Q4 earnings record, Spotify shares are up 12%. More info on Billboard. Spotify has a new shareholder lobbying for a price increase. More info on Music Business Worldwide. The platform confirms a 6% reduction in its global workforce. More info on Music Week.
Note that DIY and independent music (MERLIN) now account for a quarter of streams on Spotify. More info on Music Ally

Tidal
Universal partners with TIDAL to develop a “more artist and fan friendly” streaming model. More info on Music Business Worldwide

TikTok
To see the impact of music on its platform, TikTok reduced the access to the music catalog in Australia. More info on Complete Music Update. As the country’s music industry reacts, TikTok launched the SoundOn distribution and promotion platform in Australia. More info on The Music Network. This distribution service is now powered by FUGA. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Twitch
Twitch claims its streamers earned over $1 billion in 2022. More info on Music Ally

Utopia
Utopia’s CEO has left the company. More info on Music Ally. Utopia has sold the music directory platform ROSTR back to its founders. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Utopia is also being sued by SourceAudio for a broken acquisition agreement. More info on Complete Music Update.

YouTube
Google announces that YouTube Shorts has crossed 50 billion daily views. More info on TechCrunch

New Features

Amazon Music
Amazon Music used Endel’s AI expertise to create a sleep-enhancing ‘Sleep playlist’. More info on Music Ally.

Bandcamp
Bandcamp reveals a playlist feature on the mobile app. More info on Resident Advisor

BeReal
BeReal, the app of the year 2022, now includes Spotify. More info on BGR

Instagram
Instagram adds dynamic profile pictures. More info on Social Media Today. And launches a “Channels” feature, a type of group messaging. More info on Social Media Today

Meta
Following Twitter’s lead, Meta starts selling blue badges on Instagram and Facebook. More info on TechCrunch

Spotify
Spotify launches DJ, a new AI-based feature that offers personalized playlists and comments. More info on TechCrunch. You can now select which playlists on Spotify to include or exclude from the platform’s recommendations. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify will launch a new vertical swiped feed to appeal to Gen Z. More info on Bloomberg. And tests a new tab called “Friends” on mobile. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify experiments with playlists that can only be unlocked with NFT. More info on TechCrunch.

TikTok
TikTok is improving its advertising tool, Promote, with a feature that lets you turn videos into ads without leaving the app. More info on The Verge. TikTok is also working on a new feature for paid posts. More info on Music Ally. For its creative fund, the Creativity Program, TikTok wants longer videos. PMore info on The Verge.

Twitter
Twitter cancels free access to its API, which will result in hundreds of applications shutting down. More info on Social Media Today. Twitter plans to charge brands $1000 a month for its new golden badge. More info on Social Media Today. Meanwhile, Twitter Blue subscribers can now post tweets up to 4,000 characters long. More info on Social Media Today.

YouTube
YouTube Music’s latest feature allows users to create custom radio stations. More info on TechCrunch. YouTube’s livestream co-hosting feature is available on iOS and Android. More info on The Verge. In the US, YouTube opens Creator Music, its catalog of licensed music tracks. More info on Music Ally.

Socially responsible initiatives

​​Spotify’s new initiative, Glow, aims to promote LGBTQIA+ artists. More info on Music Ally.

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