Streaming round-up – June 2022

by IDOL
News
30.06.22
Every month, this section offers a summary of the latest news about the main streaming platforms, in particular the latest features offered by Spotify, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter...

Economy

Beatport
Beatport has acquired LabelRadar, a music discovery portal that allows labels to listen to demos. More info on Music Business Worldwide. The platform also announces ReConnect, its first electronic music summit around creative innovation, technology and the emergence of Web3. More info on Music Tech.

Boomplay
Boomplay opened offices in Ivory Coast, its sixth African country, to promote music throughout the continent. More info on African Business. The platform also partnered with Telkom for more affordable rates in Kenya. More info on Pulse Live.

Byte Dance
TikTok’s parent company is preparing to invest a lot of money in VR. More info onThe Verge.

Cirkay
Cirkay is partnering with metaverse Nowhere, a startup that offers video chats within its virtual world. More info on Music Week.

Google
Google’s dominance in advertising is the subject of a second investigation by the UK Competition and Markets Authority. More info on The Verge. The French Cnil warns against illegal use of Google Analytics. More info on Tech Crunch.

Into-it
A new music-focused advertising platform, Into-It, launches in beta. More info on Complete Music Update.

Marine Snow
The startup tests flat rates royalties in a music streaming app. More info on Music Ally.

Meta
Meta partners with Fender for a VR experience, the Stratoverse. More info on GuitarWorld. Plans for the smart display device “Portal” and for the group’s augmented reality glasses are interrupted. More info on Wired. The British Court of Appeal stands by its decision to block the social network’s acquisition of Giphy. More info on The Verge.

Netease
Chinese music streaming service NetEase Cloud Music expands its catalog of K-Pop music via a deal with SM Entertainment. More info on Music Ally.

Songclip
Songclip announces a partnership with the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA). More info on Music Week.

Songtrad
Songtradr acquires Musicube, a company specialised in music search and AI metadata. More info on The Music Network.

Spotify
Spotify has announced the acquisition of Sonantic, a startup that creates lifelike human voices. More info onTechCrunch. Spotify also acquired TIYA, a rival platform to Clubhouse, boasting 20 million downloads. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Spotify joins Roblox’s Metavers and tests a new partnership with NFTs. More info on Magnetic Magazine. Despite Spotify’s legal appeal, songwriters will now receive an improved royalty rate of 15.1% in the US. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Stacc
Swedish tech startup Staccs has signed a licensing deal with Cherry Red Records for concert and music documentary videos. More info onMusic Week.

Tencent
Chinese company Tencent is getting into the metaverse business. More info on TechMonitor.

TikTok
The U.S. media regulator, the Federal Communications Commission, asks Apple and Google to block TikTok. More info on Complete Music Update.

Tuned Global
Tuned Global partners with a new kid-friendly streaming service, Gabb Wireless. More info on Complete Music Update.

Triller
Tiktok’s rival is getting ready to go public. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Twitter
Twitter agrees to pay $150 million for not keeping its confidentiality related promises. More info on TechCrunch. On the acquisition front, Twitter asks shareholders to approve Elon Musk’s $44 billion buyout. More info on TechCrunch.

UMG
Universal Music Group has just launched a sample service for major artists only. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

YouTube
YouTube and Uploaded could be held liable for user piracy, according to a German court. More info on Torrent Freak.

New Features

Instagram
Instagram allows everyone to pin posts to their profile. More info on Later. It also opens up the Reels app to third-party platforms. More info on Social Media Today. Now, Reels can last up to 90 seconds. More info on Business Standard. By the way, the social network is considering getting rid of video posts in favor of Reels. More info on TechCrunch.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn adds new options for events and simplifies reposts. More info on Social Media Today.

Linktree
Linktree launches a Marketplace with over 30 app integrations including Spotify, TikTok, and Bandsintown… More info on Hypebot.

Meta
According to a leaked memo, Facebook is changing its algorithm to take on Tiktok. More info on The Verge. It’s already beginning to include new updates for Reels, with interactive stickers, and editing options. More info on Social Media Today. Meta is also launching new monetization initiatives for creators. More info on Social Media Today. It will also begin testing NFTs with select creators in the United States. More info on TechCrunch.

Spotify
Spotify launches Basic Pitch, an open source audio to MIDI converter. More info on Digital Music News. Spotify reorganizes its concert listings. More info on Complete Music Update. Spotify also developed “Community”, a new space to see your friends’ activity. More info on TechCrunch.
The streaming platform has launched a new micro-site, In Focus, gathering all its tools to help artists. More info on Complete Music Update. But also a site dedicated to K-Pop. More info on Music Ally.

Snapchat
The social network officially launches its subscription program, Snapchat+. More info on Social Media Today.

Twitter
The social network launches the blog option “Notes”, to extend tweets into articles. More info on Social Media Today. Twitter’s latest feature allows advertisers to communicate in advance of a product release with a notification option. More info on TechCrunch.

YouTube
Like Spotify, YouTube is launching a hub to help artists build their presence on the platform. More info on Music Tech. YouTube is also launching a new feature, which permits users to correct a video, saving creators from re-uploading the video. More info on The Verge.

Socially responsible initiatives

Bandlab
Social music creation platform BandLab has announced a new initiative called “Creator Grant”. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Spotify
Last month, Spotify launched “Fan Support”, an initiative that has already reached 50 million clicks. More info on Music Ally. On its way, Spotify is restarting OSPO and allocating $109,000 to open source projects. More info on The New Stack.

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