Streaming round-up – May 2025

by IDOL
News
23.05.25
Stay up to date on the latest in streaming news with our monthly round-up. This month, TikTok AI Alive makes video creation easy, Spotify highlights Countdowns, and Shorts generate as much revenue as YouTube videos.

The figure of the month: 12%. This is the rate of increase in payments to authors and publishers reported by Sacem, reaching nearly $1.5 billion in 2024. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Economy

Deezer
Deezer’s revenue increased to $141 million in Q1 and forecasts a shift to positive EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) this year. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is facing job cuts as Microsoft streamlines costs. More info on Social Media Today.

Merlin
Merlin is joining the Music Fights Fraud Alliance as part of a united industry front to combat streaming fraud. More info on Music Week. Read Pascal Bittard’s opinion piece on the fake stream phenomenon.

Snapchat
Snapchat has renewed its global music publishing licensing agreements. More info on Music Ally.

Souncloud
Following a wave of negative reactions, SoundCloud has corrected its AI music policy. More info on Music Business Worldwide. But according to Ed Newton-Rex, the amended clause is still “fundamentally terrible for artists.” More info on Complete Music Update.

Spotify
Spotify announced record profits in the first quarter, with a 5 million increase in paid subscribers, reaching 268 million users. More info on Music Business Worldwide. More specifically, this is a 12% increase in paid subscribers, generating revenue of $4.5 billion. More info on Billboard. Spotify plans to raise its prices in Europe and Latin America. More info on Music Business Worldwide. The latest iPhone app update allows Spotify to advertise lower prices to US users. More info on The Verge.

Tencent
Tencent Music’s streaming subscriptions increased by 17%. More info on Billboard.

YouTube
YouTube’s ad revenues increased by 10.3% in Q1, reaching nearly $9 billion. More info on Music Business Worldwide. YouTube is testing a subscription offer similar to Spotify Duo in India, France, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. More info on Music Business Worldwide. The company launched YouTube Financing, which offers cash advances to YouTubers who earn money through the ad revenue sharing system. More info on Music Ally. Revenue per watch-hour for YouTube Shorts now equals that of regular videos in the United States and other countries. More info on Digital Music News.

New features

Amazon Music
Amazon Music is launching an AI-powered search tool in beta in the United States. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Apple Music
Apple Music is testing a playlist transfer tool in Australia and New Zealand. More info on Digital Music News. Apple Music is partnering with UMG to launch Sound Therapy, a collection of tracks from the label’s catalog enhanced with gamma waves and white noise for a wellness effect. More info on Music Ally.

Instagram
Instagram has just launched its first official use of lockable Reels, which enable creators to share Reels that can only be viewed by those who have a code. More info on Social Media Today. Instagram is also adding new options to its DMs, including voice clip transcription. More info on Social Media Today.

Google
Google has improved its AI music Sandbox for musicians and producers. More info on TechRadar. And is integrating a music generation AI model into its API with Lyria RealTime. More info on TechCrunch.

Qobuz
The high-resolution music platform Qobuz has launched Qobuz Connect, which allows music to be streamed to speakers with a direct connection using one app. More info on Forbes.

Soundcloud
SoundCloud is joining TikTok’s “Add to Music App” music discovery feature. More info on Music Week.

Spotify
Spotify is testing voice prompts for its AI DJ feature, allowing Premium subscribers to personalize their listening sessions in real time. More info on Music Business Worldwide. The platform is also expanding the beta of its AI playlists to 40 additional countries. More info on Digital Music News. Spotify’s side business, the Backstage developer tool, is gaining momentum. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify’s new “snooze” button will allow unwanted songs to be blacklisted for a month. More info on TechRadar. Spotify’s latest update offers more control over the listening experience with a handful of new features. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify is launching the Countdown Chart, a top 10 of global Countdowns based on the number of pre-saves. More info on Music Week.

TikTok
The social network is launching TikTok AI Alive, a new tool that allows you to transform a photo into a video. More info on TechCrunch.

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