Streaming round-up – October 2021

Amazon Music’s unlimited subscribers can now play spatial audio via the app with any headphones! The two formats currently available are Dolby Atmos (also available on Apple Music) and 360 Reality Audio by Sony. More info on The Verge

After its partnership with Amazon last month, Anghami has signed with PUBG Mobile, the Battle Royal mobile game. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Clubhouse has optimized its Android app with clips, replays, improved search and spatial audio. More info on Techcrunch. The social network also launched a new music mode for artists that allows them to boost engagement and monetize shows. More info on TechCrunch.

Deezer has acquired a minority stake in Driift, a company specialized in livestreamed music events. More info on Music Business Worldwide. On the platform, Deezer is expanding its Flow feature into Flow Moods, an “emotional jukebox” that chooses music according to the listener’s mood. More info on Music Ally. In order to reach a younger audience (18-29 years old), Deezer partners with Etisalat, the Telco group operating in 16 countries in Asia and MENA, to offer music streaming without mobile data limits. More info on TechRadar.

Facebook is launching an audio hub in the U.S. via its app to gather podcasts, short-form audio, and Live Audio Rooms. More info on Techcrunch. Using this feature, Facebook is also now rolling out Live Audio Rooms worldwide. More info on The Verge.

Following Ariana Grande and Travis Scott’s concerts, Fortnite is launching a new interactive music series: the Soundwave Series. More info on The Verge. Among the stars announced, it’s Aya Nakamura who will become the first French artist to offer an interactive experience on the platform. More info on Le Figaro.

Instagram is changing its video experience: all video formats – including IGTV – are gathered under a single tab, except for Reels, the new king format. More info on TechCrunch.

Pandora will shut down the Next Big Sound data analysis platform to focus on its Artist Marketing Platform tool. More info on Music Ally.

Xandrie SA, Qobuz’s parent company, has acquired the Japanese high-resolution music download platform e-onkyo music. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

After the immersive virtual concerts of Lil Nas X and Twenty One Pilots, the gaming platform Roblox will organize album listening parties in the metaverse. More info on Billboard.

The streaming platform has launched Spotify tap, to simplify headphone listening. More info on Music Ally. Spotify also promises to tackle artificial streams. More info on Music Ally. Spotify has partnered with e-commerce platform Shopify to allow artists to sell merchandise via their artist profile. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Another partnership has been signed with Tinder to create personalized playlists. More info on The Drum.
On the other hand, the American telco AT&T has removed Spotify from its premium offer. More info on XDA Developers. That’s probably why Spotify will hire hundreds of additional salespersons to increase its advertising revenues. More info on Mediatel.
In other news, Humble Angels Records has just launched an iOS application, the Playlist Alert App, which alerts labels and artists when a track is added to a Spotify-curated playlist. More info on Music Ally.

TikTok threw a global event to announce a series of new features to promote advertising and e-commerce on the platform. More info on TechCrunch. All in all, TikTok attracts 1 billion active users per month More info on Forbes. According to Music Business Worldwide, TikTok is becoming “a very different kind of music streaming giant”.

• Spotify: Jennifer Masset’s advice for Indies. Read the l’article
• YouTube: Thematic channels. Read the article
• YouTube: The official artist channel (OAC). Read the article
• How the IDOL strategy, built on a TikTok trend, helped Else achieve double diamond certification. Read the article
• Enter the metaverse, Yndi and ill peach digitize their music. Read the l’article