Streaming round-up – September 2022

by IDOL
News
23.09.22
Every month, this section offers a summary of the latest news about the main streaming platforms, in particular the latest features offered by Deezer, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube...

Economy

BeReal
BeReal has reached 10 million daily active users. More info on Social Media Today

ByteDance
Sony Music has pulled its catalog from Resso, the music streaming service from TikTok’s owner ByteDance. More info on Complete Music Update

Deezer
The platform confirms a double-digit growth in revenues. More info on Music Ally. Deezer targets the wellness app market with ‘Zen by Deezer’. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Ganaa
Indian streaming service Gaana goes premium-only after failed acquisition talks. More info on Complete Music Update

Instagram
According to internal documents, Instagram’s reels are not keeping up with TikTok. More info on le Wall Street Journal

Impala
Impala and AudioSalad announce a Europe-wide partnership. More info on Music Week.

Kobalt
Investment firm Francisco Partners (FP) has acquired 90% of Kobalt. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Last July, Kobalt had removed its catalog from Facebook and Instagram. Since then, Meta has found a new licensing deal for the 700,000 songs. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Polaroid
Polaroid is now making speakers and launching a music streaming service. More info on Peta Pixel

SM entertainment
K-pop giant SM entertainment expands into the Middle East and plans to produce local artists in Saudi Arabia. More info on Music Business Worldwide

Snapchat
Snap is cutting 20% of its workforce. More info on The New-York Times. Over the restructuration, Snapchat is dropping the music creation app Voisey. More info on Music Business Worldwide

Spotify
Spotify and other platforms strike a deal with publishers for a 15.35% royalty rate in the US. More info on Music Business Worldwide. The platform tells the competition regulator that streaming innovation may be hampered by label clauses. More info on Music Week.

TenCent
Tencent Music confirms its secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. More info on Complete Music Update.

Triller
After Triller raised $300 million, Sony sued them, claiming a multi-million dollar debt. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Creditors are rushing to the door, including the German application Phiture. More info on Complete Music Update. The platform had recruited talent promising lavish benefits, but can’t pay them. More info on The Washington Post. Fortunately, Triller just settled its legal dispute with Timbaland. More info on Complete Music Update.

Utopia
Utopia Music has acquired UK physical distributor Cinram Novum. More info on Complete Music Update

YouTube
In fiscal year 2021-2022, YouTube paid out over $6 billion to music rights holders. More info on Music Business Worldwide

New Features

Amazon Music
Foundee adds the pre-save option on Amazon Music. More info on Hypebot. Amazon launches a fund to pay creators on Amp, its radio service. More info on Music Ally

Apple
Apple has launched a dedicated application “Platoon for Artists”. More info on Music Business Worldwide

Discord
Discord adds Reddit-like forum channels to facilitate the search for specific topics. More info on Tech Crunch

Instagram
As announced last month, Instagram is launching a new “IG Candid” feature to compete with BeReal. More info on Social Media Today

Linkfire
Linkfire launches next-generation Link in Bio, with advanced features. More info on Hypebot

Meta
Two years after its launch, Facebook will shut down its Gaming app in October. More info on Tech Crunch

Snapchat
Snapchat launches a new “dual” camera option, similar to BeReal. More info on Social Media Today. Its desktop version is now available to users worldwide. More info on Tech Crunch

Spotify
Spotify launches an AI music tool, Basic Pitch. More info on Music Ally. The new Needle Music app connects your Spotify account to your social networks More info on HypeBot. On the fun side, the LineupSupply app turns music festival posters into Spotify playlists. More info on Tech Crunch

TikTok
TikTok has launched a BeReal clone called TikTok Now. More info on Tech Crunch

Twitter
Twitter has officially added podcasts to its platform. More info on Tech Crunch. The social network is also launching Circle, a feature for “close friends”. More info on Tech Crunch.

YouTube
YouTube launches Creator Music, a new way for creators to find songs to use in their videos. More info on Tech Crunch. YouTube Shorts, a competitor to TikTok, integrates more closely with YouTube Music. More info on Tech Crunch. And launches a new feature ‘Sounds on Shorts’. More info on Music Ally. It is now possible to monetize Shorts videos. More info on Tech Crunch.

Socially responsible initiatives

YouTube
Applications for the 5th edition of the Accelerator program will close on October 24. Launched in partnership with the Music Managers Forum (MMF), the program is designed for talent managers, songwriters, DJs and producers and offers funding and professional development support. More info on Music Week.

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