Streaming round-up – September 2023

by IDOL
News
25.09.23
Stay up to date on the latest in streaming news with our monthly streaming round-up. This month, the brand new artist centric model, Swedish gangs exploit fake streams and YouTube is going all in on AI! Don’t miss a beat!

The figure of the month is 9.3%. That’s the increase noted by the RIAA for US recorded music revenues over the first half of 2023. More info on Music Ally.

Economy

Apple
Apple Music reports strong growth in streams of African music. More info on Music Ally. Apple acquires Bis Records to strengthen Apple Music Classical. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Amazon music
A few months after Apple Music, Amazon Music is joining TikTok in testing streaming links offered on the app. More info on Music Ally.

Beatport
LabelRadar, owned by Beatport, partners with Defected to give labels access to artist demos. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Deezer
Deezer extends its partnership with e-commerce giant Mercado Libre to LATAM for inclusion in the new Meli+ subscription service. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Deezer raises its prices for the second time in 12 months. More info on Music Business Worldwide. But the most important news is that Universal Music Group and Deezer have reached an agreement on a new streaming payment model, “artist centric”. More info on The Verge.

DuoLingo
Language-learning app Duolingo confirms its arrival in music. More info on Music Ally.

Google
In the trial between the US Department of Justice and Google, the tech giant is accused of spending billions to block its rivals. More info on The Guardian.

Spotify
Spotify to limit ad payments for white noise podcasters. More info on The Verge. Spotify targets SMEs as potential advertisers to boost ad revenues. More info on Music Ally. An investigation concludes that Swedish criminal gangs are using fake streams on Spotify to launder money. More info on The Guardian.

TikTok
Accused by the SNEP of hindering the growth of paid music streaming in France, TikTok responds that these allegations are not based on any evidence. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Billboard launches a chart of the most popular songs on TikTok. More info on Music Ally. After making it compulsory to indicate AI-generated content, TikTok announces that it is working on the automatic detection of this content and the creation of a label to distinguish it. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

VNG
Vietnamese company VNG Corp, owner of the Zing MP3 music streaming service, files for an initial public offering in the United States. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

YouTube
YouTube demystifies the Shorts algorithm and answers creators’ questions. More info on TechCrunch.

X / Twitter
Elon Musk says Twitter, now X, could charge subscription fees to all users. More info on The Guardian.

New Features

Facebook
Facebook’s “News” tab disappears in Europe. More info on The Verge. Facebook will allow users to create multiple profiles in order to explore different interests. More info on Social Media Today.

Instagram
Instagram tests 3-minute and 10-minute Reels uploads. More info on Social Media Today.

Soundcloud
SoundCloud launches its music discovery feed focused on music videos. More info on Music Ally.

Spotify
The streaming platform tests access to song lyrics for Premium subscribers only. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Spotify offers daylist, a playlist that updates throughout the day to suit your mood. More info on Billboard. Spotify launches Showcase, a new paid campaign tool. More info on Music Ally.

TikTok
Effect House, TikTok’s AR development platform, which allows creators to generate augmented reality effects in video, is officially out of beta. More info on TechCrunch. TikTok Shop officially launched in the United States. More info on TechCrunch. TikTok’s new Creator Fund expands to Brazil, Germany, Korea and other countries. More info on TechCrunch.

Whatsapp
WhatsApp rolls out its “Channels” in over 150 countries. More info on Music Ally.

YouTube
YouTube Music becomes more social, and adds comments to the “Now Playing” screen on the mobile app. More info on TechCrunch. YouTube introduces its new AI-assisted tools for creators. More info on Billboard. Including YouTube Create, a tool for editing videos, adding effects and more. More info on TechCrunch.

Going further
Read more articles
See all