Streaming round-up – Summer 2025

by IDOL
News
27.08.25
Stay up to date on the latest in streaming news with our monthly round-up. This month, Spotify launched in-app direct messages, Instagram restricts accounts going live, and TikTok develops features for songwriters.

The figure of the month:1,000. That’s the number of songs that have reached one billion streams on Spotify. More info on Forbes.

Economy

Bandlab
BandLab now allows artists and rightsholders to signal interest in AI licensing. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

ByteDance
Rumblefish signs a deal with ByteDance to provide music licensing services to TikTok and CapCut. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs, the startup specializing in AI voice cloning, has partnered with music data licensing platform SourceAudio. More info on Billboard. A week later, ElevenLabs signed deals with Kobalt and Merlin to launch an AI-based music service. More info on Music Ally.

Meta
Meta announces it will not sign the EU’s requested AI code of conduct, which includes restrictions on the collection of copyrighted content. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Snapchat
Snapchat acquires student scheduling app Saturn. More info on Social Media Today.

Spotify
Spotify announces 276 million paid subscribers. More info on Billboard. Spotify raises prices in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan. More info on Music Ally. Spotify has signed a US licensing deal with Kobalt. More info on Complete Music Update. The platform also extends its licensing agreement with Amra, the global digital rights management company. More info on Music Business Worldwide. Apparently, Netflix is in talks with Spotify for live concert series projects. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

Suno
AI music platform Suno acquires WavTool for its AI-powered music editing tools. More info on TechCrunch.

Tencent
Tencent Music now has 15 million “Super VIP” subscribers. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

TikTok
TikTok has signed a deal with music licensing company Chordal to integrate its technology into its music library. More info on Music Business Worldwide. China has announced it will not sell TikTok’s algorithm to the US. More info on Social Media Today. TikTok has reportedly developed a US-specific version of its app. More info on Complete Music Update.

YouTube
YouTube is now the second most-watched media platform in the UK, just behind the BBC. More info on Complete Music Update. And Bandsintown becomes the exclusive provider of concert listings on YouTube. More info on Music Week.

New Features

Apple Music
Apple Music now allows you to import playlists from Spotify, among other music services. More info on Pitchfork.

Amazon Music
Amazon Music launches a new feature, Insights, which offers monthly recaps of the most listened-to artists, songs, and podcasts for each listener. More info on Music Ally.

Facebook
Facebook adds music to text posts. More info on Social Media Today. The social network is preparing to restrict the reach of unoriginal content. More info on Social Media Today.

Instagram
Instagram adds new editing features. More info on Social Media Today. Instagram restricts live broadcasting to accounts with more than 1000 followers. More info on Hypebot. Instagram now allows creators to link multiple reels in a series. More info on TechCrunch. Instagram is testing Like counts for individual frames in a carousel. More info on Social Media Today. Instagram is testing the auto-scroll option for posts. More info on Social Media Today.

SoundCloud
SoundCloud launches an on-demand vinyl pressing service for artists with elasticStage. More info on Music Ally. SoundCloud partners with Subtext to allow artists to send SMS directly to their fans. More info on Music News. Soundcloud now allows sharing of remixes legally thanks to Hook. More info on Music Tech.

Spotify
For the playlist’s tenth anniversary, Spotify is reorganizing its Discover Weekly. More info on TechCrunch. Spotify’s new song mixing tool adds DJ features to your playlists. More info on The Verge. Spotify introduces new facial recognition age controls in the UK. More info on Tech Radar. The platform launches in-app messaging to boost content sharing. More info on Music Business Worldwide.

TikTok
TikTok launches the LIVE Fan Club feature and announces 130 million daily livestreamers. More info on Music Business Worldwide. TikTok implements a hashtag limit. More info on Social Media Today. TikTok launches features for songwriters to highlight credits and help build a profile on the platform. More info on Music Week. TikTok integrates Anghami into the “Add to Music app” feature. More info on Music Business Worldwide. And two weeks later, integrates YouTube Music into the same feature. More info on Music Week.

X/Twitter
X bans hashtags in sponsored posts. More info on Social Media Today. The social network implements age verification measures to comply with new Irish laws. More info on Social Media Today.

YouTube
YouTube updates purchase buttons for Shorts and expands access to Communities. More info on Social Media Today. YouTube is experimenting with a new display of collaborators on clips. More info on Social Media Today.

YouTube Music
YouTube Music celebrates its 10th anniversary with new features. More info on TechCrunch. YouTube Music is testing a “Your Daily Discover” feature. More info on Music Ally.

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