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Chokepoint Capitalism: why we’ll all lose unless we stop Amazon, Spotify and other platforms squeezing cash from creators

<p>In 2020, the independent authors and small publishers whose audiobooks reach their readers via Audible’s <a href="https://www.acx.com/">ACX platform</a> smelled a rat.</p> <p>Audiobooks were booming, but sales of their own books – produced at great expense and well-reviewed – were plummeting.</p> <p>Some of their royalty statements reported <em>negative</em> sales, as readers returned more books than they bought. This was hard to make sense of, because Audible only reported net sales, refusing to reveal the sales and refunds that made them up.</p> <p>Perth-based writer <a href="https://www.susanmaywriter.net/single-post/audiblegate-the-incredible-story-of-missing-sales">Susan May</a> wondered whether those returns might be the reason for her dwindling net sales. She pressed Audible to tell her how many of her sales were being negated by returns, but the company stonewalled.</p> <p>Then, in October 2020, a glitch caused three weeks of returns data to be reported in a single day, and authors discovered that hundreds (and even thousands) of their sales had been wiped out by returns.</p> <p>Suddenly, the scam came into focus: the Amazon-owned Audible had been offering an extraordinarily generous returns policy, encouraging subscribers to return books they’d had on their devices for months, even if they had listened to them the whole way through, even if they had loved them – no questions asked.</p> <p>Encouraged by the policy, some subscribers had been treating the service like a library – returning books for fresh credits they could swap for new ones. Few would have realised that Audible clawed back the royalties from the book’s authors every time a book was returned.</p> <p><strong>Good for Amazon, bad for authors</strong></p> <p>It was good for Amazon – it helped Audible gain and hold onto subscribers – but bad for the authors and the performers who created the audiobooks, who barely got paid.</p> <p>Understanding Amazon’s motivation helps us understand a phenomenon we call <a href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/chokepoint-capitalism-9781761380075">chokepoint capitalism</a>, a modern plague on creative industries and many other industries too.</p> <p>Orthodox economics tells us not to worry about corporations dominating markets because that will attract competitors, who will put things back in balance.</p> <p>But many of today’s big corporations and billionaire investors have perfected ways to make those supposedly-temporary advantages permanent.</p> <p>Warren Buffett salivates over businesses with “<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/warren-buffett-moat-etf-simple-explanation-for-how-he-invests-and-its-easy-to-replicate-2017-10-1005613232">wide, sustainable moats</a>”. Peter Thiel scoffs that “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiel-competition-is-for-losers-1410535536">competition is for losers</a>”. Business schools teach students ways to lock in customers and suppliers and eliminate competition, so they can shake down the people who make what they supply and buy what they sell.</p> <p><strong>Locking in customers and creators</strong></p> <p>Amazon is the poster child for chokepoint capitalism. It boasts of its “<a href="https://feedvisor.com/resources/amazon-trends/amazon-flywheel-explained/">flywheel</a>” – a self-described “<a href="https://fourweekmba.com/amazon-flywheel/">virtuous cycle</a>” where its lower cost leads to lower prices and a better customer experience, which leads to more traffic, which leads to more sellers, and a better selection – which further propels the flywheel.</p> <hr /> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=379&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=379&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=379&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=477&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=477&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494907/original/file-20221111-21-lnbmh1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=477&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <hr /> <p>But the way the cycle works isn’t virtuous – it’s vicious and anti-competitive.</p> <p>Amazon openly admits to doing everything it can to lock in its customers. That’s why Audible encourages book returns: its generous offer only applies to ongoing subscribers. Audible wants the money from monthly subscribers and wants the fact that they are subscribed to prevent them from shopping elsewhere.</p> <p>Paying the people who actually made the product it sells a fair share of earnings isn’t Amazon’s priority. Because Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ famous maxim is “<a href="https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/the-cost-of-your-margin-is-my-opportunity">your margin is my opportunity</a>”, the executive who figured out how to make authors foot the bill for retaining subscribers probably got a bonus.</p> <p>Another way Audible locks customers in is by ensuring the books it sells are protected by <a href="https://www.fortinet.com/resources/cyberglossary/digital-rights-management-drm">digital rights management</a> (DRM) which means they are encrypted, and can only be read by software with the decryption key.</p> <p>Amazon claims DRM stops listeners from stealing from creators by pirating their books. But tools to strip away those locks are freely available online, and it’s easy for readers who can’t or won’t pay for books to find illegal versions.</p> <p>While DRM doesn’t prevent infringement, it <em>does</em> prevent competition.</p> <p>Startups that want to challenge Audible’s dominance – including those that would pay fairly – have to persuade potential customers to give up their Audible titles or to inconveniently maintain separate libraries.</p> <p>In this way, laws that were intended to protect against infringement of copyright have become tools to protect against infringement of corporate dominance.</p> <p>Once customers are locked in, suppliers (authors and publishers) are locked in too. It’s incredibly difficult to reach audiobook buyers unless you’re on Audible. When the suppliers are locked in, they can be shaken down for an ever-greater share of what the buyers hand over.</p> <hr /> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=377&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=377&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=377&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=474&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=474&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494908/original/file-20221111-16-pua9cp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=474&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption></figcaption></figure> <hr /> <p><strong>How a few big buyers can control whole markets</strong></p> <p>The problem isn’t with middlemen as such: book shops, record labels, book and music publishers, agents and myriad others provide valuable services that help keep creative wheels turning.</p> <p>The problem arises when these middlemen grow powerful enough to bend markets into hourglass shapes, with audiences at one end, masses of creators at the other, and themselves operating as a chokepoint in the middle.</p> <p>Since everyone has to go through them, they’re able to control the terms on which creative goods and services are exchanged - and extract more than their fair share of value.</p> <p>The corporations who create these chokepoints are trying to “monopsonise” their markets. “Monopsony” isn’t a pretty word, but it’s one we are going to have to get familiar with to understand why so many of us are feeling squeezed.</p> <p><a href="https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/monopoly">Monopoly</a> (or near-monopoly) is where there is only one big seller, leaving buyers with few other places to turn. <a href="https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/monopsony/">Monopsony</a> is where there is only one big buyer, leaving sellers with few other places to turn.</p> <p>In our book, we quote William Deresiewicz, a former professor of English at Yale University, who points out in his book <a href="https://www.chicagoreview.org/william-deresiewicz-the-death-of-the-artist/">The Death of the Artist</a> that “if you can only sell your product to a single entity, it’s not your customer; it’s your boss”.</p> <p>Increasingly, it is how the creative industries are structured. There’s Audible for audiobooks, Amazon for physical and digital versions, YouTube for video, Google and Facebook for online news advertising, the <a href="https://www.liveabout.com/big-three-record-labels-2460743">Big Three record labels</a> (who own the big three music publishers) for recorded music, <a href="https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/12/streaming-doesnt-pay/">Spotify</a> for streaming, Live Nation for live music and ticketing – and that’s just the start.</p> <p>But as corporate concentration increases across the board, monopsony is becoming a problem for the rest of us. For a glimpse into what happens to labour markets when buyers become too powerful, just think about how monopsonistic supermarkets bully food manufacturers and farmers.</p> <figure class="align-right "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=966&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=966&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=966&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1214&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1214&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494912/original/file-20221112-11-u879gw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1214&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption><span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/chokepoint-capitalism-9781761380075">Scribe Publications</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p><strong>A fairer deal for consumers and creators</strong></p> <p>The good news is that we don’t have to put up with it.</p> <p><a href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/chokepoint-capitalism-9781761380075">Chokepoint Capitalism</a> isn’t one of those “Chapter 11 books” – ten chapters about how terrible everything is, plus a conclusion with some vague suggestions about what can be done.</p> <p>The whole second half is devoted to detailed proposals for widening these chokepoints out – such as transparency rights, among others.</p> <p>Audible’s sly trick only finally came to light because of the glitch that let authors see the scope of returns.</p> <p>That glitch enabled writers, led by Susan May, to organise a campaign that eventually forced Audible to reform some of its more egregious practices. But we need more light in dark corners.</p> <p>And we need reforms to contract law to level the playing field in negotiations, interoperability rights to prevent lock-in to platforms, copyrights being better secured to creators rather than publishers, and minimum wages for creative work.</p> <p>These and the other things we suggest would do much to empower artists and get them paid. And they would provide inspiration for the increasing rest of us who are supplying our goods or our labour to increasingly powerful corporations that can’t seem to keep their hands out of our pockets.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Chokepoint Capitalism: how big tech and big content captured creative labour markets, and how we’ll win them back is published on <a href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/chokepoint-capitalism-9781761380075">Tuesday November 15</a> by Scribe.</em><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194069/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><em>Writen by Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/chokepoint-capitalism-why-well-all-lose-unless-we-stop-amazon-spotify-and-other-platforms-squeezing-cash-from-creators-194069" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Meghan Markle dethrones Joe Rogan for top spot on Spotify

<p dir="ltr">Meghan Markle has dethroned Joe Rogan on Spotify following her first episode on her podcast, <em>Archetypes</em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Duchess of Sussex released the first episode of <em>Archetypes</em> on August 23 and two days later the podcast had soared to the number one spot on Spotify’s most-listened chart.</p> <p dir="ltr">This subsequently knocked Joe Rogan’s podcast, <em>The Joe Rogan Experience</em> from the top spot where he discusses everything from current events and politics to science and philosophy on his weekly podcast.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meghan and Prince Harry reportedly signed a whopping $18 million, three-year podcast deal with Spotify for the new show.</p> <p dir="ltr">Two years later, The Duchess of Sussex released her first episode with her "dear friend" and tennis champion Serena Williams. </p> <p dir="ltr">Meghan spoke with Serena about her tennis career, before she brought up a terrifying story in which there was a <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/meghan-markle-confirms-fire-in-archie-s-nursery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fire in baby Archie's nursery</a> during a royal engagement in Africa in 2019. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Duchess explained how their family had only been in the township of Nyanga for a few hours before the incident took place.</p> <p dir="ltr">She detailed how then four-month-old Archie narrowly avoided a fire in his nursery as his nanny took him to another part of the residence when the heater burst into flames. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Duchess then shared how she was required to attend another formal engagement, rather than stay home with her child. </p> <p dir="ltr">"I'm giving this speech to women and girls, and we finish the engagement, we get in the car and they say, 'There's been a fire at the residence. There's been a fire in the baby's room.' What?” Meghan says in the podcast. </p> <p dir="ltr">She went on to explain how Archie's nanny Lauren had taken him downstairs briefly before he was put to bed for a nap, and the heater in the room caught fire. </p> <p dir="ltr">Luckily, no one was injured during the fire, but Meghan said both her and her husband were rattled by the experience and were rushed out to attend another engagement, rather than stay with their son. </p> <p dir="ltr">She said, "And we came back. And of course, as a mother, you go, 'Oh my God, what?' Everyone's in tears, everyone's shaken. And what do we have to do? Go out and do another official engagement?"</p> <p dir="ltr">"I said, 'This doesn't make any sense'. I was like, 'Can you just tell people what happened?' And so much, I think, optically, the focus ends up being on how it looks instead of how it feels."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Spotify</em></p>

Technology

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How does Spotify use your data? Even experts aren’t sure

<p dir="ltr">Spotify has revolutionised the music industry, and its ability to recommend music tailored to your personal taste has been a standout feature.</p> <p dir="ltr">But it isn’t the only app to provide this kind of personalised experience, with Artificial Intelligence being used to create your personalised newsfeeds on Facebook and Twitter, recommend purchases on Amazon, or even the order of search results on Google.</p> <p dir="ltr">To achieve this, these apps and websites use our data in their recommendation algorithms - but they are so secretive about these algorithms that we don’t fully know how they work.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a search for answers, a team of New Zealand legal and music experts <a href="https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/tinder-and-spotifys-fine-print-arent-clear-about-how-they-use-our-data-for-recs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pored over</a> several versions of the privacy policies and Terms of Use used by Spotify and Tinder to determine how our data is being used as new features have been rolled out.</p> <p dir="ltr">Their work, published in the <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2022.2064517" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand</a></em>, found that Spotify’s privacy policy has nearly doubled since its launch in 2012, which reflects an increase in the amount of data the platform now collects.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>The algorithm hungers for data</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Originally, Spotify collected basic information such as the kinds of songs played, the playlists created, and the email address, age, gender, and location of a user, as well as their profile picture, and the pictures and names of their Facebook friends if their profile was linked.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the 2021 policy, Spotify collects voice data, users’ photos, and location data - and the team of experts have connected this expansion to the patents the company owns.</p> <p dir="ltr">That same year, “Spotify was granted a patent that allows the company to promote ‘personalised content’ based on the ‘personality traits’ it detects from voice data and background noise,” the authors wrote, suggesting the algorithm has changed to capture voice data.</p> <p dir="ltr">As for its Terms of Use, the authors found both Spotify and Tinder used ambiguous wording and vague language, despite expectations that it would be somewhat transparent because it is a legal agreement between the platform and its users.</p> <p dir="ltr">They noted that the opaque style of the Terms of Use made analysis more difficult.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite this, they found that from 2015, Spotify’s recommendations were also influenced by “commercial considerations”, including third-party agreements Spotify had with other companies.</p> <p dir="ltr">The team of experts argue that this particular change “provides ample room for the company to legally highlight content to a specific user based on a commercial agreement”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, Spotify has also started offering artists the option to lower their royalty rate “in exchange for an increased number of recommendations”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Taken together, the authors argue that this means that the playlists made specifically for us could be influenced by factors outside of our control, “like commercial deals with artists and labels”.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Users deserve answers</strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Though they made these findings, the authors note that some will still be speculative while companies stay tight-lipped about how their algorithms work.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When companies are uncooperative, and typical academic inquiry cannot be complete without breaching contractual agreements, we maintain that scholarly investigation can have a speculative character,” they wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This suggestion does not mean that a less academic rigour can be expected or granted about making assumptions on the basis of partial, observable data. Instead, we propose that it is the companies’ remit and burden to refute such assumptions and communicating the clarity of their systems.”</p> <p dir="ltr">With many of us using services like Spotify, Tinder, Google and Amazon on a daily basis, it’s up to these companies to become more transparent in how they use our information with the understanding that we deserve to know what happens to the data that makes us, us.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-22451cbe-7fff-7512-7ed6-c621fbd456c7"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

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Duchess of Sussex launches podcast

<p dir="ltr">Meghan Markle is launching her podcast <em>Archetypes</em> on Spotify.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Duchess of Sussex will be hosting the “groundbreaking new podcast,” set to be released this summer (Australia’s winter) on the popular streaming app. </p> <p dir="ltr">Meghan will speak with historians about the “subvert” labels women are given and discover how the degrading words shape their narratives.</p> <p dir="ltr">A <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ntRMn5LTlSVBBpZ1hsPK3?si=ed3fe09c293843f3&amp;_branch_match_id=790125097908719124&amp;utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=Archetypes&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXLy7IL8lMq9TLyczL1jdKqSgKCnYLc81PAgADOfmoIAAAAA%3D%3D&amp;nd=1#login" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sneak peek</a> into the podcast includes multiple male voices using the subvert labels such as: “she’s a sl*t!”, “and a little emotionally unstable”, “I was waiting for you to smile at some of the compliments and you didn’t”, and “they are weaker, smaller, they are less intelligent.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“This is how we talk about women: the words that raise our girls, and how the media reflects women back to us,” Meghan begins.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But where do these stereotypes come from? And how do they keep showing up and defining our lives?</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m Meghan, and this is Archetypes: the podcast where we dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I’ll have conversations with women who know all too well how these typecasts shape our narratives. And, I’ll talk to historians to understand how we even got here in the first place. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Archetypes. Coming soon. Listen only on Spotify.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The podcast is the first production from <em>Archewell Audio</em>, the production company that was started by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Archewell Audio will produce programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world,” their <a href="https://archewell.com/audio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> reads.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Duke and Duchess will produce podcasts and shows that build community through shared experiences, powerful narratives, and universal values.”</p> <p dir="ltr">It's unclear yet whether all future projects will have the name of their son Archie in them somehow.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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David Byrne believes Spotify is making musicians “uncomfortable”

<p dir="ltr">David Byrne has spoken out against Spotify, saying the platform is making artists feel “uncomfortable”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The former Talking Heads performer, who removed most of his music catalogue from the streaming service in 2013, claims the publishing of “questionable or controversial content” and “misinformation” is making musicians look for other ways to showcase their music. </p> <p dir="ltr">He said, "There’s been all these things about platforms having … let’s say questionable or controversial content [and] putting out misinformation or outright lies or … not exactly hate speech, but things that are making a lot of artists uncomfortable.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“And it’s pretty tough to do anything to help ameliorate that unless you’re a Drake or Taylor Swift, or those kinds of artists. It’s pretty hard for the rest of us to have influence."</p> <p dir="ltr">He told The Guardian newspaper, "A handful of mega, mega artists are doing really well, and many of the others – especially emerging artists – are having a tough time with it. There was definitely a period where I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be tough for a lot of artists’, especially with Spotify’s ‘freemium’ layer.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Byrne went on to cite when Taylor Swift withheld one of her albums from Apple Music over their decision to not pay artists, and noted that only a "handful" of stars are "doing really well" out of putting the music on Spotify, which is thought to pay artists an average of $0.004 per stream.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said, “I watched as Taylor Swift went to Apple and said, ‘You can’t do this; you can’t have a freemium layer that will last forever.’ And she – I mean, bless her heart – she managed to get them to [change their policy]. Which I think was brave for her and good for a lot of the rest of us."</p> <p dir="ltr">Byrne’s comments come after several artists, including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, decided to pull their music from Spotify due to the platform continuing to post controversial material from podcaster Joe Rogan.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Music

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Spotify’s response to Rogan-gate falls short of its ethical and editorial obligations

<p>Audio streaming giant <a href="https://www.spotify.com/au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spotify</a> is getting a crash course in the tension between free speech and the need to protect the public from harmful misinformation.</p><p>The Swedish-founded platform, which has 400 million active users, has faced a hail of criticism over misinformation broadcast on its <a href="https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/joe-rogan-experience-most-popular-podcast-news-roundup-1235123361/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most popular podcast</a>, the Joe Rogan Experience.</p><p>Rogan, a former ultimate fighting commentator and television presenter, has <a href="https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/joe-rogan-anti-vaccine-podcast-spotify-1234961803/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argued</a> healthy young people should not get a COVID vaccination. This is contrary to medical advice from governments all over the world, not to mention the <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines/advice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Health Organization</a>.</p><p>A recent episode of his podcast, featuring virologist Robert Malone, drew <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/14/spotify-joe-rogan-podcast-open-letter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criticism from public health experts</a> over its various conspiracist claims about COVID vaccination programs.</p><p>There were widespread calls for Spotify to deplatform Rogan and his interviewees. Rock legend Neil Young issued an ultimatum that Spotify could broadcast Rogan or Young, but not both.</p><p>Spotify made its choice: the Joe Rogan Experience is still on the air, while Young’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/28/joe-rogan-neil-young-spotify-streaming-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener">music</a> is gone, along with <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-29/joni-mitchell-take-songs-off-spotify-solidarity-with-neil-young/100790200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joni Mitchell</a> and <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nils-lofgren-spotify-neil-young-1292480/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nils Lofgren</a>, who removed their content in solidarity.</p><p><strong>Spotify’s response</strong></p><p>Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek has since <a href="https://newsroom.spotify.com/2022-01-30/spotifys-platform-rules-and-approach-to-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promised</a> to tag controversial COVID-related content with links to a “hub” containing trustworthy information. But he stopped short of pledging to remove misinformation outright.</p><p>In a statement, Ek <a href="https://newsroom.spotify.com/2022-01-30/spotifys-platform-rules-and-approach-to-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>:</p><blockquote><p>We know we have a critical role to play in supporting creator expression while balancing it with the safety of our users. In that role, it is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.</p></blockquote><p><strong>Does it go far enough?</strong></p><p>Freedom of expression is important, but so is prevention of harm. When what is being advocated is likely to cause harm or loss of life, a line has been crossed. Spotify has a moral obligation to restrict speech that damages the public interest.</p><p>In response to the controversy, Spotify also publicly shared its <a href="https://newsroom.spotify.com/2022-01-30/spotify-platform-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rules of engagement</a>. They are comprehensive and proactive in helping to make content creators aware of the lines that must not be crossed, while allowing for freedom of expression within these constraints.  </p><p>Has Spotify fulfilled its duty of care to customers? If it applies the rules as stated, provides listeners with links to trustworthy information, and refuses to let controversial yet profitable content creators off the hook, this is certainly a move in the right direction.</p><p><strong>Platform or publisher?</strong></p><p>At the crux of the problem is the question of whether social media providers are <a href="https://socialmediahq.com/if-social-media-companies-are-publishers-and-not-platforms-that-changes-everything/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">platforms or publishers</a>.</p><p>Spotify and other Big Tech players claim they are simply providing a platform for people’s opinions. But <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/scott-morrison-says-social-media-platforms-are-publishers-if-unwilling-to-identify-users/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">regulators</a> are beginning to say no, they are in fact publishers of information, and like any publisher must be accountable for their content.</p><figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443600/original/file-20220201-19-1kyj1oy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="Logos of big tech platforms" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tech platforms like to claim they’re not publishers.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pixabay</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other platforms <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2021/06/01/addressing-big-techs-power-over-speech/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have significant power</a> to promote particular views and limit others, thereby influencing millions or even <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/#:%7E:text=How%20many%20users%20does%20Facebook,the%20biggest%20social%20network%20worldwide." target="_blank" rel="noopener">billions</a> of users.</p><p>In the United States, these platforms have immunity from civil and criminal liability under a <a href="https://www.eff.org/issues/cda230" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1996 federal law</a> that shields them from liability as sites that host user-generated content. Being US corporations, their actions are primarily based on US legislation.</p><p>It is an ingenious business model that allows Facebook, for example, to turn a steady stream of free user-posted content into <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/277963/facebooks-quarterly-global-revenue-by-segment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US$28 billion in quarterly advertising revenue</a>.</p><p>Established newspapers and magazines also sell advertising, but they pay journalists to write content and are legally liable for what they publish. It’s little wonder they are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/24/newspapers-journalists-coronavirus-press-democracy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggling</a> to survive, and little wonder the tech platforms are keen to avoid similar responsibilities.</p><p>But the fact is that social media companies do make editorial decisions about what appears on their platforms. So it is not morally defensible to hide behind the legal protections afforded to them as platforms, when they operate as publishers and reap considerable profits by doing so.</p><p><strong>How best to combat misinformation?</strong></p><p>Misinformation in the form of fake news, intentional disinformation and misinformed opinion has become a crucial issue for democratic systems around the world. How to combat this influence without compromising democratic values and free speech?</p><p>One way is to cultivate “news literacy” – an ability to discern misinformation. This can be done by making a practice of sampling news from across the political spectrum, then averaging out the message to the moderate middle. Most of us confine ourselves to the echo chamber of our preferred source, avoiding contrary opinions as we go.</p><p>If you are not sampling at least three reputable sources, you’re not getting the full picture. Here are the <a href="https://libguides.ucmerced.edu/news/reputable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">characteristics</a> of a reputable news source.</p><p>Social media, meanwhile, should invest in artificial intelligence (AI) tools to sift the deluge of real-time content and flag potential fake news. Some progress in this area has been made, but there is room for improvement.</p><p>The tide is turning for the big social media companies. Governments around the world are formulating laws that will oblige them to be more responsible for the content they publish. They won’t have long to wait.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176022/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p><p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-tuffley-13731" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Tuffley</a>, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics &amp; CyberSecurity, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/griffith-university-828" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Griffith University</a></em></p><p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/spotifys-response-to-rogan-gate-falls-short-of-its-ethical-and-editorial-obligations-176022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p><p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

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Neil Young’s ultimatum to Spotify shows streaming platforms are now a battleground where artists can leverage power

<p>Neil Young has given Spotify an ultimatum: remove the Joe Rogan Experience podcast or Neil Young walks. In a letter to his management team and label, the 79-year-old rocker lambasted Spotify for spreading Rogan’s misinformation about COVID vaccinations.</p> <p>“I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform,” <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-young-demands-spotify-remove-music-vaccine-disinformation-1290020/">said Young to his management team</a> and record label.</p> <p>“They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”</p> <p>Young is the first high-profile artist to condemn Spotify for its handling of COVID misinformation, but far from the first person to single out Rogan’s podcast on the platform.</p> <p>The Joe Rogan Experience podcast has the highest amount of subscribers on Spotify. In 2020 the podcast became a Spotify exclusive through a deal <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/19/21263927/joe-rogan-spotify-experience-exclusive-content-episodes-youtube">estimated at $100m</a>. Despite its massive popularity, the Joe Rogan Experience has been frequently criticised for promoting conspiracy theories, misinformation and other problematic content.</p> <p>In January 2022, 270 medical health practitioners and researchers submitted <a href="https://spotifyopenletter.wordpress.com/2022/01/10/an-open-letter-to-spotify/">an open letter</a> calling on Spotify to moderate misinformation on its platform. The letter was prompted by an episode that featured a controversial physician who openly promoted conspiracy theories and baseless claims about COVID vaccinations.</p> <p>“This is not only a scientific or medical concern; it is a sociological issue of devastating proportions and Spotify is responsible for allowing this activity to thrive on its platform,” the letter read.</p> <p>Two days later, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/spotify-neil-young-joe-rogan-1235081916/">Spotify has reportedly removed Young’s music from its platform</a>. This isn’t the first time Young has removed his songs from Spotify, citing poor sound quality as the reason when he temporarily <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/neil-young-interview-archives-crazy-horse-upcoming-albums-784773/">pulled his entire catalogue</a> from Spotify in 2015.</p> <p><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442842/original/file-20220126-14-1914439.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442842/original/file-20220126-14-1914439.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /></a> <span class="caption">Joe Rogan on his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience. A few weeks ago, 270 doctors, scientists, healthcare professionals and professors wrote an open letter to Spotify, expressing concern about medical misinformation on Rogan’s podcast.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">YouTube</span></span></p> <h2>Stream of conscience</h2> <p>Neil Young is not the first musical artist demanding change from the streaming giant.</p> <p>Spotify and other music streaming platforms have become a battleground where artists can leverage their power, notably over disputes concerning artists’ revenues and the value of music in an era of streaming.</p> <p>In 2015, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/9/15767986/taylor-swift-apple-music-spotify-statements-timeline">Taylor Swift briefly removed her album 1989</a> from Apple Music due to the platform offering a three month free trial that would not generate royalties for artists.</p> <p>In 2021, the artist payout debate was reignited after the publication of a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/10/music-streaming-debate-what-songwriter-artist-and-industry-insider-say-publication-parliamentary-report">Parliamentary report in the UK</a> calling attention to Spotify’s handling of artists’ rights management, revenue rates, and commercial fairness.</p> <p>Recently, following the release of her latest album 30, <a href="https://theconversation.com/adele-has-successfully-asked-spotify-to-remove-shuffle-from-albums-heres-why-thats-important-for-musicians-172301">Adele took aim at Spotify</a> demanding the shuffle feature be removed from albums encouraging users to listen to the tracks in their intended order.</p> <h2>Self-regulation</h2> <p>Spotify has taken action to regulate harmful content on its service in the past. In 2017, Spotify <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/8/17/16162146/spotify-removing-white-supremacist-neo-nazi-bands">announced it would remove content</a> from bands connected to white supremacist and neo-Nazi movements.</p> <p>Spotify also joined several other social media and streaming platforms including Facebook, Apple Music and podcast platform Stitcher to remove the <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/6/17655516/infowars-ban-apple-youtube-facebook-spotify">polemical right wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones</a> and his podcast InfoWars for spreading misinformation and lies about the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting.</p> <p>In 2018, Spotify added <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/spotify-is-officially-policing-the-music-it-hosts-627638/">a new hate conduct policy</a> to its terms of use that included guidelines for removing music that “promotes, advocates, or incites hatred or violence.” Spotify developed the policy in partnership with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. The platform faced immediate backlash when it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/10/arts/music/rkelly-spotify-accusations-xxxtentacion.html">cited the policy to defend</a> removing American artists R. Kelly and XXXTentacion from its editorial and algorithmically curated playlists. The two artists’ catalogues were not removed from Spotify’s streaming library, but would be far less visible to listeners.</p> <p>Critics viewed Spotify’s use of the policy an attempt to censor music. With such a sweeping definition of hate conduct, some observers wondered, why were R. Kelly and XXXTentacion removed and not the dozens, if not hundreds, of other artists with controversial pasts or criminal convictions?</p> <p>The move prompted other prominent artists, most notably Kendrick Lamar, to threaten <a href="https://pitchfork.com/news/kendrick-label-head-confirms-he-threatened-to-pull-music-from-spotify/">withdrawing their music from Spotify</a> entirely. Shortly afterwards, Spotify rolled back the policy. In a <a href="https://newsroom.spotify.com/2018-06-01/spotify-policy-update/">corporate statement</a> announcing the shift, Spotify also minimised its responsibility in political matters or public controversies: “That’s not what Spotify is about. We don’t aim to play judge and jury.”</p> <p>Digital platforms have taken steps to moderate misinformation. For example, in the lead up to the 2020 US election, Twitter began <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/twitter-adds-fact-check-warning-trump-tweets/">adding fact-check labels</a> to tweets shared by former president Donald Trump. Later that year, Facebook’s Oversight Board <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2020/10/22/tech/facebook-oversight-board/index.html">began hearing cases</a> to oversee key decisions related to content moderation.</p> <p>Throughout the COVID pandemic, academics and public health officials <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-a-virus-goes-viral-pros-and-cons-to-the-coronavirus-spread-on-social-media-133525">have called on social media platforms</a> to help fight the spread of dangerous health-related misinformation.</p> <h2>Policing platforms</h2> <p>Reliance on platforms to moderate podcast content is a tenuous proposition. As commercial entities operating internationally, platforms simultaneously seek to serve their corporate interests and comply with regulations and laws in multiple jurisdictions.</p> <p>Significant change can be achieved when platforms act in unison, such as in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/12/28/792078881/spotify-becomes-latest-tech-company-to-hit-on-pause-political-ads">the decision to ban political advertising</a> implemented by several major digital platforms including Spotify after facing significant public pressure. Still, users and advocates should not hold their breath waiting for platforms to do the right thing.</p> <p>Failures to moderate harmful content are harder to ignore when they involve bigger name artists. Neil Young has never shied away from political action in a musical career spanning nearly six decades. The singer’s demands were bolstered by a credible threat: he’s removed his music before and now he’s done it again.</p> <p>Ideally, the pressure from Young’s fans and other prominent artists will push Spotify to take effective action against misinformation so users can spend time rockin’ in the free world instead of listening to COVID conspiracy theories.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175732/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/d-bondy-valdovinos-kaye-1046676">D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye</a>, Lecturer, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/neil-youngs-ultimatum-to-spotify-shows-streaming-platforms-are-now-a-battleground-where-artists-can-leverage-power-175732">original article</a>.</p>

Music

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Neil Young demands his music is removed from Spotify

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an open letter to his management team, record label, and Spotify executives, Neil Young has demanded his entire music catalogue be removed from the streaming service.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His reasoning behind the demand stems from Spotfiy giving a platform to podcasters who spread vaccine misinformation and dangerous rhetoric about the Covid-19 pandemic. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He wrote, “</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform,” he continued. “They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Neil’s callout directly targets right-wing podcaster Joe Rogan, who regularly pedals an anti-vaccine sentiment on his show </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Joe Rogan Experience</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and even claimed he used livestock medication ivermectin to “cure” his bout of coronavirus. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, JRE, which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence,” the letter reads. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just 48 hours after Neil Young issued his public demand, Spotify confirmed they would be removing his music from their platform. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The company said they regretted the turn of events and hoped to “welcome him back soon”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We want all the world’s music and audio content to be available to Spotify users,” it said in a statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators. We have detailed content policies in place and we’ve removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Neil Young responded to Spotify’s move, saying he was willing to take the hit to his yearly revenue, and urged other artists to contemplate a similar move. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Spotify represents 60 per cent of the streaming of my music to listeners around the world. Almost every record I have ever released is available – my life’s music. (It is) a huge loss for my record company to absorb,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I truly want to thank the many, many people who have reached out to me thanking me for taking this position – people who are health professionals on the front lines, people who have lost loved ones to Covid or who are worried for their own children and families. I have never felt so much love coming from so many,” said Young.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I sincerely hope that other artists and record companies will move off the Spotify platform and stop supporting Spotify’s deadly misinformation about Covid.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Music

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Harry and Meghan’s $33 million podcast claimed by Spotify after lack of content

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The bosses at music streaming giant Spotify have reportedly <a rel="noopener" href="https://honey.nine.com.au/royals/spotify-takes-back-control-of-prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-podcast/d901095a-a9b0-4bf2-870e-7bd6ff9a43c6" target="_blank">taken control</a> of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s podcast, taking “matters into their own hands” due to a lack of content from the couple.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CI1Kyv2HOmt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CI1Kyv2HOmt/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Archewell by Harry and Meghan (@archewell_hm)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spotify is currently recruiting in-house staff to work on a show for Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Audio that features “the voices of high profile women”, <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17422252/spotify-meghan-markle-prince-harry-podcast/" target="_blank">The </a></em></span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17422252/spotify-meghan-markle-prince-harry-podcast/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sun</span></a> </em><span style="font-weight: 400;">reports.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite signing a deal with the streaming company worth an estimated worth of $33 million, the couple have produced just one episode, released as a Christmas special in December 2020.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an earlier announcement, Spotify said it was expecting a full-scale launch of content from the former royals during 2021.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CK1mDXuFHd3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CK1mDXuFHd3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Archewell Audio Podcast (@archewellaudios)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With just one 35-minute episode created so far - despite appearances in multiple interviews and other podcasts in 2021 - the couple has been paid around $935,000 per minute.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Spotify has been waiting a long time for some content from Harry and Meghan and now it appears they have finally taken matters into their own hands,” a source close to the project told </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Sun</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An advertisement for a senior producer at Gimlet Projects, the production arm of Spotify, is looking for candidates with experience with “high-profile talent”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We’re currently assembling a show team that will build and launch a new original show with Archewell featuring the voices of high profile women,” <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.lifeatspotify.com/jobs/contract-sr-producer-gimlet-projects" target="_blank">the ad reads</a>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Advertised as a six-month role, the job is called for experienced applicants to “launch an exciting new weekly show based in Los Angeles”.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The ideal candidate has experience working with high-profile talent, and an interest in the intersection of social activism and popular culture.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The wave of recruitment comes after Spotify was rumoured to have given the couple a “gentle nudge” in December to produce content.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Technology

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Spotify teams up with Netflix for new music streaming service

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A new partnership between Spotify and Netflix has created a streaming service to help TV and movie fans find original musical content. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Netflix Hub is now available from the Spotify app, and is the centralised place for original soundtracks, playlists and podcasts for top TV shows and movies from Netflix.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The service is currently offering musical content from hit shows such as </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stranger Things</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Narcos: Mexico</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Squid Game</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bridgeton</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and many more Netflix original content. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As well as soundtracks, podcasts such as </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Netflix Is A Daily Joke</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">10/10 Would Recommend</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">You Can’t Make This Up</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are also available for listeners to enjoy. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The service also includes original behind the scenes content from the making of certain Netflix shows, as well as character matching experiences and quizzes to engage with. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The partnership has built on the existing relationship between Netflix and Spotify, as the two companies have long worked together to bring users the best multimedia experience. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The overlap in the streaming services will see a boost in users who engage with Netflix’s original content, and those who have a passion for music. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This partnership also further boosts Spotify as the main competitor in the music streaming service market, rivalling Apple Music. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spotify recently announced that they plan to roll out more exclusive content to the Netflix Hub in the months ahead. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Netflix Hub is available to all Spotify users, both Free and Premium, by simply typing “Netflix” into the search bar on the Spotify app. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Spotify / Netflix</span></em></p>

Music

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Adele convinces Spotify to make big changes

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adele has convinced executives at Spotify to make changes to their service upon the release of her new album. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The British singer managed to persuade Spotify to remove the default shuffle option for new release albums. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a result, listeners can hear the track listing as it was intended to be heard by the artist. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adele shared the news with her Twitter followers, saying “</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our art tells a story and our stories should be listened to as we intended.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">This was the only request I had in our ever changing industry! We don’t create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason. Our art tells a story and our stories should be listened to as we intended. Thank you Spotify for listening 🍷♥️ <a href="https://t.co/XWlykhqxAy">https://t.co/XWlykhqxAy</a></p> — Adele (@Adele) <a href="https://twitter.com/Adele/status/1462260324485242881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the shuffle option still comes up as the default on playlists, on individual albums, the tracks will be played in order. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Adele tweeted the news, Spotify replied to the songstress saying “Anything for you”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adele’s fourth studio album </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">30</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> was released the day after the Spotify changes were made, which was highly anticipated after her six year hiatus. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She first teased the album on Instagram early in October, as the announcement boasts over 6 million likes. </span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CU-Kv8NgvVj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CU-Kv8NgvVj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Adele (@adele)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Shutterstock / Instagram @adele</span></em></p>

Music

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Apple’s iPod came out two decades ago and changed how we listen to music. Where are we headed now?

<p>On October 23, 2001, Apple released the iPod — a portable media player that promised to overshadow the clunky design and low storage capacity of MP3 players introduced in the mid-1990s.</p> <p>The iPod boasted the ability to “hold 1,000 songs in your pocket”. Its personalised listening format revolutionised the way we consume music. And with more than 400 million units <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/rise-and-fall-apple-ipod-2020-1?r=US&amp;IR=T">sold since its release</a>, there’s no doubt it was a success.</p> <p>Yet, two decades later, the digital music landscape continues to rapidly evolve.</p> <h2>A market success</h2> <p>The iPod expanded listening beyond the constraints of the home stereo system, allowing the user to plug into not only their headphones, but also their car radio, their computer at work, or their hi-fi system at home.</p> <p>It made it easier to entwine these disparate spaces into a single personalised soundtrack throughout the day.</p> <p><span>There were several preconditions that led to the iPod’s success. For one, it contributed to the end of an era in which people listened to relatively fixed music collections, such as mixtapes, or albums in their running order. </span></p> <p><span>The iPod (and MP3 players more generally) normalised having random collections of individual tracks.</span></p> <p>Then during the 1990s, an MP3 encoding algorithm <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=pGhIDQAAQBAJ&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PA445&amp;dq=mp3+fraunhofer&amp;ots=AMSYOhB5UQ&amp;sig=CrnewI4eSiOiWQgMiuiTO8NFRYs&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q=mp3%20fraunhofer&amp;f=false">developed</a> at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany allowed unprecedented audio data compression ratios. In simple terms, this made music files much smaller than before, hugely increasing the quantity of music that could be stored on a device.</p> <p>Then came peer-to-peer file-sharing services <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/31/napster-twenty-years-music-revolution">such as Napster</a>, Limewire and BitTorrent, released in 1999, 2000 and 2001, respectively. These furthered the democratisation of the internet for the end user (with Napster <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/may/31/napster-twenty-years-music-revolution">garnering 80 million users</a> in three years). The result was a fast-changing digital landscape where music piracy ran rife.</p> <p>The accessibility of music significantly changed the relationship between listener and musician. In 2003, Apple responded to the music piracy crisis by launching its iTunes store, creating an <a href="https://digitalguardian.com/blog/what-digital-rights-management">attractive model</a> for copyright-protected content.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the iPod continued to sell, year after year. It was designed to do one thing, and did it well. But this would change around 2007 with the release of the touchscreen <a href="https://www.computerworld.com/article/2604020/the-evolution-of-apples-iphone.html">iPhone</a> and <a href="https://www.androidauthority.com/history-android-os-name-789433/">Android</a> smartphones.</p> <h2>Computer in your pocket</h2> <p>The rise of touchscreen smartphones ultimately led to the iPod’s downfall. Interestingly, the music app on the original iPhone was called “iPod”.</p> <p>The iPod’s functions were essentially reappropriated and absorbed into the iPhone. The iPhone was a flexible and multifunctional device: an iPod, a phone and an internet communicator all in one — a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/29/my-electronic-swiss-army-knife-readers-on-10-years-of-the-iphone">computer in your pocket</a>.</p> <p>And by making the development tools for their products freely available, Apple and Google allowed third-party developers to create apps for their new platforms in the thousands.</p> <p>It was a game-changer for the mobile industry. And the future line of tablets, such as Apple’s iPad released in 2010, continued this trend. In 2011, iPhone sales <a href="https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-q4-2011-results-28-27-billion-revenue-17-07-million-iphones-11-12-million-ipads-4-89-million-macs-sold/">overtook the iPod</a>, and in 2014 the iPod Classic was <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2019-09-14-this-week-in-tech-history-apple-ipod-classic-discontinued.html">discontinued</a>.</p> <p>Unlike the Apple Watch, which serves as a companion to smartphones, single-purpose devices such as the iPod Classic are now seen as antiquated and obsolete.</p> <h2>Music streaming and the role of the web</h2> <p>As of this year, mobile devices are responsible for <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/277125/share-of-website-traffic-coming-from-mobile-devices/">54.8% of web traffic worldwide</a>. And while music piracy still exists, its influence has been significantly reduced by the arrival of streaming services such as Spotify and YouTube.</p> <p>These platforms have had a profound effect on how we engage with music as active and passive listeners. Spotify supports an online community-based approach to music sharing, with curated playlists.</p> <p>Based on our listening habits, it uses our activity data and a range of machine-learning <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/2959100.2959120">techniques</a> to generate automatic recommendations for us. Both Spotify and YouTube have also embraced <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/19/15833880/spotify-sponsored-songs-playlists-test">sponsored content</a>, which boosts the visibility of certain labels and artists.</p> <p>And while we may want to bypass popular music recommendations — especially to support new generations of musicians who lack visibility — the reality is we’re faced with a quantity of music we can’t possibly contend with. As of February this year, more than 60,000 tracks were <a href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/over-60000-tracks-are-now-uploaded-to-spotify-daily-thats-nearly-one-per-second/">being uploaded</a> to Spotify each day.</p> <h2>What’s next?</h2> <p>The experience of listening to music will become increasingly immersive with time, and we’ll only find more ways to seamlessly integrate it into our lives. Some signs of this include:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Gen Z’s growing obsession with platforms such as TikTok, which is a huge promotional tool for artists lucky enough to have their track attached to a viral trend</p> </li> <li> <p>new interactive tools for music exploration, such as <a href="http://radio.garden/visit/perth/cKenL5sw">Radio Garden</a> (which lets you tune into radio stations from across the globe), the <a href="https://eternalbox.dev/jukebox_index.html">Eternal Jukebox for Spotify</a> and <a href="https://github.com/ShunSawada/Music-information-processing/issues/28which">Instrudive</a></p> </li> <li> <p>the use of wearables, such as <a href="https://www.bose.com.au/en_au/products/frames.html">Bose’s audio sunglasses</a> and bone-conduction headphones, which allow you to listen to music while interacting with the world rather than being closed off, and</p> </li> <li> <p>the surge in <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalentertainment/2021/02/09/the-future-of-live-events-ar-vr-and-advertising/?sh=412c20c42b65">virtual music performances</a> during the COVID pandemic, which suggests virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality will become increasingly accepted as spaces for experiencing music performances.</p> </li> </ul> <p>The industry is also increasingly adopting immersive audio. Apple has incorporated Dolby Atmos 3D spatial audio into both its Logic Pro music production software and music on the iTunes store. With spatial audio capabilities, the listener can experience surround sound with the convenience of portable headphones.</p> <p>As for algorithms, we can assume more sophisticated machine learning will emerge. In the future, it may recommend music based on our feelings. For example, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071581918301654">MoodPlay</a> is a music recommendation system that lets users explore music through mood-based filtering.</p> <p>Some advanced listening devices even adapt to our physiology. The Australian-designed <a href="https://www.nuraphone.com/">Nura headphones</a> can pick up information about how a specific listener’s ears respond to different sound frequencies. They purport to automatically adjust the sound to perfectly suit that listener.</p> <p>Such technologies are taking “personalised listening” to a whole new level, and advances in this space are set to continue. If the digital music landscape has changed so rapidly within the past 20 years, we can only assume it will continue to change over the next two decades, too.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article first appeared on <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/apples-ipod-came-out-two-decades-ago-and-changed-how-we-listen-to-music-where-are-we-headed-now-169272" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Music

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Music collectors are seeking out rare albums that you can't stream

<p>As of the third quarter <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/244995/number-of-paying-spotify-subscribers/">of 2019, music streaming giant Spotify had 113 million paid subscribers worldwide</a> — but it’s still missing some famous albums that many listeners feel they can’t live without. And in today’s digital world, it can be expensive and difficult to get a physical copy of those missing albums.</p> <p>Music streaming dominates paid music consumption in the <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/10185/music-consumption-in-the-us/">United States</a> and <a href="https://musiccanada.com/resources/statistics/">Canada</a>.</p> <p>But services like Spotify and Apple Music can’t just upload whatever music they’d like. Legal disputes, sample clearance issues — when permission can’t be obtained for the use of part of a song in a new song — and rights-holders withholding music can all get in the way of music being available on your streaming platform of choice. And that can make the music even more difficult and more expensive to get your hands on physically.</p> <p>Legal disputes between <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/musicians-v-record-labels-famous-feuds/">artists and their record labels have been happening for decades</a>. Disputes can keep music from ever coming out at all, in which case consumers don’t know what they’re missing — but they can also take music that consumers already love out of circulation.</p> <p><strong>Rare $130 cassette</strong></p> <p>If you’re a fan of the hip-hop group De La Soul, you might have noticed that its 1989 album <em>3 Feet High and Rising</em> is missing from paid subscription streaming services. This is due to <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2019/03/de-la-soul-3-feet-high-and-rising-streaming-spotify-tidal.html">disputes between the group and its label, Tommy Boy Records.</a></p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304142/original/file-20191127-112526-uxlosu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">If your ‘90s dubbed De La Soul tape has broken down, a new cassette today may cost $130.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike B in Colorado/Flickr</span></span></p> <p>De La Soul said in an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wearedelasoul/photos/a.631626713540839/2309714252398735/?type=3&amp;theater">August Facebook post</a> that it that was unable to reach a streaming agreement “and earn Tommy Boy’s respect for our music/legacy.” The dispute has led to Tommy Boy delaying the release of that album on streaming services.</p> <p>The album is not being widely reissued, so few copies are available in any physical format for fans who can’t stream one of their favourite albums on their favourite streaming service. There is a copy of <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/3-Feet-High-Rising-Vinyl/dp/B00CJF9SZC/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=">the vinyl LP of <em>3 Feet High and Rising</em> selling online for nearly $300</a>. A cassette is available for more than $130. Even the CD is selling for more than $100.</p> <p><strong>Taylor Swift delays release of album</strong></p> <p>Rights-holders, whether they are the artist or not, can also choose to withhold music from streaming services. Taylor Swift has famously done this, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/9/15767986/taylor-swift-apple-music-spotify-statements-timeline">first to fight for music’s value, then to fight for better streaming royalty rates</a> and then delaying the release of <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-to-withhold-reputation-from-streaming-services-197389/#:%7E:targetText=Taylor%20Swift's%20new%20album,the%20specifics%20with%20various%20platforms.">her 2017 album <em>Reputation</em> on streaming services</a>. She made <em>Reputation</em> available only for digital download and on CD at first.</p> <p>But rights-holders withholding music can sometimes get more complicated. Blackground Records — owned by Aaliyah’s uncle Barry Hankerson — controls the masters of most of the late singer’s music and has <a href="https://www.complex.com/music/2016/12/aaliyahs-music-isnt-online-and-her-uncle-barry-hankerson-is-the-reason-why">not made it available on streaming services</a>. Aaliyah <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/aaliyah-1979-2001-192667/">died in a plane crash in 2001 at the age of 22</a>, not long after the release of her platinum-certified self-titled album.</p> <p>Michael Greaves, who manages royalties for a music company based in Toronto, said in a September interview that he thinks Hankerson is “trying to look for the best deal … building up the value,” as Taylor Swift did. But others, including Greaves, who is also a former DJ, have argued that there is an emotional component to Hankerson withholding the Blackground music.</p> <p>Rock band Tool also famously <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/after-years-of-resisting-rock-band-tool-is-finally-entering-the-streaming-age">didn’t put all of its music up on streaming services until Aug. 2, 2019,</a> just before the Aug. 30 release of its newest album, <em>Fear Inoculum</em>.</p> <p>Whether these rights-holders are using profiteering tactics, the music is increasing in value because it’s not available on paid streaming services and there are limited physical copies. On Amazon.ca, the CD of <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/One-Million-Aaliyah/dp/B000002JWP">Aaliyah’s <em>One In A Million</em> is selling for as much as $189</a>. “I have those albums, I got them when they came out. I’m lucky that way,” says Greaves.</p> <p>Blackground also controls the rights to the master recordings of singer Jojo’s first two albums, which it has not released on streaming services.</p> <p>Jojo wound up <a href="https://www.wmagazine.com/story/jojo-re-release-albums-new-music-interview">suing Blackground, re-recording those albums and releasing them on streaming services herself</a>. Unfortunately, Aaliyah is not alive to do the same.</p> <p><strong>Download delays are ongoing</strong></p> <p>Despite advances in music technology and administration, sample clearances can still be an issue, keeping music from being released or forcing it to be removed from streaming services.</p> <p>It’s common for rappers and hip-hop artists to release “<a href="https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/rmx446/the-real-difference-between-a-mixtape-and-an-album">mixtapes</a>” — free releases which were once distributed on cassettes but are now commonly distributed on Soundcloud. Mixtapes often contain samples whose permissions haven’t been legally granted, which keep them from being available on streaming services such as Spotify, where rules around sample clearances are more stringent than on Soundcloud.</p> <p>The artist known as Chance the Rapper, for instance, went through the process of clearing all of the samples on his 2013 mixtape <em>Acid Rap</em>, which went live on streaming services last summer — <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8518032/chance-the-rapper-juice-acid-rap-streaming-services">but he couldn’t get the sample on his track <em>Juice</em> cleared</a>.</p> <p>According to the artist’s website, <a href="https://www.chanceraps.com/shop/acid-rap-vinyl-pre-order">the vinyl pre-order of the mixtape is sold out and the website says it is shipping this fall</a> — however, it’s unclear if it has already shipped. It’s also unclear if the sample on <em>Juice</em> will be cleared for the vinyl release — but if it’s not, there’s no doubt that the not-so-legal cassette with the original track listing will be worth much more.</p> <p>Music administration has come a long way, but it’s also become more complicated. As <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8297506/drake-nice-for-what-lauryn-hill-ex-factor-samples-kehlani-cardi-b">artists sample samples of samples</a>, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/watch-dj-khaled-explain-how-infant-son-executive-produced-new-lp-116467/">babies are given producer credits</a> and <a href="https://www.thefader.com/2019/10/07/lil-nas-x-cardi-b-sued-copyright-infringement-rodeo-2019">copyright infringement lawsuits over popular songs</a> seem to be frequently in the news, it’s unlikely that every album under the sun will be available to us at the press of a button any time soon.<!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/marina-eckersley-857932">Marina Eckersley</a>, Dalla Lana Fellow in Global Journalism, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-toronto-1281">University of Toronto</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/music-collectors-seek-out-rare-albums-not-available-on-streaming-126488">original article</a>.</em></p>

Music

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14 tips and tricks for using Spotify

<p>If you're one of the 50 million paid Spotify subscribers, you might think you know all there is to know about the popular music streaming service.</p> <p>You're likely aware there are more than 30 million songs to play, on-demand, across multiple devices. You know Premium subscribers can downloaded tracks to listen to offline. And you might've heard there are readymade playlists to match your mood, curated by experts and fans alike.</p> <p>So, what else is there to Spotify? We've compiled a list of some lesser-known features, tips and tricks, to help you get the most out of the service.</p> <p><strong>1. Play your own music</strong></p> <p>Many Spotify Premium users aren't aware you can weave in your own music, too.</p> <p>On your mobile device, tap on the Options tab in the upper left of the app and select "Your Library." On a computer, you'll see a "Local Files" tab listed on the left side of the main screen. By default, the desktop app looks for common directories like Music, Downloads or iTunes Media, but you can select specific folders in the Settings menu, too.</p> <p><strong>2. Spotify as a remote</strong></p> <p>Did you know you can use your mobile device as a remote to control your Spotify tunes on a nearby computer, music system, or Smart TV?</p> <p>Since Spotify allows you to quickly switch between devices you're logged into, you can use the Spotify app, on say, an iPhone or Android tablet, to start, stop and change tracks on your Windows PC, Mac, Sonos, and supported Smart TVs.</p> <p><strong>3. Keyboard shortcuts</strong></p> <p>Spotify desktop users can use keyboard shortcuts to quickly control music playback.</p> <p>On a Windows PC, skip forward and back between tracks using CTRL + Right Arrow and CTRL + Left Arrow, respectively. To adjust volume, it's CTRL + Shift + Up Arrow (for louder) or CTRL + Shift + Down Arrow (for quieter).</p> <p>For Mac OS X users, it's CTRL + CMD + Right Arrow and CTRL + CMD + Left Arrow to skip forward or back between tracks. For audio levels, it's CMD + Shift + Up Arrow (or Down Arrow) for higher or lower volume, respectively.</p> <p><strong>4. Preview a playlist</strong></p> <p>This is pretty cool. If you use Spotify on an iOS device -- namely, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch -- you don't need to open a playlist to see what songs are inside. Instead, tap and hold over the name of the playlist and you'll see album artwork for the first 12 songs. Now slide your finger over each album and you'll see the name, artist, and hear a sample of the track.</p> <p><strong>5. Spotify codes</strong></p> <p>Ever hear a great song streaming from a friend's Spotify account? Now you can use your smartphone's camera to quickly grab the track.</p> <p>Launched earlier in 2017, Spotify Codes lets you capture (or share) a song, artist, album, or playlist. Tap the ellipses ("...") next to a song and you will see a Spotify Code near the bottom of the artwork. You can also scan Spotify Codes printed on flyers, posters, and billboards.</p> <p><strong>6. Get lyrics</strong></p> <p>Want to learn the words to the latest songs? Feel like karaoke with friend? Spotify's desktop client has built-in lyrics support.</p> <p>Start playing a track and look for the "Lyrics" tab in the bottom right-hand corner of the window. Tap or click and it will scroll lyrics for most of Spotify's catalog. You can also tweak the size of the lyrics.</p> <p><strong>7. Go gapless</strong></p> <p>Don't want any silence between your songs? Keep the music going, without breaks, by enabling Spotify's "Gapless Playback" feature. To eliminate the gaps between tracks, visit the Settings tab and check off the "Gapless Playback" option, if the small box isn't already ticked. You can also crossfade tracks, if you prefer.</p> <p><strong>8. A is for Autoplay</strong></p> <p>On a related note, Spotify's Autoplay feature will automatically play similar songs once you've finished a playlist, album or selection of tracks. This can be found in the same Settings area. While you're here, make sure the "High quality streaming" tab is selected (Premium subscribers only).</p> <p><strong>9. Restore playlists</strong></p> <p>Spotify houses more than 2 billion playlists. The popular "Discover Weekly" tab, a highly personalized playlist, is based on your listening habits, automatically updated every Monday with new music.</p> <p>If you've accidentally deleted your favorite playlist, you're not out of luck. Log onto Spotify's website, and under Account Settings you can select Recover Playlists.</p> <p><strong>10. Playlist collaboration</strong></p> <p>If you're adding your own mega mix to Spotify -- perhaps for a summer house party or wedding reception -- you can now choose the option to make the playlist collaborative. You can grant friends access to it, and let the music sharing begin. Right click on the left-hand side of any playlist to get going.</p> <p><strong>11. Spotify running</strong></p> <p>If you exercise with your smartphone, as many people do, you might want to test-drive the Spotify Running feature, which lets you match songs to your listening habits with the pace of you run. On the smartphone app, tap the three horizontal lines in the top left corner and choose "Running." Spotify will detect your tempo as you start moving.</p> <p>Another way to find this feature is in the "Browse" section, under "Genres &amp; Moods."</p> <p><strong>12. Share (or don't)</strong></p> <p>Another way to share music with friends is through the Share button. Tap or click on the ellipses next to a song, album or playlist, and then select Share, to broadcast your playlist through social media, Spotify Messenger, or to copy a URL.</p> <p>For those "roll up the car window" songs you're embarrassed to admit you love, you can set your Spotify account to a "Private Session." Go to the Settings tab to make the change.</p> <p><strong>13. You don't need an app</strong></p> <p>While the website isn't as good as a dedicated app for the service, you can access your Spotify on a web browser. Perhaps you're on a shared PC in an airport lounge and you have some time to kill?</p> <p>At spotify.com, log in with your username and password, to begin streaming. If it's a public computer, be sure to log out before you leave.</p> <p><strong>14. Videos, comedy, concerts</strong></p> <p>Spotify isn't just a music streaming service. There are tens of thousands of videos (including video podcasts) you can stream, too, listed along the left side of the home screen. </p> <p>Feeling down? Under the "Genres &amp; Moods" tab, scroll down and select "Comedy."</p> <p>Spotify also lets you discover concerts in your area. Under the "Browse" tab, select "Concerts" on the right side of the screen. You can select music, artists and location preferences.</p> <p>Do you use Spotify?</p> <p><em>Written by Marc Saltzman. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

Technology

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What is music streaming?

<p>From buying vinyl records from the local record store to downloading songs on iTunes, the music world sure has undergone a lot of change over the last five decades. And now, thanks to music streaming, the way you buy and listen to your favourite songs is changing again, for the best!</p> <p>Here, we explain what music streaming is, and how you can give it a go.</p> <p><strong>What is music streaming?</strong></p> <p>Music streaming lets you play a huge variety of songs via the internet. There are a number of big platforms who allow you to access their music collection online. Rather than buy individual songs, you create a profile and can search for the songs on their library, then play them without actually downloading the song to your computer or device. </p> <p><strong>Who are the main players?</strong></p> <p>There are two major players in music streaming. Spotify is a platform that allows users to browse from their library of millions of tunes. They also offer playlists to suit your taste in music, or help you discover new artists and songs you might like.</p> <p>The other big player is Pandora, which is an internet radio.  Pandora allows you to type in what songs you like, and uses an algorithm to suggest a string of similar songs and artists. It’s a great tool for discovery.</p> <p><strong>What music can I listen to?</strong></p> <p>There are millions of songs on these streaming platforms. From classical music to your favourite 80s hits and today’s pop songs, there’s a huge selection available. Smaller independent artists can be harder to find.</p> <p><strong>How is it different from buying CDs or downloading songs?</strong></p> <p>When you buy a CD or download a song from iTunes, you have to pay for it individually. For example, if you want to listen to 10 songs by different artists, you’d have to buy multiple CDs or each of their songs online.</p> <p>Music streaming is different because you can access a huge variety of music without paying for each song. The music is streamed via the internet so unlike downloading songs or buying CDs, you don’t own any track.</p> <p><strong>How much does it cost?</strong></p> <p>Both Pandora and Spotify offer free versions, where you can listen to any song without paying, but every now and then you’ll hear an advertisement. To avoid ads, it will cost you $11.99 per month on Spotify.</p> <p><strong>How do I get started?</strong></p> <p>The best way to get started is to head to <a href="http://www.spotify.com.au" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Spotify </span></strong></a>or <a href="http://www.Pandora.com" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Pandora</strong></span></a> and make a free profile. Have a play with the song search tool and create some playlists. If you find that you use the platform a lot it might be worth upgrading to a paid version, but that’s your choice. You’ll be amazing by what old favourites can be unearthed!</p> <p><em>Image credit: Shutterstock / Denys Prykhodov</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2015/12/google-releases-top-search-terms-2015/">Google releases list of top searched-for questions for 2015</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/entertainment/tv/2015/11/netflix-hacks/">6 Netflix hacks you need to know</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/music/2016/01/david-bowies-greatest-hits/">David Bowie’s greatest hits</a></strong></em></span></p>

Music