This time last year, Deezer looked to be in a pretty rocky place. The Spotify rival actually manage to lose total monthly subscribers in the first half of 2015, down to 6.3m – of which it categorised …
Apple Music helps US recorded music market grow 8.1% in first half of 2016
A good news day: Revenue from subscription music services more than doubled in the US in the first half of 2016 – driving overall market growth of 8.1%. According to new figures from the RIAA, paid-fo…
Spotify Premium crosses 40 million paying subscribers
Just moments after disclosing its 39 millionth paying subscriber, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has announced 40 million paying subscribers. “40 is the new 30. Million,” Ek cheekily tweeted just moments ago,…
Amazon and Pandora’s $5 streaming music services will reportedly launch in the next few weeks
Amazon and Pandora are readying new music streaming services for launch in the coming weeks, The New York Times reports, with both companies planning to undercut competitors like Spotify and Apple Mus…
Top Spotify sales exec Jonathan Forster exits company
One of the longest-serving employees at Spotify, Jonathan Forster, is leaving the company. The news was first reported by Swedish site Breakit, and has since been confirmed to MBW by sources close to …
Spotify is out of contract with all three major labels – and wants to pay them less
Spotify is out of contract with all three major music companies, MBW has learned, with a dispute over revenue splits bringing disharmony to negotiations. The Swedish streaming company has been out of …
Spotify’s most viral tracks US, UK and globally
These lists represent the most viral tracks on Spotify, based on the number of people who shared it divided by the number who listened to it, from 8/5-11/2016 via Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify…
Apple Music signs ‘power move’ label deal with Cash Money Records
We’re used to seeing Apple Music pick off artists one-by-one for exclusive deals. Now it’s signed an agreement with an entire label – a big one. Cash Money Records, whose artists include Lil Wayne, Ni…
Apple is recruiting a team of ‘lyrics curators’ with ‘excellent music knowledge’
Apple is taking its new lyrics function for Apple Music seriously – and doing the heavy lifting for the service in-house. MBW has spotted a new job ad for a role as ‘Lyrics Curation Manager’ at Apple,…
Goodbye MP3, we hardly knew ya
When it comes to technology, the music business has always been about convenience. It’s ultimately never about the sound or even a lower cost, it’s always comes down to what’s easiest to use. Still, i…