Music News

Luxembourg City. Photo Credit: Cedric Letsch Is Spotify kicking off another major pricing recalibration? Possibly, as the service has nixed its “Mini” plan and rolled out across-the-board Benelux price increases. Spotify just recently emailed the relevant customers with word of the price increases, which are also making a splash in local media. And the axed “Mini” tier, which had offered mobile-only Premium access on a week-to-week (and, in some countries, day-to-day) basis, is spurring discu

Photo Credit: Spotify After rule changes allowed Spotify to link to external payment options in its iOS app, the digital streaming provider (DSP) reports a boost in premium subscriptions on the platform. Spotify says its internal data shows that the recent update supporting web payments has resulted in “a significant increase in iOS users upgrading to a Premium subscription.” This development follows the U.S. District Court in Northern California ruling in favor of Epic Games—forcing Apple to

Spotify has confirmed a north of $100 million global podcast payout for Q1 2025. Photo Credit: Reet Talreja Podcasting pays on Spotify – to the tune of over $100 million for creators during Q1 2025. But can the platform catch up to YouTube in the ever-important video-podcast arena? Spotify disclosed its worldwide first-quarter podcasts payout today, dedicating a relatively substantial 630 or so words to the appropriate release. As many know, video is now front and center in the battle for pod

Spotify head Daniel Ek during his company’s What’s Playing event. Photo Credit: Spotify Spotify added about five million paid users but fell short of forecasted operating income during Q1 2025. Meanwhile, execs seem to have changed their tune about the Super-Premium tier’s release timetable. The streaming service revealed these performance particulars in its Q1 2025 earnings report this morning. In the breakdown, Spotify pointed to 678 million MAUs (up 10% YoY), including 268 million paid subs

Photo Credit: Alexander Shatov Spotify is back up after a widespread outage that left many users suspecting hackers were to blame. But the company says that’s “completely inaccurate.” Tens of thousands of Spotify users reported problems with the popular music streaming service on Wednesday during a widespread outage. But Spotify was back up and running a few hours later. “All clear — thanks for your patience,” said Spotify on social media, around noon ET. “Get in touch with @SpotifyCares if y

Which way, USA? Latest DMN Pro data shows a problematic slide in stateside Spotify subscribers (Photo: GDJ) DMN Pro was first to report serious subscriber slowdowns at Amazon Music in 2024. Now, it’s Spotify’s turn: according to leaked figures, the mega-DSP shed stateside subscribers in early 2025. In response, Spotify told DMN its paying subscribers are growing ‘in all regions,’ but declined to offer further details. Spotify came out swinging in its latest quarterly financial call, thanks to

Spotify stock once again topped $600 per share during today’s trading, and some analysts remain optimistic that the rebound will continue. Photo Credit: Gizmodo Spotify stock (NYSE: SPOT) rebounded past $600 per share during today’s trading. But with the company’s Q1 2025 earnings release just days away, will the momentum continue? That question is front of mind for investors and analysts, who, ahead of the first-quarter report’s April 29th release, are continuing to put out relatively bullis

Photo Credit: Google Spotify stock (SPOT) shares fell by roughly 8% after the company reported its Q1 2025 MAU and subscriber gains, showing the Q2 slowdown in action. So what’s going on? Spotify reported disappointing user and financial guidance for Q2 after showing the second-highest Q1 subscriber net addition in the streaming giant’s history. The company’s stock (SPOT) fell as much as 8% in early pre-market trading on Tuesday (April 29), and down roughly 6% around an hour before the market

Apple has approved a Spotify iOS update in the U.S. following a ‘landmark’ Epic Games ruling. Photo Credit: James Yarema On the heels of a major ruling in the marathon Apple v. Epic Games legal battle, Spotify has received approval for an updated version of its iOS app in the U.S. The vocal App Store critic Spotify revealed as much in a “Time to Play Fair” blog post. Originally published yesterday (following the April 30th ruling), that post reiterated the streaming service’s long-sought chan

Per a new estimate, the controversial Spotify stream minimum cost emerging artists big, to the tune of $47 million in would-be royalties, during 2024. Photo Credit: Towfiqu Barbhuiya By one industry exec’s estimate, Spotify’s 1,000-play monetization minimum cost emerging talent close to $50 million during 2024. Now, the platform is defending its controversial royalties approach. As many know, that approach sees Spotify pay recording royalties only for tracks with at least 1,000 annual streams

A breakdown of the newly added voice-request support for Spotify’s AI DJ. Photo Credit: Spotify Spotify has officially added voice-based music requests to AI DJ, listener engagement with which is said to have “nearly doubled over the past year.” The streaming platform announced its latest DJ expansion (and the engagement spike) in a brief release today. According to Spotify, the AI feature now responds to and tailors sessions based on a variety of English-language voice requests from subscrib

Photo Credit: Mike Mushok by Craig Noce / CC by 3.0 Staind guitarist Mike Mushok says he’s never received a royalty payment from Atlantic Records — but the band did receive “large advances.” Staind guitarist Mike Mushok sat down for an interview on The KiddChris Show, which airs on the WEBN station in Cincinnati. There, he weighed in on Chevelle frontman Pete Loeffler’s 2021 claim that the band hadn’t received any money from record sales despite selling six million albums for Epic Records. It

Photo Credit: Anna Lee Stanford Stadium hosted Coldplay for two sold-out dates as the band launches the North American leg of its Music Of the Spheres World Tour. Stanford Stadium opened its doors to music for the first time to welcome the group on May 31 and June 1. The band performed to an elated audience, delivering a full set of songs from their latest global #1 album Moon Music. They also performed classics including “Yellow,” “Viva La Vida,” “Paradise,” “Fix You,” “The Scientist,” “A Sky

Photo Credit: Bob Abrahamian by SoulFM / CC by 3.0 The Stax Museum of American Soul Music unveils a website dedicated to late Chicago DJ and music historian Bob Abrahamian’s vast soul music collection. Noted Chicago DJ, record collector, and music historian Bob Abrahamian’s vast collection of music and interviews is now available digitally through the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Today, the Stax Museum announced the launch of its new online initiative, the Bob Abrahamian Collection Webs

Photo Credit: Stevie Nicks / Live Nation Stevie Nicks announces a leg of tour dates this summer and fall, stopping in cities across North America, including Las Vegas, Toronto, and Boston. Legendary singer, songwriter, and storyteller Stevie Nicks has announced a new leg of tour dates for summer and fall 2025, following a celebrated run of performances. General on-sale begins Friday, April 18 at 10 AM local. Tickets for previously announced dates with Billy Joel are on sale now. Produced by L

Photo Credit: Spotify It’s The White Lotus Effect: Streams of Billy Preston’s “Nothing From Nothing” spike on Spotify following its feature in the season finale. Each season of HBO’s The White Lotus leaves fans reeling and streaming, first with the show’s iconic theme song, and most recently with the season 3 finale on Sunday night. Between the music and the products, it seems like everyone wants to feel a part of that White Lotus aesthetic — something the media is calling “The White Lotus Eff

Photo Credit: HBO The latest episode of HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ has caused a 1,005% streaming spike for the Ashley Johnson & Chris Rondinella song “Through the Valley.” Hit shows integrating classic or lesser-known songs into pivotal scenes can often result in a sync explosion—with the song finding a new audience from the feature. With massive increases in streaming numbers and chart positions for the songs, many of these hits find new cultural relevance among an entirely new generation. H

Photo Credit: Apollo Victoria Theatre in London by The Lud StubHub announces a partnership with ATG Entertainment, making StubHub the official resale ticket partner for 16 ATG venues across the United States. Fans will be able to purchase ATG Entertainment tickets directly through StubHub, enjoying a seamless, secure experience backed by StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee. The partnership is powered by StubHub’s proprietary technology, 25 years of fan behavior insights, and performance marketing t

Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, home base for the LA Philharmonic (Photo: Abhard Photo) Ticketing scams and glitches remain a serious concern for concertgoers, particularly given the difficulties involved recovering lost funds. The latest meltdown happened in Los Angeles over the weekend, where potentially dozens of LA Philharmonic concertgoers were turned away after StubHub sold tickets multiple times to different buyers. It was a rough weekend for classical aficionados in L

Photo Credit: Hoàng Anh Nguyễn The live entertainment sector is in decline according to data gathered by Chartmetric. Rising costs, low ticket sales, and strict visa rules are reshaping what the touring landscape looks like in 2025. Artists across the globe are facing new barriers to touring, with data showing that there just aren’t as many touring artists on the road anymore. Chartmetric looked at both mid-level and superstar-level artists from 2022 and 2024, comparing how many were still tou

Photo Credit: Subtronics.net Subtronics makes his triumphant return to Los Angeles this December with a record-breaking five-night stand at the Shrine Expo Hall. The DJ’s first LA appearance since selling out the Kia Forum in 2023, this impressive run marks the second-highest number of sold-out shows by an electronic artist at the venue, just behind Fred again…’s historic nine-night streak. Subtronics’ 360-degree shows, which put him in the center of the Shrine Expo Hall, run from Wednesday,

Photo Credit: Suge Knight by Nick Leisure / CC by 2.0 Suge Knight has agreed to a $1.5 million settlement to the family of Terry Carter, the man he ran over and killed in a 2015 hit-and-run. On Tuesday, Suge Knight appeared in court via video and agreed to a $1.5 million settlement in his wrongful death suit. The wife and daughters of Terry Carter, the man Knight ran over and killed with his truck in 2015, will each receive $500,000. The settlement prevents a retrial on claims made by Carter’

Photo Credit: Daniel Williams’ Instagram Dave Shapiro, agent for bands like Sum 41, and former Devil Wears Prada drummer Daniel Williams, were killed in a plane crash in San Diego on Thursday. Dave Shapiro, 42, and Daniel Williams, 39, were among those killed in a plane crash in San Diego on Thursday morning. Shapiro was the co-founder of Sound Talent Group (STG), whose clients include Sum 41, Story of the Year, and Parkway Drive. Daniel Williams was the former drummer of The Devil Wears Prada

Photo Credit: William Hook As Apple continues to face regulatory pressure to open its App Store ecosystem, a new trend is emerging—users want discounts to abandon the App Store. For years, Apple has required that digital purchases within iOS apps go through its App Store, allowing the company to collect a commission. This amount ranges from 15—30% depending on the developer, but recent legal and regulatory changes in the European Union and United States could see that change. Developers linki

Photo Credit: Hugh Forrest for Penske Media Former South by Southwest President Hugh Forrest says parent company Penske Media forced him out during an executive shakeup. According to former South by Southwest (SXSW) President Hugh Forrest, leaving his role was not his choice. Instead, it was the decision of parent company, Penske Media, which now owns a 51% stake in SXSW. “Leaving SXSW was definitely not my decision,” said Forrest in a statement. “I put my heart and soul into this event for m