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Streaming music isn’t much of a social experience, but Hangout, a new music service that debuted Wednesday (Nov. 13), wants to change that.
Calling itself a “social platform,” Hangout, which is available on the web, iOS and Android, launched globally with more than 100 million songs available to stream thanks to licensing deals with the three major labels — Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group — and indie rights group Merlin.
“With our broad global partnerships across the music companies in place, Hangout begins its journey to redefine the intersection of music and social media,” founder/CEO Joseph Perla said in a statement. “Our vision has always been to create a platform that celebrates the joy of music but also helps support the music industry. Today marks a monumental step toward that goal.”
The idea is simple: People set up listening rooms and play music for guests. The DJs are represented by avatars on stage, standing aside turntables and moving to the rhythm of the music, while listeners’ avatars face the stage, only the back of their bobbing heads visible. The platform has two business models: Like Spotify and YouTube, Hangout will offer premium subscriptions that eliminate advertisements, while an avatar store will be another source of revenue, the company tells Billboard.
If Hangout looks familiar, that’s because the concept, look and feel is borrowed from Turntable.fm, a website that charmed listeners with its cartoonish and communal approach to streaming music. Perla was a co-founder of Turntable.fm and later worked at Facebook and Lyft before reviving the idea and raising capital from the likes of Founders Fund (an early investor in Spotify), Elizabeth Street Ventures and 468 Capital.
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Turntable.fm exploded onto computers in 2011 and quickly attracted a following. YouTube and the just-launched Spotify had more financing backing and secured licenses with record labels, but they weren’t as engaging for users as Turntable.fm. Imitators soon appeared, showing that entrepreneurs recognized that people wanted more options to stream music.
The early ‘10s was a different era, though. Good ideas were plentiful but countless startups either failed to build momentum or secure the necessary licenses to reach a large audience. Turntable.fm shut down in December 2013 after it ran into licensing problems, was forced to exclude users from outside the U.S. and nixed the ability for users to upload unlicensed tracks. Now, nearly any track people want to hear is readily available, and Hangout faces a friendlier licensing climate.
“We’re pleased to support the continued growth of opportunities for fans to experience and listen to Sony Music artists in shared social spaces that fairly value their work,” Mark Piibe, executive vp of global business development & digital strategy at Sony Music, said in a statement. “We’re pleased to support the continued growth of opportunities for fans to experience and listen to Sony Music artists in shared social spaces that fairly value their work.”
“Social listening continues to become a key component of the fan experience, driving loyalty and conversation amongst engaged artist communities and Hangout will help power these fan experiences in a unique and compelling way,” added Kristen Bender, senior vp of digital innovation strategy & business development at Universal Music Group.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Hangout to bring our diverse catalog of artists to this innovative music platform,” said Rachel Scarpati, vp of business strategy & business development at Warner Music Group. “This partnership underscores WMG’s commitment to pioneering new avenues for music discovery, fostering community, and providing fans with dynamic ways to engage and share their love for music.”
And at Merlin, Ryan McWhinnie, vp of business & legal affairs, said, “Community is at the center of independent music. This partnership with Hangout brings new opportunities for our global membership and their artists to connect with fans and broaden their communities.”
Spotify, the world’s biggest music streaming platform, isn’t showing signs of slowing down. In the third quarter, revenue hit 3.99 billion euros ($4.32 billion) and subscribers grew by 6 million, the company announced Tuesday (Nov. 12).
The Swedish music streaming company has helped revolutionize how people listen to music but until recently, it didn’t have financial results to match its market power. Reacting to investors’ demands for both growth and profitability, last year Spotify tightened its belt and laid off about a quarter of its workforce, and this year’s quarterly financial results have shown marked improvements in margin and profitability without sacrificing all-important subscriber growth.
Although revenue was slightly below Spotify’s previous guidance of 4 billion euros ($4.4 billion), operating profit was a record high of 454 million euros ($500 million), exceeding guidance by 12%. After routinely posting operating losses in previous years, Spotify’s operating profit increased 70% from the second quarter and was up more than 14-fold from the prior-year quarter.
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Likewise, gross margin — revenue less cost of sales — reached 1.24 billion euros ($1.37 billion) and improved to 31.1% of revenue, up from 29.2%, 27.6% and 26.7% in the preceding three quarters. The margin improvement was attributed to gains from premium subscriptions as well as audiobooks and ad-supported gains.
Recent price increases in the U.S. and many other markets didn’t slow subscriber growth. Spotify finished the third quarter with 252 million subscribers, an increase of 6 million from the prior quarter and 11.5% higher than the prior-year period. Subscription revenue reached 3.51 billion euros ($3.86 billion), up 20.8% year-over-year. Premium average revenue per user increased 9% (at constant currency) to 4.71 euros ($5.18).
Advertising, a key ingredient to both Spotify’s freemium music model and podcasting business, continued to lag behind subscriptions. Advertising revenue of 472 million euros ($520 million) was up 5.6% from the second quarter and up 3.5% from the prior-year quarter. Music advertising was helped by growth in impressions sold and hampered by pricing weakness. Podcast advertising also suffered from pricing weakness and benefitted from growth in impressions sold.
The results sent Spotify’s share price price soaring in after-hours trading. Following the earnings release after markets closed, Spotify shares jumped over 9% to $459. Before trading closed, the stock hit an all-time high of $419.72 and posted its best-ever closing price of $419.48, up 2.3%. The stock closed above $400 for the first time on Friday (Nov. 8) and has gained 123% in 2024.
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Calling all Marvel fans! Deadpool & Wolverine is now streaming on Disney+. This comes after the film’s digital release last month, via Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Fandango at Home.
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The threequel is the 34th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and premiered in theaters on July 26, following Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018). The film grossed north of $1 billion at the global box office, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2024 and the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
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If you’re a music fan, you’ve likely noticed the film’s powerful soundtrack, which includes nostalgic smashes from Fergie, Goo Goo Dolls, Huey Lewis and the News and Avril Lavigne, among others — and has resulted in several of those songs experiencing hefty streaming bumps. Most notably, *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 over the summer at No. 45.
The film is directed by Shawn Levy, known for Stranger Things, Real Steel and the Night at the Museum franchise. The cast includes Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Aaron Stanford, Dafne Keen, Jon Favreau, Jennifer Garner, Wesley Snipes, Channing Tatum, Chris Evans, Henry Cavill, Wunmi Mosaku, Tyler Mane, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand and Shioli Kutsuna.
Keep reading for details on how to watch and stream Deadpool & Wolverine.
Where to Stream Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine is now streaming on Disney+. Don’t have a Disney+ subscription? Disney+ plans start at $10.99/month for the Basic subscription and $19.99/month for Premium (ad-free streaming).
Disney+ offers a huge collection of exclusive movies and TV shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and more. Go get your subscription now and get ready for a movie night with family and friends.
If you want to expand your content offerings, you can also bundle Disney+ with Hulu, Max and ESPN+ for just $26.99/month. For live TV offerings, you can bundle the streamer with Hulu + Live TV.
You can also rent or buy Deadpool & Wolverine on Prime Video and Apple TV+. For those looking for an alternative option, the film is also available on 4K Blu-ray and DVD.
If you choose to watch via Prime Video, you can rent Deadpool & Wolverine for $24.99 or buy it for $29.99. You don’t need a Prime membership to rent or buy the movie through Prime Video—simply make your purchase, and the movie will automatically download to your video library. Rentals remain available for 30 days after purchase and 48 hours after you start streaming the movie.
Prime Video provides an extensive array of exclusive TV series, movies and other must-watch programs, and you can add Prime Channels such as Paramount+, Max, Starz and Showtime, BET+ and AMC+.
Besides Deadpool & Wolverine, Prime Video features exclusives like Twisters, Despicable Me 4, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Space Cadet, Marlon Wayans: Good Grief, Prime Video features exclusives like The Idea of You, Fallout, Them 2, Invincible, Road House, Reacher, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Citadel, Daisy Jones & The Six, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Swarm, Harlem, The Boys, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Fleabag, The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Wheel of Time and The Legend of Vox Machina.
For those looking for an alternative way to stream, you can watch Deadpool & Wolverine through Apple iTunes on VOD. You can rent Deadpool & Wolverine online for $24.99, or you can purchase the movie for $29.99. Apple TV doesn’t require an Apple TV+ subscription to watch the movie — you just need access to the Apple TV app or you can purchase Deadpool & Wolverine through the official Apple TV website. After purchasing, the movie will automatically download into your video library, allowing you to stream it at your convenience. Similar to Prime Video, rentals are accessible for 30 days after purchase, and for 48 hours once you begin watching the movie.
If you want to rewatch Deadpool and Deadpool 2, you can catch it on Max. Plans cost $9.99/month to watch with ads and $15.99/month for ad-free streaming. The Deadpool movies are also available on Prime Video, Hulu and Verizon Fios.
Max combines movies, TV, sports and news into one streaming platform. Max subscribers can stream HBO, Max Originals, ID Network, TLC, CNN, Discovery and more.
Some of the movies, TV shows and exclusive series streaming on Max include Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, The Last of Us, And Just Like That, Lady Gaga’s Chromatic Ball, House of the Dragon, Hacks, True Detective: Night Country, Succession, Selena + Restaurant, Dune: Part 2 and Ironclaw.
Tencent Music Entertainment reported a 35% uptick in profit on Tuesday after the Chinese music streamer added 2 million subscribers over the third quarter.
TME reported net profit for the third quarter of RMB1.71 billion ($244 million), and total revenues of RMB7.02 billion ($1 billion)–increases of 35.3% and 6.8% respectively from the third quarter last year. Music subscription revenue grew by more than 20%, which offset the continued decline in social entertainment services revenue TME has seen for more than a year.
“This quarter’s robust music subscription performance, with better-than-expected net subscriber additions and an expanding ARPPU, highlights the effectiveness of our balanced approach to achieve growth, which is important to drive paying user base expansion in the coming years,” TME’s chief executive officer Ross Liang said in a statement.
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TME added 2 million new paying users during the third quarter to bring its total number of subscribers to 119 million, which drove a 4.9% expansion of the company’s monthly average revenue per paying user (ARPPU). That metric now stands at RMB 10.8 ($1.50). Music subscriptions revenue grew to RMB3.84 billion ($547 million) representing 20.3% year-over-year growth.
The company’s gross margin — the percentage of company revenue that remains after expenses are taken out — rose to 42.6% from 35.7% in the year-ago quarter, thanks to increased revenues from subscriptions and advertising.
Notably, TME said its number of SVIP subscribers — a premium tier that costs five times more than the regular version — topped 10 million in the quarter ending Sept. 30.
Tencent Music executives said partnering with Galaxy Corporation this quarter for K-pop icon G-Dragon upcoming tour boosted its content offerings with audiences.
G-Dragon released his first single in seven years, “POWER,” in October ahead of his tour of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.
TME’s stock was trading at $10.46, down 9.48% at 10:25 a.m. in New York. TME’s stock has declined by nearly 18% in the past month, but is still up 19.7% year to date.
The 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards celebrated music around the globe with a star-studded event on Sunday (Nov. 10) hosted by Rita Ora.
Taylor Swift leads the list of nominations with seven nods including best pop, best artist and biggest fans.
Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish earned five nods. Beyoncé, LISA, Kendrick Lamar, Ayra Starr, Chappell Roan and Tyla landed four nods each.
Other nominees include Boone, LE SSERAFIM, Teddy Swims, Camila Cabello, Dua Lipa, Rema, Tems, Coldplay, Jimin, Katy Perry, Anitta, Karol G, Shakira, NewJeans, Stray Kids, Hozier, Megan Thee Stallion, Kehlani, SZA, Tinashe, RAYE and Shawn Mendes.
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See below for everything you need to know about how to watch the 2024 MTV EMAs on TV and online.
When are the 2024 MTV EMAs?
The 2024 MTV EMAs will be held at the Co-Op Live in Manchester on Sunday. The show will broadcast live on MTV in the U.K. and 150 countries, in addition to red carpet and backstage footage streaming via MTVEMA.com and the MTV EMA’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram accounts. Viewers can stream internationally via ExpressVPN.
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How to Watch & Stream the 2024 EMAs online free
For those looking to watch the EMAs, the ceremony will re-broadcast on MTV and MTV2 on Monday (Nov. 11) at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. If you already have cable or satellite, check your local listings for channel information.
Online viewers can stream MTV and MTV2 via Direct TV Stream, fuboTV, Philo and Sling TV. Signing up for free trials through platforms such as Direct TV Stream, fuboTV and Philo will give you access to MTV and MTV2 to let you watch the EMAs from your TV, laptop, tablet or phone.
Additionally, the 2024 MTV EMAs will begin streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV on Monday. Not subscribed to Paramount+? Subscriptions start at $7.99/month after a free, one-week trial.
From must-watch movies and acclaimed originals to live sports and exclusives from MTV, and other Viacom channels, Paramount+ is home to a mountain of entertainment. The lineup of original programs on Paramount+ includes Lioness, Tulsa King, Ink Master, The Good Fight, Evil, Seal Team, 1883 and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
Paramount+ is also available on Prime Video and you can access the platform from outside of the U.S. with ExpressVPN.
Who is performing at the 2024 MTV EMAs?
LE SSERAFIM, Peso Pluma, Tyla, Benson Boone, Mendes, The Warning, RAYE, Pet Shop Boys are among this year’s performers.
TikTok took another step to integrate itself deeper into the music streaming ecosystem on Thursday (Nov. 7), as Spotify and Apple Music users gained the ability to easily share songs on the short-form video app — posting them to their For You Page, for example, or sharing them via DM.
When TikTok’s popularity exploded in 2019 and 2020, it seemed like a competitor to many of the older streaming services. Suddenly users didn’t want to leave the addictive short-form video app to listen to songs elsewhere. TikTok proved to be especially effective at driving music discovery for younger listeners.
So it wasn’t surprising that, when Spotify celebrated new features at its Stream On event in 2023, executives poked at TikTok — “There’s a disconnect between where music is being teased and where music is actually being streamed,” for example — without naming it. In recent months, however, two platforms that once looked like rivals appear increasingly interested in collaboration.
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In November 2023, TikTok unveiled the “Add to Music App” to serve as “a direct link between discovery on TikTok and consumption on a music streaming service, making it easier than ever for music fans to enjoy the full lengthy song on the music streaming service of their choice,” as Ole Obermann, TikTok’s global head of music business development, said in a statement at the time. In addition, TikTok shuttered its own streaming service, TikTok Music, in September.
At the same time, Spotify has said it is newly focused on finding ways for users to share the music they love. For a long time, “sharing was generally seen as an afterthought to the core features on the Spotify platform,” Priscilla Chan, associate director on the business development team, explained in a blog post in September.
“Now, these partnerships and features are vitally important drivers of the viral loop of growth for Spotify,” she continued. It’s all part of the platform’s goal of “being everywhere where our existing and potential users are” to “extend our global reach.”
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
At some point, you may have been asked what you would say to your younger self if you could. Well, Amazon MGM Studios has explored that exact scenario in My Old Ass. Starring Agatha All Along‘s Aubrey Plaza and the drama series Nashville‘s Maisy Stella, the coming-of-age comedy sees what happens when an 18-year-old comes face-to-face with her older self.
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My Old Ass had a limited theater release on Sept. 13, but for those who couldn’t get tickets to see the movie on the big screen (or who just want to rewatch every nostalgia-inducing scene), you can now watch My Old Ass online on Prime Video.
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The movie officially dropped onto streaming on Thursday (Nov. 7). Keep reading to learn about all of the streaming options available.
How to Watch My Old Ass Online for Free
You can watch My Old Ass online for free exclusively through Prime Video. Since the film is a part of Amazon MGM Studios, that means you can only stream it through Amazon’s streaming platform. Prime members can watch My Old Ass for no additional cost when you sign into your account.
Don’t have a Prime membership? Amazon offers a 30-day free trial to new users who sign up. You’ll be able to watch My Old Ass in addition to the entire Prime Video library for free. Once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged the regular subscription price of $14.99/month or $139/year.
Bonus savings: Adults ages 18-24 or students at an accredited university can get a six-month free trial and 50% off membership fee when you sign up for Prime Student. Qualifying government programs can also get you access to the EBT/Medicaid membership, which has a 30-day free trial and half-off subscription price.
In addition to being able to stream My Old Ass online for free, Prime members get access to everything within the Prime Video library, including original and exclusive content such as The Idea of You, Fallout, Citadel: Honey Bunny, From, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Boys, Gen V, Reacher, Them: The Scare and Infinite.
To expand you program offerings, the Prime Channel Storefront offers premium channels including streamers like Max, Apple TV+, Paramount+ and Starz to give you even more content to stream all in one spot.
Watch the official trailer for My Old Ass below:
Deezer has appointed Pedro Kurtz as director of operations for the Americas, Billboard can exclusively announce today (Nov. 7). Kurtz—who joined the company in 2020 as head of music in Brazil and served as director of content for LATAM—will be based at Deezer’s Brazil headquarters in São Paulo and report directly to the global team […]
The federal government has ordered the dissolution of TikTok in Canada.
Canadian users will still be able to use and access the popular social media app, but the company’s Canadian operations, which has offices in Toronto and Vancouver, have been ordered to “wind down.”
This follows a national security review of TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance Ltd.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” said Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne in a statement, reported by Canadian Press.
He also told CBC that TikTok’s Canadian operations are potentially “injurious to national security.” He wouldn’t go into specifics, but said “I know Canadians would understand when you’re saying the government of Canada is taking measures to protect national security, that’s serious.”
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Canadians will still be able to watch TikTok videos and post their own on the app, but the company will no longer be able to conduct business in the country.
TikTok, however, will not leave without a fight.
“Shutting down TikTok’s Canadian offices and destroying hundreds of well-paying local jobs is not in anyone’s best interest, and today’s shutdown order will do just that. We will challenge this order in court,” a spokesperson for TikTok told the national broadcaster.
TikTok has faced similar scrutiny in the United States, with an order for ByteDance to sell the platform or stop operating.
In Canada, a big part of TikTok’s operations revolve around music and it has a number of initiatives to support local creators. In April, the company launched a weekly music chart measuring viral songs on the platform in Canada.
A number of Canadian artists like Lauren Spencer Smith, Alexander Stewart, Crash Adams and, most successfully, Tate McRae, have built successful music careers on TikTok.
More on this story as it develops.
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The 2024 presidential race comes to an end on Tuesday (Nov. 5), nearly four months after Vice President Kamala Harris stepped onto the campaign trail against former President Donald Trump.
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This year’s race to the White House featured just one presidential debate, multiple campaign rallies and a myriad of celebrity endorsements from Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Cardi B, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and other music stars.
Whether you’re hosting an election watch party, or attending one, you can expect wall-to-wall coverage across cable news, local channels and social media. If you’re planning to watch the election results live, we’ve collected a list of the easiest ways to watch and stream the 2024 presidential election live without cable.
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Election Night: How to Watch Coverage Live Without Cable
Election night is like the Super Bowl for cable news. As such, coverage of the presidential race will broadcast on majors news outlets including MSNBC, CNN, ABC News, CBS, NBC, Fox News, C-SPAN and PBS News.
You can stream cable channels live on DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV.
Want to watch for free? DirecTV and Fubo offer free trials for up to a week. Streaming plans start at $59.99 for Fubo and $87 for DirecTV Stream.
Most channels including NBC News, CNN and CBS News, plans to broadcast election coverage live and stream it across their respective, on-demand platforms (Peacock, Paramount+, Max, etc).
For example, CNN’s coverage will include election editions of The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper 360, CNN NewsNight: State of the Race with Abby Phillip and Laura Coates Live airing live on the cable channel and streaming on Max. CNN’s election coverage starts at 5 p.m. ET on Monday.
ABC will air and stream election coverage across ABC, Disney+ and Hulu. Fox News’ election coverage will broadcast on Fox News and stream on Fox New Digital.
NBC’s election coverage will stream live on Peacock where users can access election Multiview featuring three live streams of NBC News coverage and analysis starting at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Coverage ends at approximately 2 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
CBS News will air and stream election night coverage on CBS, Paramount+ and CBS News 24/7. Primetime coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Election night will be anchored by Norah O’Donnell live from CBS News’ election headquarters in New York City. Margaret Brennan, John Dickerson, Gayle King, Cecilia Vega, Robert Costa and Ed O’Keefe will join O’Donnell.
Coverage will likely be available to stream on Philo as well. Streaming plans start at $28/month. Click here to launch your free trial.
Want to stream the election internationally? Expats, global trotters and anyone else attempting to watch from outside of the U.S. can access streaming platforms, channels and more with ExpressVPN.
How to Watch Election Coverage on Prime Video
Prime Video will also stream live coverage of the 2024 election hosted by Brian Williams. Election Night: Live with Brain Williams starts at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on Prime Video.
Access to Prime Video comes included with your Prime membership. Not a member? Launch your free trial here.
Speaking of tech, if you need a new TV for election night and beyond, there are plenty of affordable options such as the onn. 40-inch Class FHD (1080P) LED Roku Smart TV ($118), or Vizio’s Classic 50-inch 4K UHD TV currently on sale for $298.
Need a drink to get you through election night? Total Wine, Amazon Fresh and Walmart offer delivery and in-store pickup for wine, beer, wine, liquor and non-alcoholic beverages.