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TikTok’s decision to boycott Merlin and pursue direct deals with Merlin’s member labels is a troubling move that undermines the rights of labels to choose how their music is licensed. While TikTok frames this shift as a way to tackle streaming fraud, it’s clear that the real motive is to weaken the bargaining power of independent labels and use that leverage to suppress rates.
Merlin has built strong partnerships over the last 16 years with more than 40 digital services worldwide. These partners recognize the value Merlin brings—efficiency, scale, and a deep understanding of the independent music community. TikTok’s move to sideline Merlin is not about protecting against fraud but about undermining the ability of independent labels to achieve competitive terms, not just now but for the long term. The ultimate consequence of its refusal to negotiate with Merlin for the music that earns TikTok billions of dollars, will be to damage artists’ ability to make a living from their art.
This tactic is not new. It echoes the historical struggles of the music industry with partners such as terrestrial radio and MTV, both of which profited massively from the use of recorded music while refusing to pay artists under the pretext of “promotional value” or “exposure” — ostensibly for the sale of an artist’s CDs or LPs. In this largely digital economy the stream is the sale – and it has been widely reported that TikTok pays rights holders far less than other services for equivalent uses of music.
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Richard James Burgess, President and CEO of A2IM
Independent labels choose Merlin to license their rights, because of its expertise, experience and track record in striking these kinds of deals. This ensures compensation at levels enabling them to compete with the majors and protects independents from being unfairly exploited. TikTok’s decision to bypass Merlin and demand direct deals is an assault on the freedom of small and medium sized enterprises to determine their own business strategies. The fact that TikTok is giving Merlin members a matter of days to accept TikTok’s terms or lose access to its massive platform, is an unfair exercise of its market power.
This apparent divide-and-conquer strategy is, we believe, designed to keep payouts for indie artists low by exploiting their perceived reliance on TikTok’s platform. It’s not about addressing fraud or improving the digital music ecosystem. In fact, by exponentially multiplying the number of license deals TikTok will need to strike and by losing Merlin as a partner in the fight against fraudulent material, more fraud is likely to ensue. Merlin simplifies licensing, making it easier for platforms to access diverse, independent music. Fragmenting this system hurts artists and fans and will limit the range of music available on TikTok.
At its core, this issue is about respecting the rights of independent labels to determine how their music is licensed. TikTok’s behavior doesn’t reflect a problem with Merlin; it reflects TikTok’s lack of respect for the value of music. Every other major platform has struck responsible deals with Merlin that balance the needs of the service with optimized compensation for artists. TikTok’s refusal to do so sets a dangerous precedent for recording artists and their labels.
TikTok must stop undermining and disrespecting the independent music community. It can do this by working with the labels’ rights management agency of choice to establish a fair, transparent licensing system that benefits all stakeholders in the music ecosystem. Independent labels have the right to choose their representatives to negotiate deals that truly reflect the value of their artists’ creative contributions. Anything less is a disservice to the artists and the fans and undermines the very fabric of music culture.
Dr. Richard James Burgess is an acclaimed musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor, who presently serves as the president and CEO of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM).
Spotify subscribers in 97 countries will no longer have to leave the app to watch their favorite artists’ music videos, the company announced on Tuesday (Oct. 15). The beta test, which started earlier this year in around a dozen countries — including the U.K., Germany, Brazil and Colombia — will also expand to South Korea […]
Spotify made its free tier available to listeners in South Korea on Wednesday (Oct. 9). When the streaming service launched in the country in 2021, it only made its subscription option available for music fans.
“We’re opening the door to every Korean listener to start discovering and connecting with millions of songs and podcasts with our technology and service,” Gautam Talwar, general manager, Asia Pacific, for Spotify, said in a statement. That “means huge potential for new audiences, discoverability and ultimately, more revenue for artists.”
South Korea was the seventh largest music market in the world in 2022, according to the IFPI, trailing the U.S., Japan, the U.K., Germany, China, and France. “Countries such as China and South Korea have significant growth of fans paying for streaming,” Shridhar Subramaniam, Sony Music’s president of corporate strategy and market development, Asia & Middle East, told the IFPI. “The paid ecosystem is established, and now the challenge is to look at the value of music on streaming and social media platforms.”
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Talwar said average monthly streams of South Korean artists on Spotify now exceed 5.8 billion. That is “over 70% growth since Spotify’s launch in South Korea three years ago — spanning across K-Pop to Hip-hop, Indie and more — with markets such as the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, India, South Korea and Taiwan among the top streamers.” Talwar added. “We are committed to growing and expanding artists’ reach worldwide and the launch of our Free offering in the market will add even more Korean listeners to that mix.”
Spotify added 7 million subscribers in the second quarter of 2024, exceeding its forecasts. It now has more than 626 million total monthly active users, and 246 million subscribers.
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House of Villains returns with a two-night, season premiere airing on E! on Wednesday (Oct. 9).
In Season 2, a fresh batch of reality stars move into a mansion and compete against for a chance to win $200,000 and the title of “America’s Ultimate Supervillain.”
The cast of reality stars includes Safaree from Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta, The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa Giudice, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Kandy Muse, Larissa Lima from 90 Day Fiancé, Camilla Poindexter from Bad Girls Club, Jessie Godderz from Big Brother, Survivor winner Richard Hatch and Wes Bergmann from MTV’s The Challenge.
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Tiffany “New York” Pollard, best known for Flavor of Love, appears in her second consecutive, season of House of Villains.
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Read on for ways to stream the show for free.
Where to Stream House of Villains for Free
The new season of House of Villains premieres on E! on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
The 75-minute episode will simulcast across Bravo, E!, SYFY and USA.
No cable? Stream House of Villains Season 2 on DirecTV Stream, Fubo or Sling TV (paid episodes will be available on Prime Video and Apple TV).
Part two of the season premiere airs on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. After the season premiere, House of Villains will air on Thursdays on E! at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
DirecTV offers a free trial for five days, DVR storage, access to live and on-demand streaming, plus over 90 cable and local channels including E!, Bravo, MTV, VH1, USA, SYFY, Lifetime and WEtv.
House of Villains is hosted by Joel McHale. Janice Dickinson, Tori Spelling and former “villains” Bobby Lytes and Jax Taylor are some of the surprise guests dropping by this season.
Watch the trailer for House of Villains Season 2 below.
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It’s opening night for the NHL! The 2024-25 season launches on Tuesday (Oct. 8) with a tripleheader broadcasting live on ESPN and streaming on ESPN+.
The 2024 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will take the ice against the Boston Bruins in one of three games on the roster. Will any stars be in attendance? Ariana Grande hit up the Stanley Cup Final, while DJ Khaled and Kid LAROI headlined the Stanley Cup concert series, but we’ll have to wait to see which recording stars will attend opening night games.
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Tonight’s NHL schedule includes the Seattle Kraken vs. St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks vs. Utah Hockey Club.
No cable? No problem! All three games will be available to stream on DirecTV, Fubo and Sling TV.
Read on for more details.
NHL Opening Night Schedule: When and Where to Watch
Tonight’s NHL games will air live on ESPN and stream on ESPN+, starting with St. Louis vs. Seattle at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
Boston will face Florida in the second game of the night, which takes place at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. Closing out the night, Chicago vs. Boston at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. on ESPN and ESPN+.
Hockey fans can stream ESPN, ESPN 2, NHL Network and more for free on DirecTV and Fubo. Both streamers offer a free trial for up to a week and monthly plans priced below $80. Sling TV’s streaming plans start as low as $20 per month.
Wants to catch most of the games scheduled for NHL opening week? Subscribe to ESPN+.
More than 25 NHL games are scheduled to stream live on ESPN+ between now and Oct. 14.
Streaming plans currently start at $10.99 per month or $109 for the annual plan (ESPN+ plans will go up $1 starting on Oct. 17).
Looking for a streaming deal? You can bundle ESPN+ with Hulu and Disney+ starting at $14.99 ($16.99 starting Oct. 17). Or, join Hulu + Live TV ($77/month) to stream over 90 live channels, alongside access to ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+.
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The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers lead this week’s Sunday Night Football schedule. The game will air live on Sunday (Oct. 6) on NBC and stream on Peacock.
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Heading into the matchup against Pittsburgh, the Cowboys have a 2-2 record for the season compared to the Steelers’ 3-1 record.
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Keep reading for the best ways to livestream the game online.
Cowboys vs. Steelers: Where to Watch
The Steelers will host the Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Oct. 6. Game coverage starts at 8:20 p.m./5:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
The game will be available to stream on DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV.
To watch the game for free, subscribe to a streamer that offers a free trial such as DirecTV Stream, Fubo or Hulu + Live TV.
DirecTV Stream’s Entertainment + Sports package is on sale for $87 per month (reg. $102). The streaming plan lets you access to 90+ channels including NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC. For sports lovers, DirecTV offers a ton of cable channels including ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes, FS1, FS2 and ACCN.
Peacock starts at $7.99 per month for the Premium plan, but if you want live access to NBC, subscribe to the Premium Plus for $13.99 per month.
Sunday’s football schedule is packed with games airing across NBC, CBS, Fox and NFL Network. The schedule includes the New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns vs. Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Denver Broncos, and New York Giants vs. Seattle Seahawks.
What other ways can you stream football games? Join NFL+ and stream every game during the season.
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The American Music Awards’ 50th Anniversary Special premieres on Sunday (Oct. 6). The two-hour special, featuring performances from Mariah Carey, Stray Kids and more, will broadcast on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
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Mariah Carey, Stray Kids, Jennifer Hudson, Nelly, Nile Rodgers, Chaka Khan, Brad Paisley, Kane Brown, Sheila E., RAYE and Green Day, are among the performers.
See below for everything you need to know about tuning into this year’s AMAs, and what to expect.
Where to Watch he 2024 AMAs Special
The American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special will air coast-to-coast on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT on CBS and CBS.com. If you have cable (or a digital TV antenna like these from Amazon), you can watch the AMAs special on TV through your local CBS affiliate on DirectTV Stream, fuboTV, SlingTV and Paramount+ with Showtime.
The AMAs will also be available to stream on-demand via the Paramount+ Essential plan. Sign up for here.
How to Watch the AMAs Online Free
If you’ve cut the cable cord, you’ll still be able to watch the American Music Awards anniversary special by streaming it using SlingTV, fuboTV, DirectTV Stream or Hulu + Live TV. Most of these services offer free trials, which will allow you to watch the AMAs special for free online and stream performances.
For those without cable, CBS can be streamed online via Paramount+. Signing up for free trials of fuboTV or DirectTV Stream will give you access to CBS as well, as both services include CBS, to let you watch the AMAs special live on TV or stream the special from your laptop, tablet or phone.
Paramount+ with stream the 50th anniversary special live and on-demand. Sign up here.
Who Is Performing at the AMAs 50th Anniversary Special?
Carey will perform a medley of songs from The Emancipation of Mimi in honor of the album’s 20th anniversary. Stray Kids will deliver a special performance “honoring the legacy of boy bands,” per Paramount. RAYE is set to perform the James Brown classic “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” Knight will perform of “Midnight Train to Georgia” and Hudson will honor Whitney Houston. Brad Paisley will honor the late Charley Pride, the first American Music Award (AMA) winner for Country Male and Country Album, and perform new single “Truck Still Works.”
Green Day will perform their latest hit, “Dilemma.”
The anniversary special will features special Appearances by AJ McLean, Cedric The Entertainer, Kate Hudson, Lance Bass, Reba McEntire, Samuel L. Jackson and Smokey Robinson.
As for the 2025 AMAs, the ceremony will take place in May instead of November. See our full list of nominees here.
From CDs to streaming to AI, new technology has had an outsized impact on the music industry for decades — and Venice Music founder/CEO Troy Carter predicts the next big technological shift will come in the form of synthetic artists.
At a panel titled “The Future of Streaming” at the inaugural Trapital Summit in Hollywood on Thursday (Oct. 3), Carter said he does not believe audiences will be able to tell the difference between physical artists and their holographic images in the coming years — and that those lifelike holograms represent the next big revenue generator in music.
To illustrate his point, Carter highlighted what Industrial Light & Magic created for the ABBA Voyage holographic concerts in London. “In terms of live experience, it’s a combination of artificial intelligence and high-end holographic imaging that seems real. The audience won’t be able to tell the difference,” said Carter. “When you go to whatever streaming service, you won’t be able to tell whether that is a human artist or a synthetic artist. When you go to see them live, you won’t be able to tell if it is a human artist or synthetic artist. And the audience won’t care.”
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The bold prediction from the former Spotify executive stemmed from Trapital founder and moderator Dan Runcie’s question about what will replace streaming in the music consumption hierarchy as the technology reaches its saturation point.
While Carter stated that the ascension of synthetic artists will take away from “the purity that our industry thrives on…the genie is out of the bottle and the audience doesn’t care,” he said. “They’re going to gravitate towards it and it’s going to be hugely competitive with what legacy music is today.”
The use of synthetic artists, Carter believes, will be beneficial to both human artists and the wider industry due to its scale. By employing them, he said, “you could do [live experiences and recorded music] in every language. You could do it in all parts of the world. Then there are ways for real artists to be able to use that technology to be able to scale their businesses, as well.”
The discussion followed Carter’s thoughts earlier in the panel on where the music industry needs to be placing its energy now that, in his words, the trend of signing artists from TikTok is “starting to crumble.”
“Everybody chased what was hot on TikTok. We gave the keys to TikTok,” said Carter. “Everybody bet on ephemeral artists for the most part and ephemeral songs on TikTok and that’s starting to crumble now. We got to get to a point where it’s, ‘Okay, let’s bet on the art. Let’s bet on the artist. Let’s bet on development and really put strategy around that.’ The people who can do that are going to build billion-dollar brands with artists.”
According to Carter, the music industry can best use new technologies to its advantage by striking true partnerships with the companies that create it.
“In order for this to work, you need partners in this ecosystem whose incentives are aligned with our industry,” he said. “Me going inside of Spotify, Lyor [Cohen] going inside of YouTube, Jimmy [Iovine] and Larry [Jackson] going inside of Apple, it was people who were actually internally helping to align the interest [of music and technology] and being able to explain why [the music] is important. Some great things came out of that, in terms of building real partnerships. We have to hold all partners who are coming into our industry, who we’re giving content to, accountable for that.”
Spotify is reportedly raising prices for subscribers in Canada.
The move comes amidst the implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which sees the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) requiring major foreign streamers — those with revenues over $25 million — to pay 5% of revenues as base contributions into funds for Canadian content.
The price increase also comes as the streaming giant raises costs in markets beyond Canada. In July, Spotify increased prices in the U.S. from $11 monthly for individuals to $12. That increase follows a previous hike in 2023, which affected both the U.S. and Canada, and marked the app’s first price increase since 2011.
In a statement to Billboard Canada, a Spotify spokesperson does not explicitly link the increase to the “streaming tax” but does indicate the company is part of a legal challenge against the CRTC. Spotify joined Amazon and Apple filed legal challenges against the CRTC this summer, following the June announcement of the regulation.
“As we continue to innovate and invest in providing our listeners with greater value than ever before, we occasionally update our prices,” a spokesperson for Spotify tells Billboard Canada. “We may also adjust our prices to reflect local macroeconomic factors and meet market demands while offering an unparalleled service. We, along with a number of others, have filed a legal challenge against the CRTC streaming tax in Canada, and so will not be commenting further publicly at this time.”
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The Online Streaming Act was implemented this year after extensive consultations last fall. The base contributions from major streamers are expected to generate 200 million in funds for Canadian content, with the contributions directed toward “areas of immediate need,” including funding bodies FACTOR and Musicaction, as well as the Indigenous Music Office.
Music rights-holders have called for increases to streaming prices, which haven’t matched inflation over the last decade. Spotify has been re-evaluating its prices and royalty models as it invests in audiobooks, making changes to its revenue share payouts which have de-monetized songs receiving fewer than 1000 plays per year.
The company has also made adjustments to its presence in Canada, laying off Nathan Wiszniak, Head of Artist & Label Partnerships at Spotify Canada, during a round of cuts last December. The company has since hired Elizabeth Phipps as Label Partnerships Lead, Canada.
During the consultations for the Online Streaming Act last fall, Spotify’s Olivia Regnier provided testimony before the government that suggested they might make changes to how Spotify operates in Canada if forced to pay.
“If asked to make a burdensome contribution, irrespective of our existing investments, Spotify will need to make financial decisions to sustainably run our business,” said Regnier. “Additional costs could require us to cut expenses, including [reducing] our resources for editorial, partnership, and promotional programs in Canada; reduce resources currently going back to the music ecosystem; or force us to raise prices for Canadian consumers,” she continued.
When the decision was announced in in June, organizations like the Motion Picture Association — Canada, which represents platforms like Netflix and Disney +, expressed dismay.
Others, like the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA), welcomed the announcement. “As we look towards the future of music in Canada, this decision lays the groundwork for a dynamic partnership with digital platforms where Canadian talent can thrive both domestically and internationally,” said CIMA President Andrew Cash.
Spotify has more than 600 million users and reported 3.6 billion euros in first quarter global revenue this year.
This article was originally published by Billboard Canada.
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Welcome to ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!
The new documentary released via Paramount+ on Wednesday (Oct. 2), chronicles the highs and lows of a beloved Mexican restaurant in Colorado and its connection to South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
The Colorado restaurant and entertainment space dubbed the “Disneyland of Mexican restaurants,” first opened in a strip mall in 1974. Over the decades, Casa Bonita has welcomed thousands of customers and became a legendary landmark in Denver. When Parker and Stone heard that it might close, they stepped up to save Casa Bonita, but preserving the crumbling structure turned out to be more work than they expected.
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How to Watch From Anywhere
¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor! is streaming now on Paramount+. The movie is exclusive to the platform, but if you’re not subscribed, you can join Paramount+ for free for the first month.
Plans start at $7.99/month for Paramount+ Essential and $12.99/month for Paramount+ with Showtime. The streamer offers annual plans as well, and student discounts.
Paramount+ is home to exclusive movies, series, reality shows and sports. Some of the exclusives to Paramount+ and Showtime include, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown, Evil, Seal Team, The Chi, Billions, Your Honor, The Curse, Yellowjackets, A Quiet Place: Day One, If and Bob Marley: One Love.
¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor! is directed by Arthur Bradford and produced by Jennifer Ollman. Bradford and Keith Pizzi are executive producers while Afshin Beyzaee and Vernon Chatman are co-executive producers.
Watch the trailer below.