Streaming
Page: 18
Recently, Spotify has reclassified its premium individual, duo and family subscription services as “bundled subscription services” in an ill-informed attempt to deprive songwriters and music publishers of their rightfully earned U.S. mechanical royalties. As a result, the agreed-upon revenue share rate for Spotify premium, currently 15.2%, may effectively be reduced to less than 12%, depending upon a number of factors. Losses to songwriters and publishers, estimated by Billboard to be $150 million on an annualized basis, will undoubtedly increase over time as subscription revenue and users grow.
Let me say straight away that this column is not intended to embarrass or disparage Spotify in any way. Quite the opposite: This is a respectful appeal to the company, specifically its senior leadership team, to do the right thing by songwriters, regardless of what strategies they appear to believe are legally permissible.
Trending on Billboard
Spotify has an unfortunate and documented history of punching down at songwriters and music publishers. In just the last few years, this includes appealing the Phonorecords III decision, which reasonably raised the mechanical royalty rate from 10.5% to 15.1% of revenue over a five-year period (while also providing discounted terms for family and student accounts that are beneficial to Spotify and other music services). Almost immediately after serving notice of its intention to appeal Phonorecords III, Spotify moved to retroactively implement the Copyright Royalty Board’s final pre-appeal decision and clawed back a multi-million-dollar credit from songwriters and music publishers throughout 2019. The appeal and remand process lasted for many years, ultimately delaying the payment of a large amount of mechanical royalties, including those earned during the hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic, until February 2024. And finally, in late 2021, Spotify proposed statutory rates for 2023-2027 that the NMPA referred to as the “lowest royalty rates in history.”
While the settlement of Phonorecords IV in 2022 was celebrated by both streaming services and music publishers, Spotify and other DSPs had especially good reason to rejoice. The settlement provides that revenue share rates minimally increase from the prior rate of 15.1% to 15.35% over a five-year period while also providing for discounts related to not only family and student accounts but also Spotify duo —subscription tiers that are meaningful to Spotify given the strong growth of family and duo plans, as the company has noted in earnings reports. The settlement also provides specific terms for DSPs that choose to bundle a qualifying music subscription service with other products and services.
It’s difficult to imagine why Spotify could have any degree of buyer’s remorse concerning the Phonorecords IV settlement or deliberately attempt to manipulate its terms given how clearly reasonable and fair it is. Spotify presumably entered into the settlement with the full knowledge and acceptance that it was agreeing to pay the revenue share rates of 15.1% to 15.35% upon a properly undiluted revenue base, as it had been doing until March 2024.
But Spotify has again devalued the contributions of songwriters to its platform, a move that has been described by rights and advocacy organizations as “cynical,” “potentially unlawful,” “greedy” and “offensive.”
I’ve been asked a lot in recent weeks why Spotify is doing this. The answer, other than perhaps “because they believe they can,” is simple. I believe that Spotify is unjustly attempting to reduce the amounts it pays to songwriters and music publishers in order to (1) effectively use the displaced royalties to offset the costs of running its audiobook business and (2) improve its margins.
Spotify’s reframing of the vast majority of its subscription services as bundled subscription services is a work of fiction. It has done so, in part, by launching a standalone audiobooks access tier that does not appear commercially attractive to users and was launched, at least to an extent, to support its “bundling” strategy. As noted in the Mechanical Licensing Collective’s (the MLC) legal complaint against Spotify, the audiobooks access tier is largely hidden from view on Spotify’s website on a page where the primary purpose is to steer subscribers to premium, not audiobooks access.
The audiobooks access tier is also only available in the United States, the only country to which the Phonorecords IV settlement and accompanying statutory framework applies, and is notably not available in any other country where audiobooks are available in premium. Spotify’s intent is rather obvious on its face, but to think that the availability of the audiobooks access tier as implemented is something of a silver bullet that qualifies it to reclassify its premium individual, family, and duo tiers as a bundled subscription service is a true mark of acting in bad faith. To do so when Spotify is reportedly on the cusp of rightfully raising prices in the United States is all the more insulting.
In the wake of the ire directed at Spotify from songwriters and the music publishing community in recent weeks, the company has issued statements to Billboard and other media.
First, Spotify has stated that it is simply doing what other services have done with bundled products. In my opinion, this is misleading. The Spotify competitors that have availed themselves of bundle reporting methods have done so for products that are bona fide bundles consisting of individually available services and products that hold a clear commercial value, and to which users actively elect to subscribe. Spotify has even done this itself for bundled products on a more limited basis, in the manner actually intended by the Phonorecords IV settlement and its predecessors. But as the MLC’s legal filing against Spotify notes, anyone who subscribed to Spotify premium prior to November 8, 2023, did not elect to receive audiobooks content or functionality. Many premium users have not utilized audiobooks even once; and, as of this writing, a non-student Spotify subscription without audiobooks does not even exist.
Spotify has also been quick to point out that music publishers “agreed to and celebrated” the Phonorecords IV settlement. I can assure readers there is no world in which the music publishing community truly believed that it was agreeing to bundling provisions in the manner in which they are being abused by Spotify to drastically reduce its payments to songwriters and music publishers. At minimum, Spotify’s actions clearly violate the spirit of the agreement, and to say otherwise is blatantly dishonest. To the extent Spotify may believe it has outsmarted songwriters and music publishers, there should be no pride in ownership.
Finally, Spotify has stated that it “paid a record amount to publishers and societies in 2023 and is on track to pay out an even larger amount in 2024,” which presumably refers to Spotify’s global rather than U.S. domestic spend on music publishing royalties. This may be true given Spotify’s growth trajectory, which as of its most recent reporting was up 20% year-over-year in revenue and up 14% in premium subscribers. However, it is wholly irrelevant and a deflection from the issue. Simply paying more from one year to the next does not atone for the grave offense at hand. The amount of royalties paid is not the only pertinent metric.
Spotify has repeatedly stated its desire to become a more efficient and profitable company. I applaud that. Spotify operating profitably is good for the music business — including songwriters and music publishers. And Spotify is welcome to spread its wings and invest in new areas of business such as podcasts and audiobooks. But let’s be clear: The royalties that Spotify pays to songwriters and music publishers (and other music rightsholders including record labels) are not preventing it from becoming or remaining profitable.
Spotify has said on multiple occasions, including during its 2022 investor day presentation, that it has chosen to prioritize growth over profitability and has done so deliberately and willingly. Its music gross margin has operated at strong numbers and improved over time, in part thanks to its marketplace initiatives, but overall gross margin has been dragged down by investments the company has made in the podcast space. Not all of those investments, including content deals and acquisitions of other companies, have produced positive results, as is well documented in various media, and Spotify has since pivoted to operate more efficiently and better ensure that its costs do not grow quicker than its revenue.
The royalties Spotify pays to songwriters and music publishers are not the problem, nor are the royalties it pays to others. Spotify receives tremendous value in exchange for the mechanical and other royalties that it pays for musical works, and songwriters should not be treated by Spotify as a drag on its margins. To pay slightly north of 15% of revenue for songwriters’ creative output is a gift, and there is absolutely no reason for Spotify to sneak around corners to dilute songwriters’ income. It is beyond the pale, even relative to actions that Spotify has taken against songwriters and publishers in recent years.
I love Spotify and have been a user since the very beginning. But I value the songs upon which it has built its entire business even more. Spotify is a house built by songwriters. In the modern listening environment, which heavily depends upon personalization, recommendations and playlists, songs and songwriters are an even more crucial part of the infrastructure and the value conveyed to consumers who pay Spotify subscription fees.
I’ve often said that compensating songwriters in accordance with the value that they bring to music streaming platforms is not only good business but also good for business. Spotify’s relationship with songwriters and publishers, whether it realizes it or not, is mission-critical and not just about maintaining positive sentiment. Given the global stature of Spotify and the company’s interest in various content types including podcasts, music videos and lyrics, returning its relationship with songwriters and publishers to a respectful position is important to its future. Unfortunately, Spotify’s relationship with the songwriter and music publishing communities that it has built its business upon is now more fraught and damaged than ever. Trust has been almost entirely eroded. That cannot merely be chalked up to, as Spotify stated during its most recent earnings call, “natural tensions between suppliers and distributors.” But it may not be too late to fix things.
Here is my genuine and respectful appeal to Spotify, and it’s not a big ask: Please voluntarily honor the Phonorecords IV settlement on the intended terms that you know fully well were agreed to and promptly reverse course on your misguided attempts to reduce U.S. mechanical royalties in this manner. Songwriters and the broader music publishing community will thank you. If this is too much to ask, I believe the songwriting community will never want to hear another word from Spotify about, to use the company’s own words, “giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art.”
Adam Parness was the global head of music publishing at Spotify from 2017 to 2019. He currently operates Adam Parness Music Consulting and serves as a highly trusted and sought after strategic advisor to numerous music rightsholders, notably in the music publishing space, as well as popular global brands, technology-based creative services companies and firms investing in music and technology.
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.
The all-new original animated series The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish arrives Monday (May 20) on Nickelodeon.
The 20-episode series is about a 10-year-old girl, Hazel Wells, who attempts to leave her house but ends up finding out her unusual neighbors, Cosmo and Wanda, are actually Fairy Godparents in disguise.
Ashleigh Crystal Hairston, known for her roles in Tiny Toons Looniversity and Craig of the Creek, voices Hazel Wells. Joining her are Daran Norris, reprising his role as Cosmo from The Fairly OddParents, and Susanne Blakeslee (The Loud House, Amphibia) as the voice of Wanda.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Nickelodeon’s cherished animated series The Fairly OddParents aired from 2001 to 2017, spanning 172 episodes.
Trending on Billboard
Keep reading for details on how to stream the new animated series for free.
The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish: How to Stream Free
The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish consists of 20 episodes. The series debuts Monday, May 20, at 4:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon in the United States and will “become accessible on Netflix internationally later in the year.”
In celebration of National Streaming Day, you might want to add DirecTV as one of your streaming options. DirecTV currently offers a deal at $49.99/month for the first three months. Take advantage of this limited offer and save big.
You can also catch the premiere of The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish for free by taking advantage of streaming platforms like: Philo, Fubo, and Paramount+, which all provide free trials lasting for up to 7 days.
Philo offers shows, movies, and 70+ channels including Nickelodeon, Lifetime, Hallmark Channel, MTV, and more for only $25/month. Start your 7-day free trial today.
Paramount+ is also offering a 7-day free trial when you sign up for either of its plans: Paramount+ Essential and Paramount+ with Showtime, which means you can watch The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish for free.
You can also stream it on SlingTV. With Sling Orange, you can stream Nick Jr. and other channels for $15 for your first month (regularly $40/month). It includes 32 channels with seven exclusive sports and family channels. Sling Blue is $20 for your first month (regularly $45/month), and it includes a total of 42 channels.
All you need to do is sign up for one of these trials, and you’ll be able to enjoy the new animated series.
Current Nickelodeon shows:
Alvinnn!!! And the Chipmunks
Danger Force
The Fairly OddParents
Henry Danger
ICarly
Kamp Koral: Spongebob’s Under Years
The Loud House
Monster High
Monster High 2 The Movie
NFL Slimetime
Nick News
The Patrick Star Show
The Really Loud House
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Rock Paper Scissors
The Smurfs
Spongebob Squarpants
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Thundermans
Transformers: Earthspark
Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan
Victorious
Zoey 101
In March, Spotify began paying music publishers and songwriters a discounted royalty rate for streams on its premium tiers — and the music business isn’t accepting the change without a fight. Spotify says that by adding audiobooks to its premium offerings, these subscriptions have been reclassified as “bundles,” a type of plan that qualifies for […]
The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) has sent a cease and desist letter to Spotify for allegedly hosting lyrics, music videos and podcast content that contain their members’ copyrighted musical works without proper licenses. The organization, which represents music publishers in the U.S., says that it “demands” that these alleged unlicensed works “be removed from the platform or Spotify will face copyright liability for continued use of these works.”
The letter comes a week after Billboard released an estimate, claiming that Spotify will pay about $150 million less in U.S. mechanical royalties to music publishers and songwriters in the next year than what publishers and songwriters were previously expecting. This is because Spotify added audiobooks into its premium, family and duo plans, and the company claims that the move now qualifies them as a bundle, which pays a discounted royalty rate from normal standalone subscriptions, given Spotify now has to pay for books and music from the same subscription price.
The cease and desist letter, obtained by Billboard, covers a separate issue to last week’s announcement, but the timing suggests the NMPA is hoping to push back against Spotify’s practices on several fronts. The letter continues: “Spotify appears to be engaged in direct infringement by hosting unlicensed musical works in its lyrics, videos and podcasts and by distributing unauthorized reproductions, synchronizations, displays and derivative sues of these musical works to its users. Making matters worse, Spotify profits from such infringement.”
Trending on Billboard
Written by NMPA’s executive vp and general counsel Danielle Aguirre, the letter did not cite any specific unlicensed works or say how many instances there are of unlicensed works on Spotify and warned about both unlicensed works as well as works that “will soon become unlicensed” by its members. When asked for a list or a ballpark number of the unlicensed works, NMPA declined to comment. If the NMPA ever gets to the point of filing a lawsuit against Spotify for these alleged offenses, however, the organization would then provide more detail.
Many music publishers currently have licenses in place with Spotify for their lyrics and video content. Unlike the government-regulated process of setting U.S. mechanical royalty rates, lyric and video licenses are direct deals between the publisher and the streaming service, and each negotiation is unique, but for lyrics specifically, some publishers will license through third party aggregators like Lyric Find. These deals are not considered to be major money makers for publishers or streamers, and although their duration can vary, the licenses typically run for 1-2 years, according to a source close to the matter.
The NMPA also cites a recent Wall Street Journal article that claimed Spotify is working on tools that would allow subscribers to “speed up, mash up and otherwise edit songs from their favorite artists” in its letter to Spotify, warning the streaming platform that if “any such feature” is released by Spotify “without the proper licenses in place from our members” it “may constitute additional direct infringement.”
Spotify and the NMPA have a history of not getting along, but since late 2022, it appeared the two were on relatively good terms. After a contentious five years of back-and-forth over how to set the U.S. mechanical royalty rate for streaming for 2018-2022, the NMPA, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and streaming services, like Spotify, came together to collectively settle the next rate period together (2023-2027), hoping to avoid another lengthy and costly fight. The result was something David Israelite, president and CEO of the NMPA, touted at the time as the “highest streaming rates in the history of digital streaming,” due to a raise in the headline rate.
Part of the compromise for that settlement, however, included an update to how bundles were treated, which was considered a potential benefit to streaming services. As the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) put it in their statement against Spotify’s bundling practices, music publishers believe Spotify used a “loophole” to “circumvent the [Copyright Royalty Board] settlement.” Israelite went further, calling the bundle reclassification a “potentially unlawful move” when it was first announced, even though Spotify believes it rightfully qualifies. Recently, the NMPA admitted a lawsuit against Spotify for bundling was “likely.”
Read the full letter below:
Dear Mr. Kaefer [vp and global head, music and audiobook business] and Ms. Konstan [general counsel of Spotify]:
I write on behalf of the National Music Publishers’ Association (“NMPA”) regarding copyright infringement of our members’ musical works on the Spotify platform. As the voice of our members, NMPA protects, promotes, and advances the interests of music creators and enforces the rights of publishers, and their songwriter partners, who own and/or control musical work copyrights.
Music is essential to Spotify’s service; it is the reason subscribers utilize the Spotify platform every day. Spotify’s primary use of musical works via interactive streams and downloads is subject to the antiquated compulsory license under 17 U.S.C. § 115 and consent decree-governed public performance licenses.
Regardless of the mechanical and public performance licenses Spotify may have, however, the use of lyrics and music in videos and podcasts on its platform requires rights that must be negotiated directly with rightsholders in a free market.
It has come to our attention that Spotify displays lyrics and reproduces and distributes music videos and podcasts using musical works without the consent of or compensation to the respective publishers and/or administrators (our members) who control the copyrights in the musical compositions. As such, these uses of musical works on the Spotify platform are not licensed or will soon become unlicensed.
U.S. copyright law generally grants copyright owners the exclusive right to, among other things, reproduce, distribute, display, perform publicly, and create derivative works from their copyrighted works under 17 U.S.C. § 106. Violation of these exclusive rights constitutes copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 501.
Spotify thus appears to be engaged in direct infringement by hosting unlicensed musical works in its lyrics, videos, and podcasts, and by distributing unauthorized reproductions, synchronizations, displays, and derivative uses of these musical works to its users. Making matters worse, Spotify profits from such infringement.
Accordingly, on behalf of our members, NMPA demands that unlicensed lyrics, music videos, and podcasts be removed from the platform or Spotify will face copyright liability for continued use of these works.
We also understand that Spotify wishes to offer a “remix” feature allowing Spotify subscribers to “speed up, mash up, and otherwise edit” their favorite songs to create derivative works. Spotify is on notice that release of any such feature without the proper licenses in place from our members may constitute additional direct infringement.
NMPA further demands that Spotify preserve all electronically stored information (“ESI”), as defined by Rule 34 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, along with any paper files, in Spotify’s possession, custody, or control that is relevant to use of our members’ unlicensed works. Spotify must also cease any auto-deletion operations affecting ESI relevant to this matter.
This letter is not intended as a full recitation of the facts or claims that may be made against Spotify by NMPA, its members, and/or other copyright owners, and is made without prejudice to all rights or remedies against Spotify and all others acting in concert with Spotify, including without limitation, monetary damages and attorneys’ fees as provided under 17 U.S.C. §§ 502-505.
Sincerely,
Danielle Aguierre
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.
Just because you cut the cable cord doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your favorite local channels — including CBS. The channel has become one of the go-to destinations for reality competition shows like Survivor, Amazing Race and Raid the Cage as well as nail-biting crime dramas and comedies such as Blue Bloods, NCIS, The Equalizer, Ghosts and Young Sheldon. Thanks to CBS Sports, you also get to watch live sporting events like the WNBA season and PGA tournaments while the fall and winter months bring live NFL games and more.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Live TV platforms are providing affordable streaming options to watch local channels without having to spend more than $100 a month. Rather than connect the cord, you can take advantage of free trials and promos going on that’ll score savings and allow you to watch CBS at home without cable.
Trending on Billboard
Keep reading to learn more about where to watch CBS online.
How to Watch CBS Online Without Cable for Free
If you don’t have cable, you may be able to watch CBS at home with a HD antenna like one of these from Amazon here. You can also get instant access to CBS through the channel’s official streaming platform Paramount+. Along with CBS, you’ll also be able to stream content from Nickelodeon, MTV, Bet, Comedy Central, Showtime and the Smithsonian Channel. If you already have a subscription, just log into your account to livestream content.
Don’t have Paramount+? New users will receive a seven-day free trial when you sign up. Once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged based on the plan you choose at checkout.
There are two plans to choose from: Paramount+ Essential and Paramount+ with Showtime. The Essential plan is ad-supported package and is the cheapest option at $5.99 a month. You’ll get access to tens of thousands of episodes and movies including exclusive and original content as well as NFL on CBS, UEFA Champions League and 24/7 live news on CBS News.
If you want to go ad-free, you can subscribe to Paramount+ with Showtime for $11.99 a month and you’ll not only receive access Showtime’s exclusive and original programs, but your local CBS station, additional live sports such as The Masters and NWSL and the ability to download content to watch on the go.
How to Stream CBS Live Online Free
Below, ShopBillboard rounded up additional live TV streaming platforms that offer CBS and/or CBS Sports online without cable, including promos and offers that can get the channel for free or a discounted price.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream is offering one month of its Sports Pack for free when you bundle one of its four packages. New users who sign up will also receive a five-day free trial, which will let you watch CBS Sports and more for free. Only the Ultimate and Premiere packages offer CBS Sports with plans starting at $110 (reg. $135) for more than 160 channels available. Packages include local channels, unlimited DVR storage and the ability to stream on three devices simultaneously.
Once the month is up you’ll be charged the subscription price based on what package you choose at checkout.
FuboTV
FuboTV is another affordable option offering a seven-day free trial for new users who sign up. There are four packages to choose from and ever single one includes CBS and CBS Sports. You’ll receive more than 185 channels starting at $80 (once the free trial is over). Along with the ability to livestream channels, you’ll get 1,000 hours of DVR and the ability to stream on up to 10 devices simultaneously. Upgrade to the Elite or Premier packages for 4K quality as well as Paramount+ with Showtime included for no added cost (only included in the Premier package).
Hulu + Live TV
Want the most bang for your buck? Hulu + Live TV doesn’t just let you watch everything within the Hulu library, it also gives you more than 90 live TV channels including CBS to watch sports including PGA, WNBA and more at home.
If you don’t have a Hulu + Live TV subscription, the streamer is offering a rare free trial that’ll get you your first three days free. Once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged the regular subscription fee of $77 a month.
For even more content, you can also bundle Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN+ to watch additional exclusive and original sporting events and programs that won’t air on CBS.
Can You Get CBS With Amazon Prime?
You can watch CBS shows and content when you add Paramount+ as a premium channel to your Prime subscription. Paramount + is the official distributor and streaming platform for CBS, which means you’ll get access to exclusive and original content all within the Prime Video library. Just go to the Prime Channel storefront and you can get a seven-day free trial of Paramount+. Once your free trial is over, you’ll be charged $5.99 a month on top of your Prime membership subscription.
Don’t have a Prime membership? Amazon is offering a 30-day free trial for new users who sign up — and you can stack on the Paramount+ free trial giving you access to all the benefits of a Prime membership as well as the ability to watch everything within the Paramount+ library, for free.
Is CBS On Hulu?
You won’t be able to livestream CBS programs with just a Hulu membership, but you can get live content when you subscribe to Hulu + Live TV. This includes everything from college sports, NFL and hit reality shows like The Amazing Race and Big Brother. Having just a Hulu membership will let you watch CBS shows and content the next day, but typically doesn’t include major sporting events.
Not long after Artist Partner Group (APG) signed Odetari — who specializes in glitchy, racing electronic tracks — last year, the label set up a second Spotify profile for him. Odetari “frequently has two to three different versions of records coming out a month,” explains Corey Calder, svp of marketing and creative services at APG. “If we were to have that all sit on his page, it would feel cluttered and make it hard for his fanbase to follow and track it all.”
This means that “HYPNOTIC DATA – Slowed & Reverbed” and “GMFU – Sped Up” live on a Spotify page called ODECORE, while the original hits will be found by anyone scrolling through Odetari’s own Spotify profile. And this split artist identity is part of a growing trend where acts keep one Spotify account for “official” releases, plus a side account for alternate versions.
Odetari’s labelmate 6arelyhuman puts remixes on Spotify under the name Sassy Scene. A Spotify account named Mei Mei The Bunny has only uploaded sped-up versions of Laufey singles, four to date. Mark Ambor has a breakout hit in “Belong Together;” his team uploaded the sped-up remix to Spotify through a separate account titled Lucky Socks.
Trending on Billboard
Even just a few years ago, creating alternate Spotify accounts for alternate versions of hit singles would’ve seemed wildly unnecessary. But user remixes and edits have proliferated and become popular soundtracks on short-form video platforms like TikTok.
Listeners often don’t care whether the “slowed and reverbed” sound they find on streaming is an official version generating income for the artist they like or a random upload — they just want to play the track that’s stuck in their head. As a result, labels adjusted by starting to release their own alternate reworks to satisfy this portion of the population. If they’re going to stream “Belong Together (Sped Up)” anyway, it might as well be a version that makes money for Ambor.
The streaming service Audiomack found that uploads of “manipulated songs” by labels — official tracks sped and slowed, pitched up and down, muffled and reverbed — shot up at the end of 2022. The number of these releases has continued to rise rapidly ever since, climbing from under 1,000 a quarter to around 6,000 a quarter.
These remixes can thrive in their own streaming ecosystems. Universal Music Group launched a Spotify account called Speed Radio that only posted sped-up versions of label releases; sped up nightcore did the same for singles from Warner Music Group.
The goal was “to create another mechanism for growth and a new algorithmic pocket on streaming services that helps increase visibility and discovery,” says Nima Nasseri, a former UMG executive whose role involved helping the company market user-generated remixes. As these Spotify pages amassed followers who enjoyed sped-up audio, they allowed new remixes to reach a larger audience by standing on the shoulders of their predecessors.
Some remix-focused side accounts exhibit clear links back to the mothership in a way that also helps drive awareness of the main artist project — ODECORE and Sassy Scene songs usually credit Odetari and 6rarelyhuman, respectively, as collaborators. Some of these alter-ego accounts, like Lucky Socks, maintain a degree of anonymity.
But both cater to a demand: Anyone searching Spotify for a sped-up version of 6rarelyhuman’s “Faster n Harder” finds the Sassy Scene version first. 6rarelyhuman picks up plays (and royalties) that might otherwise have been steered towards an entrepreneurial cover artist.
ODECORE has an additional function, according to Calder: Eventually, the goal is to turn it into a “sub-label” featuring music from artists signed to Odetari. “Ideally we’ll have a built-in audience already,” Calder says. ODECORE currently has more than 430,000 followers on Spotify, according to Chartmetric; that group functions as a potential launching pad to help Odetari’s future signings reach a wider listenership.
“A lot of what we do internally at APG is create multiple profiles for artists across social channels, and we’ll run fan pages in-house for our artists,” Calder continues. “We have these secondary and tertiary brands that are always on in the background. And so we just applied that same thinking to a Spotify profile.”
At the moment, the primary downside to releasing remixes under an alter ego is that they don’t count towards the success of the original on the Billboard charts. If artists put out a remix under their own name, consumption of that new version also counts towards chart position (generally, as long this happens within 18 months of the original track’s release and the original is still a “current” on the charts). That’s why stars often put out remixes with big names attached when they’re in tight races for the top spot on the Hot 100. But if Ambor’s alternate version of “Belong Together” is attributed to Lucky Socks, he gets no help from the extra consumption.
Ben Klein, president of Ambor’s label, Hundred Days Records, acknowledges that “commercially, it makes a lot more sense” to put out remixes under the same artist project. But Ambor is not competing for No. 1 — at least not yet, as the song has only reached No. 84 on the Hot 100 — and the team chose to release “Belong Together (Sped Up)” under a goofy alternate name anyway.
“We actually took inspiration from the Laufey team when we came up with the idea,” Klein says. “When Mark thinks about his profile, he wants it to be a representation of his music. A sped-up version is meant to be a fun, playful way for people to engage with the song on social media. It’s not a direct connection to his artistry. And I think he just wanted to keep it separate for that reason.”
Calder believes “a lot more new artists” will take a similar approach in the future. As streaming platforms try to capitalize on the homemade remix eruption by adding their own audio manipulation tools, it’s easy to imagine artists encouraging fans to mess with their songs by saying that the most popular fan edit will be posted to an official artist account. Just not the official artist account.
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.
The much-anticipated second season of Interview With a Vampire made its grand premiere on AMC and AMC+ Sunday (May 12), continuing the second half of Anne Rice’s book of the same name that was first published in 1991. Starring Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid, the series also acts as a reboot, adapting the 1994 Interview With a Vampire movie starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Season two of the drama/fantasy series will look a little different from the first as one of its main characters, Claudia, was recast, with Delainey Hayles replacing season one’s Bailey Bass. Unforeseen circumstances were Bass’ reasoning for not returning, according to Deadline.
Hayles will take on the role as Claudia with her and Louis de Pointe du Lac (Anderson) traveling through a war-torn Paris after leaving Lestat de Lioncourt (Reid) for dead. The two hope to rebuild their lives and seek out their own kind, which leads to them discovering the Théâtre des Vampires — a coven led by Santiago (Ben Daniels), who appears more trusting than he is. With new dangers lurking in the shadow, Louis must figure out how to survive, embrace a new love and leave the past where it belongs.
Trending on Billboard
Keep reading to learn the streaming options for Interview With a Vampire online.
How to Watch Interview With a Vampire (2024) Online
New episodes of Interview With a Vampire will air live every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on AMC and AMC+ for a total of eight episodes. If you have live cable, you can watch the show on TV through AMC (check your cable provider for the exact channel).
Want to stream the Interview With a Vampire series online? Keep reading to see what streaming platforms offer AMC and AMC+.
Prime Video
Don’t have cable? Cord cutters can still watch Interview With a Vampire online through a few streaming options. You can sign up for AMC+ or, if you’re a Prime member, you can add AMC+ as a premium channel to your subscription. Prime members will get a seven-day free trial, which means you can stream Interview with a Vampire for free. Once your free trial is over, you’ll be charged $4.99 a month in addition to your Prime membership fee.
If you’re not a Prime member, Amazon is offering new users a 30-day free trial when you sign up. You’ll also be able to stack on the AMC+ seven day free trial through Prime Video giving you all the benefits of a Prime membership as well as access to AMC+ content for free. Once both free trials are over, you’ll be charged $14.99/ month or $139 a year for a Prime membership as well as $4.99 a month for AMC+.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream features a lineup of more than 90 channels including AMC, so you can livestream new episodes of Interview With a Vampire. New users will receive a five-day free trial when you sign up for one of the three packages available. Packages start at $80 a month and once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged based on the package you choose at checkout.
Along with hundreds of channels to watch at your leisure, you’ll also receive local channels, unlimited DVR storage and three months of premium channels including Showtime and Max for free.
Sling TV
Sling TV is another affordable option that’s offering up to 63% off your first month dropping the price to as low as $15-$20 (reg. $40). All three packages available come with AMC and provide you with 30+ live channels including entertainment and sports options. After your first month, you’ll be charged the regular subscription price based on the package you choose.
Philo
Philo is giving new users a seven-day free trial when you sign up, which means you can watch Interview With a Vampire and more for free. You’ll have access to more than 70 live TV channels as well as unlimited DVR storage to record content to watch later. Once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged the regular subscription price of $25 a month.
How to Watch Interview With a Vampire (1994) Movie At Home
If you’re curious about the Interview With a Vampire movie that inspired the reboot, there are a few ways you can watch the movie at home.
Max is the official streaming platform for Interview With a Vampire (1994) allowing Max members to watch the movie for no additional cost. While Max doesn’t come with a free trial, it does offer a wallet-friendly ad-supported plan at just $9.99 a month. If you’d prefer no commercials, you can opt for the ad-free plan for $15.99 a month or go with the Ultimate Ad-Free package for $19.99 a month, which will allow you to watch content on four devices at once stream in 4K UHD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and HDR 10 on select titles as well as have 100 downloads to watch programs on the go.
Prime members can also add Max as a premium channel onto your subscription through the Prime Channel storefront.
If you’d rather rent or buy the movie to own digitally, Prime Video is offering rentals for $4 or you can buy Interview With a Vampire for $15. You don’t have to be a Prime member to watch the movie either — once your purchase the film it’ll automatically be downloaded to your digital library to watch whenever.
Collectors can also purchase a Blu-ray edition of Interview With a Vampire through Amazon, Walmart and Target.
“Interview With The Vampire”
$19.99
$8.99
$14.98
40% off
$8.99
Discover the original movie that helped inspire the reboot featuring Pitt and Cruise as the lead stars. The Blu-ray edition of Interview With a Vampire will also give you special features including behind-the-scenes footage and deleted scenes for an even more in-depth look at the film.
Is Interview With a Vampire On Amazon Prime?
Since AMC+ is available as a premium channel option through the Prime Channel storefront, that means that you can watch Interview With a Vampire on Prime Video. It’s only offered as an add-on to your subscription, which means just having a Prime membership won’t grant you access to all the episodes.
How Many Episodes of Interview With a Vampire Are There?
Season one of Interview With a Vampire featured seven episodes of the series with the longest episodes running around 71 minutes long. Season two will add an additional episode, giving viewers a total of eight to look forward to. After season two ends, fans will have 15 total episodes of Interview With a Vampire to stream and watch whenever they want.
Check below for a trailer of Interview With a Vampire season two.
[embedded content]
Spotify is changing the way it pays songwriters and publishers in the United States — leading to an estimated $150 million cut to U.S. mechanical royalty payments — and the music business is speaking out.
By adding audiobooks into Spotify’s premium, duo and family tiers, Spotify now claims it qualifies to pay a discounted “bundle” rate to songwriters for premium streams given that it now has to pay licensing for both books and music from the same subscription price tag — which will only be a dollar higher than when music was the only offering.
Spotify argues that adding audiobooks reclassifies the service from a “standalone portable subscription” to a “bundled subscription offering,” according to the royalty rate formula provided in Phonorecords IV. The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), both of which represented the music business in Phono IV proceedings, disagree with Spotify’s reading of the settlement, with the NMPA calling it “a cynical and potentially unlawful move” that is a “perversion of the settlement we agreed upon in 2022.”
Trending on Billboard
Last week, Billboard calculated that this change will lead to an estimated $150 million cut in U.S. mechanical royalties from premium, duo and family plans for the first 12 months the bundle rate is in effect, compared to what songwriters would have earned if the three subscription tiers were never bundled. The change affects payments starting in March 2024, so it will not impact Spotify’s premium, duo or family payouts for the first two months of 2024. Specifically, the estimate refers to losses for the first 12 months after the premium, family and duo tiers are qualified as a bundle, not calendar year 2024.
As Spotify grows, the music business fears that the difference between what payments to songwriters and publishers would have been if premium continued to be counted as a regular standalone service versus what will be paid now that music and audiobooks have been bundled will continue to increase.
Spotify says it will soon offer a music-only subscription tier that will pay out in the same way Spotify premium used to, but there’s not yet a timeline for when this option will launch.
Back in March, Spotify released a statement about the change to the bundle rate, stating that the company is “on track to pay publishers and societies more in 2024 than in 2023. As our industry partners are aware, changes in our product portfolio mean that we are paying out in different ways based on terms agreed to by both streaming services and publishers. Multiple DSPs have long paid a lower rate for bundles versus a stand-alone music subscription, and our approach is consistent.”
Below is an updating list of music industry reactions to the news:
National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA)
“It appears Spotify has returned to attacking the very songwriters who make its business possible. Spotify’s attempt to radically reduce songwriter payments by reclassifying their music service as an audiobook bundle is a cynical, and potentially unlawful, move that ends our period of relative peace. We will not stand for their perversion of the settlement we agreed upon in 2022 and are looking at all options.”
Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP)
“Two weeks ago, we spoke out about the potential consequences for independent music publishers should Spotify go forward with its plan to bundle a previously free service, audiobooks, with music subscriptions. Now that an actual number has been put to the potential lost revenue for music publishers, a staggering estimate of $150 million per year, we feel the need to speak out again.
“It is a deeply cynical move for Spotify to attempt to circumvent the CRB settlement agreed to by the NMPA & NSAI and DiMA in 2022 via this bundling ‘loophole,’ and further insulting that the price of a Spotify subscription will actually increase for users while cutting revenue for the songwriters who keep their business alive. This is especially problematic for independent music publishers, as they and all publishers are legally prevented from negotiating protections against bad-faith tactics such as this, while labels are allowed to do so in a free market.
“At this point, we still do not know how Spotify plans to notify its subscribers of this change. The right thing to do is to default existing subscribers to music-only accounts, and then give them the option to add-on the audiobook service for an additional $9.99 per month — Spotify’s proposed standalone rate for audiobooks. This ensures a proper, non-devalued royalty rate for both music and audiobook publishers and rightsholders, who will otherwise both be negatively affected by bundling.
“The AIMP offers its unequivocal support to the NMPA as they fight this critical battle to prevent Spotify’s scheme from taking effect. We encourage all independent music publishers to join us in this stance and make their songwriters aware of this attack on their livelihood. We cannot allow bundling to become a precedent that can be used to deprive songwriters of their well-earned royalties.
“The AIMP has also been speaking with the Coalition of Concerned Creators and are happy to report that we are aligned on this issue. Please find their statement on this issue below.
“From the Coalition of Concerned Creators:
“All musicians, creator advocacy groups, unions and organizations, and other creator stakeholders — including authors and podcasters — must stand firm against Spotify’s recent policy shift. It is essential to advocate for equitable compensation for music creators, who are pivotal to the industry’s sustainability. Additionally, this is a clear pattern of behavior and we continue to be concerned about Spotify’s bridge into new audio formats, like audiobooks, and how this pattern of behavior will affect other creators, like authors, as well.”
Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI)
“Spotify, we are writing regarding Spotify’s decision to ‘bundle’ music with audiobooks, resulting in an estimated annual loss of as much as $150 million in mechanical royalty payments to American songwriters, composers and music publishers. This attempt at lowering royalty payments to an already beleaguered songwriter community is in the worst bad faith and a perversion of the Copyright Royalty Board settlement that the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the National Music Publishers Assn. (NMPA) and the Digital Media Assn. (DiMA) agreed to in 2022. It counters every statement Spotify has ever made of claiming the company is friendly to creators.
“‘Bundling’ music with other offerings without a music-only option does not comport with our view of the intent of the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) in recent Phonorecord procedures in which the NSAI participated. Further, this move negates gains awarded to songwriters by the CRB. NSAI will not accept what we view as an attempt to manipulate the intent of the court through a ‘bundling’ gimmick. NSAI calls for Spotify to immediately reverse its course and offer separate music subscription choices at price points that will fairly remunerate songwriters.
“The American songwriter community is appalled that this is happening while Spotify is reporting record profits, and while founder Daniel Ek has recently cashed in a reported $180 million in stock options, including $118 million that practically coincided with the ‘bundling’ announcement which reduced Spotify’s yearly royalty obligation. The amount Ek cashed in conveniently mirrors the estimated amount that Spotify wants to leech off the back of songwriters who create the product on which streaming services are making billions.
“Reporting record profits while reducing songwriter royalties as the company founder cashed in millions in stocks proves a greedy, offensive and callous disregard for the songwriters on whose backs these revenues are generated.
“Signed unanimously by Nashville Songwriters Association International”
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.
After taking in a reported $17.6 million box office in the U.S., Demon Slayer: Hashira Training hits home video to kick off season four of the popular anime series.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Want to watch it online? The Demon Slayer: Hashira Training movie is streamable starting on Sunday, May 12, on Crunchyroll for subscribers only.
How to Watch Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Online for Free
If you’re not a Crunchyroll subscriber, you can take advantage of the streaming service’s seven-day free trial to watch Demon Slayer: Hashira Training and other anime, including My Hero Academia, One Piece, Penguin Highway, Fruits Basket and others. In fact, Crunchyroll has the largest collection of anime that’s ready to stream.
Trending on Billboard
Additionally, you can even watch new anime TV series live simultaneously when it airs in Japan, such as Kaiju No. 8. All anime is either in its original Japanese with English subtitles or dubbed in English.
After the free trial is over, you can either cancel it or keep watching with plans starting at $7.99 per month. Crunchyroll is also available as a channel add-on for Prime Video if you’re an Amazon Prime member. Amazon is offering a seven-day free trial too.
Not a member? Sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of all that Amazon Prime has to offer, including access to Prime Video and Prime Gaming; fast free shipping in less than two days with Prime Delivery; in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market; access to exclusive shopping events — such as Prime Day and Black Friday — and much more.
How to Watch The Demon Slayer TV Series & Movie Online for Free
Want to watch past Demon Slayer seasons before you watch the new Demon Slayer: Hashira Training film? All three seasons of Demon Slayer, as well as the Demon Slayer: Mugen Training movie, are available to stream on Crunchyroll too.
Demon Slayer: Hashira Training follows the Hashira swordsmen, the best of the best in the Demon Slayer Corps, as the group prepares to battle Muzan Kibutsuji, the Demon King.
The new anime film also stars an English-language voice cast featuring Zach Aguilar, Abby Trott, Griffin Burns, Kira Buckland, Christopher Corey Smith, Ben Balmaceda, Brent Mukai, Zeno Robinson and others.
Available in Japanese with English subtitles or dubbed in English, Demon Slayer: Hashira Training is streamable on Crunchyroll starting on Sunday, May 12. In the meantime, watch a trailer for the new anime film below.
[embedded content]
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
Of 15 debuts on the May 11-dated Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, the most noticeable, at least in terms of a lengthy backstory, may not be Tommy Richman’s seemingly out-of-nowhere breakout hit “Million Dollar Baby” (No. 74) or Kendrick Lamar’s rap battle entry “Euphoria” (No. 98). The most surprising title on the tally overall may […]