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When Bloomberg reported that Spotify would be upping the cost of its premium subscription from $9.99 to $10.99, and including 15 hours of audiobooks per month in the U.S., the change sounded like a win for songwriters and publishers. Higher subscription prices typically equate to a bump in U.S. mechanical royalties — but not this time.
By adding audiobooks into Spotify’s premium tier, the streaming service now claims it qualifies to pay a discounted “bundle” rate to songwriters for premium streams, given Spotify now has to pay licensing for both books and music from the same price tag — which will only be a dollar higher than when music was the only premium offering. Additionally, Spotify will reclassify its duo and family subscription plans as bundles as well.
To determine how great this loss in royalty value would be for the music business, Billboard calculated that songwriters and publishers will earn an estimated $150 million less in U.S. mechanical royalties from premium, duo and family plans for the first 12 months that this is in effect, compared to what they would have earned if these three subscriptions were never bundled. Notably, this change will not impact Spotify’s premium, duo or family pay outs for the first two months of 2024. Bundling kicks in starting in March, so this number refers to losses for the first 12 months after premium, family and duo is qualified as a bundle, not the calendar year of 2024.
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Billboard’s figure was calculated by determining how Spotify’s service revenue, payments to labels, performance royalty rates, and other factors that impact mechanical income are expected to rise each month throughout 2024. These 2024 projections are based on actual numbers pulled from the Mechanical Licensing Collective’s Spotify rate sheets for 2023. For premium specifically, the streamer will pay an estimated $100 million less in the first 12 months bundling is in effect, in comparison to what Spotify was projected to pay in the next 12 months had it never been reclassified.
To be more conservative with the premium-only estimate, if the lost royalty value was calculated purely based on actual 2023 numbers from the MLC, the losses would be around $80 million for the first 12 months, but given all of Spotify’s music service revenue grew by an average of 1.1% every month in 2023, according to Billboard’s calculations, $80 million is almost certainly a low-ball. (A representative for Spotify declined Billboard’s request for comment).
As Spotify grows, the chasm between what payments would have been to songwriters and publishers if premium was counted as a regular standalone service versus what it will be paid now as a bundle with books is expected to increase. According to Spotify’s latest earnings call, the company is growing steadily, up 14% year-over-year for premium subscribers and 20% year-over-year for premium revenue globally.
The lost royalty value for songwriters and publishers could become even larger if Spotify ups the cost of premium to $11.99, which a source close to the matter thinks is possible. It is also possible that this loss could be lessened by how many users change their subscription from premium, duo and family to Spotify’s forthcoming music-only tier, which will pay out in the way that premium did before it was bundled, but this is unlikely to make a significant impact in the estimate of first year losses, considering the tier has yet to be launched and users are automatically renewed on their current plans, even after bundling.
Given there are some unknowns still present, estimates range for lost mechanical royalty value for the first year. One source close to the matter agrees with Billboard’s estimate, also independently calculating that the lost royalty value will total at $150 million in U.S. mechanical royalties for premium, duo and family. Another source calculated somewhere between $140-150 million. A third source says their personal estimate totaled at around $120-130 million at minimum.
This change only impacts the United States, but there are fears that Spotify’s reclassification will have a domino effect worldwide, given other major markets like Australia, Canada, Ireland, U.K. and New Zealand also have audiobooks now included in Spotify premium. Roberto Neri, CEO of the U.K.-based songwriting organization The Ivors Academy told Billboard that “if Spotify gets away with this in the U.S., they will no doubt use it in their future negotiations with European, [Asian-Pacific] and other territories,” and that “what happens in one territory can impact others.”
The National Music Publishers’ Association, which represents U.S. music publishers, said that it would be “looking at all options” to fight back against Spotify’s changes to premium when it was first announced in March, and now that the fight between TikTok and UMG has concluded, it has turned its “full attention” to this issue.
“It appears Spotify has returned to attacking the very songwriters who make its business possible,” said David Israelite, the NMPA’s president and CEO, when the change to premium was first announced. “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.”
Phonorecords IV Settlement
So, how did we get here? It all goes back to the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), the slate of judges that set the rates for U.S. streaming mechanicals, based on weighing the business interests of publishers, songwriters and services. Unlike the sound recording side of the music business, which decides on their streaming rates based on private, free market negotiations, the publishing mechanicals are highly regulated in the U.S.
Every five years, the NMPA, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and members of the Digital Media Association (DiMA), such as Spotify and Apple Music, come together to discuss the rates for the next five-year period; and if no agreement can be reached, then the CRB judges make a determination after a rate trial. In 2022, the three organizations convened about the period of 2023-2027, called “Phonorecords IV” or “Phono IV,” and decided, in an effort to save time and money, to come to a voluntary settlement to present to the CRB judges.
Even though the Phono IV settlement included changes to the way bundling worked (which was considered a concession to streaming services), many in the music business called the settlement as an overall win, especially because the previous five-year rate (Phono III) was fought over for about five years, causing confusion over rates in the interim. When it was announced, the NMPA touted the Phono IV settlement as delivering the “highest rates in the history of digital streaming,” because of its win for a larger headline rate, and many felt it signaled a new era of cooperation between streaming services and the music business. Israelite says now in his statement that Spotify’s latest move to bundle audiobooks “ends our period of relative peace.”
How Bundling Affects Mechanical Revenue
Even though the price of Spotify premium is rising, that additional revenue does not benefit songwriters and publishers. Now that premium is considered a bundled service with audiobooks, some of the subscription price is owed to book publishers and authors to license their works, too.
Mechanical revenue for bundles is calculated by seeing what audiobooks are valued at as a standalone offering ($9.99) and weighing that against the price of the premium bundle offering ($10.99), according to Phono IV. The value of music is found by dividing the total premium price ($10.99) by the two services (audiobooks only and premium) together ($21), which results in music being valued at about 52% of the total bundle, or around $5.70 per subscriber.
How Bundling Affects the Total Content Cost
The first step in calculating the mechanical royalty rate a streaming service owes to songwriters and publishers is to find the “all-in pool.” Streaming generates two forms of royalties for music publishing — performance and mechanical — so this “all-in pool” includes both types. (Performance royalties are determined by a separate, but also U.S. government regulated, process).
The all-in pool is the greater of either the headline rate (which ranges from 15.1% for 2023, 15.2% for 2024, 15.25% for 2025, 15.3% for 2026, and 15.35% for 2027) of Spotify’s music revenue (which is now lowered to around $5.70 per subscriber because of bundling) or the percentage of total content cost (TCC), a.k.a. what royalty Spotify pays to labels.
Previously, Spotify premium qualified for the full rate of the lesser of 26.2% of TCC for the period (or $1.10 per subscriber). Now, after deciding to change its premium offering to include audiobooks, Spotify argues it qualifies as a “bundled subscription offering,” which moves its rate down to 24.5% of TCC for the accounting period.
Regardless of whether the CRB mechanical formula determines all-in royalty pool based on the percentage of TCC or the headline rate, both options are negatively affected by Spotify reclassifying premium as a bundle. According to Billboard’s calculations, every month of 2023 used the headline rate of music revenue as the all-in pool for premium, but after bundling, the next 12 months will use the percentage of TCC as this pool.
After that, the final mechanical royalty pool is determined by subtracting out the performance monies from the all-in pool. This number is weighed against a calculated royalty floor. Whichever is the larger number is the final amount owed to publishers and songwriters for U.S. mechanical royalties.
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.
For the first time in 50 years, Beatles fans will get to go inside the making of band’s final album. Let It Be, the 1970 documentary helmed by Michael Lindsay- Hogg, arrives on Disney+ on Wednesday (May 8).
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The documentary, restored by The Beatles: Get Back director Peter Jackson’s production company, shares rare footage of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr from the recording studio to the Apple Corps’ rooftop in London where the Fab Five wrote and recorded Let It Be and performed live for the last time as group.
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“Let It Be was ready to go in October/November 1969, but it didn’t come out until April 1970,” Lindsay-Hogg recalled, according to Disney. “One month before its release, The Beatles officially broke up. And so the people went to see Let It Be with sadness in their hearts, thinking, ‘I’ll never see The Beatles together again. I will never have that joy again,’ and it very much darkened the perception of the film.”
“But, in fact, how often do you get to see artists of this stature working together to make what they hear in their heads into songs? And then you get to the roof, and you see their excitement, camaraderie, and sheer joy in playing together again as a group and know, as we do now, that it was the final time, and we view it with the full understanding of who they were and still are and a little poignancy. I was knocked out by what Peter [Jackson] was able to do with Get Back, using all the footage I’d shot 50 years previously.”
“I’m absolutely thrilled that Michael’s movie, Let It Be, has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades,” said Jackson. “I was so lucky to have access to Michael’s outtakes for Get Back, and I’ve always thought that ‘Let It Be’ is needed to complete the Get Back story.”
Read on for ways to join Disney+ and stream Let It Be.
How to Stream Let It Be on Disney+
Let It Be is a Disney+ Original streaming exclusively for subscribers. If you’re not a Disney+ subscriber, here’s a short rundown of how much it costs, and how to land a free subscription.
Disney+ plans start at $7.99/month for the Basic subscription and $11.99/month for Disney+ Premium (ad-free streaming).
Looking for a Disney+ deal? You have a few options, the easiest being a bundle plan, which saves you up to 37% off. Subscribe to the Disney+ Basic Duo plan with Hulu for $9.99/month, or the Trio plan with Hulu and ESPN+ for $14.99/month.
Disney+ no longer offers free trials, but you can go through a third party such as Verizon to get a free subscription. Currently, Verizon customers can score a free six-month subscription to Disney+ with select Unlimited phone plans.
Disney+ offers a huge collection of exclusive TV series, movies, documentaries, concert specials and sports. Let It Be leads a trio of music documentaries arriving on Disney+ this month including Queen Rock Montreal premiering on May 15, and The Beach Boys documentary on May 24.
Watch the trailer for Let It Be below.
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In March, a Spotify account named Lucky Socks uploaded a sped-up version of Mark Ambor’s “Belong Together” to the platform. More than six weeks later, this jaunty take on the folksy original is still earning around 350,000 streams a day, and various high-speed versions of “Belong Together” have been used in more than 400,000 TikTok videos to date.
This is just the latest sign that sped-up remixes — often made at home by amateurs — drive both music discovery and streaming activity. “A big percentage of the population is engaging with music in this way,” says Ben Klein, president of Ambor’s label, Hundred Days Records. “If you’re an audio platform, you need to start allowing people to tap into that.”
That’s exactly what the platforms are doing. At the end of 2023, the streaming service Audiomack quietly rolled out Audiomod, a new set of tools that allow users to fiddle with tracks by changing the tempo, modifying the pitch, or swaddling them in reverb. In March, the company Hook announced that it had raised $3.5 million to further develop a platform that will help artists “monetize the use of fan-generated remixes on social media.” And in April, The Wall Street Journal reported that Spotify plans to introduce its own remixing tools.
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These initiatives signal a growing awareness that user remixes cannot be prevented — kids can make them easily on their phones. Since almost all of these reworks are unauthorized, labels and publishers will stand to gain if fans make and listen to remixes on streaming platforms where these can be paid out like a normal track. (“The next big forefront will be how we get paid for UGC,” Warner Chappell CEO/co-chair Guy Moot recently told Billboard, noting “the real challenge” of identifying all “those really sketchy sped-up versions.”)
And platforms can also benefit if new audio manipulation tools increase engagement or even attract additional users. “We think it can be a way to encourage more users to subscribe,” says Audiomack co-founder Dave Macli.
Audiomack Quarterly Uploads of Manipulated Songs
Courtesy of Audiomack
Creating new remixing capabilities will require the music industry to become comfortable with more flexible licensing agreements that legitimize what was previously a black-market activity — for fans, creating a remix at home without permission is fun; for labels, it’s technically copyright infringement. It remains unclear how artists will feel about labels sanctioning random reworks of their work, and whether listeners will connect with these homemade remixes when they’re not attached to addictive videos on TikTok or Instagram Reels.
While user remixes and edits are not a new phenomenon, there is a sense around the industry that this behavior — pushing a song’s tempo recklessly fast, or slathering the track in distortion — is especially dear to a new generation which sees altering music as a way of expressing fandom. Audiomack has found that “modders,” who alter more than 100 songs a month, are 50% more likely to be under the age of 20 relative to the average platform user.
“The younger users want to have some control over the sound on their own: ‘hey, what if we f—ed with this a little?’” says Tyler Blatchley, co-founder of the label Black 17 Media.
As a result, artists and labels often encourage fan remixing because it can be an effective promotional tool. At the same time, they frequently take down the unauthorized reworks that they find on major streaming services, because those divert money from artists’ pockets. Some acts release their own official sped-up or slowed versions to try to capitalize on the popularity of the form. (Audiomack data shows this trend really accelerated at the end of 2022.)
For the music industry, this patchwork system remains unsatisfactory. “There’s little visibility into what people are doing with the music, the artists don’t get to play a role in how their fans engage, and often they’re not getting paid for [the] consumption” of unofficial remixes, says Gaurav Sharma, the CEO of Hook.
Hook’s app, which recently launched a private beta, offers a more controlled environment for remixing activity, where users can select pre-cleared songs to manipulate and mash together. If a fan creates a new version they love — and, crucially, rightsholders have given permission — they will theoretically be allowed to export that alternate to other platforms when the app launches publicly later this year. In other words, a fully licensed and track-able remix or mash-up could be created on Hook and then go viral on a short-form video platform or in a video game.
While Audiomod allows users to play with tempo, distortion, and more, they cannot mash one song up with another or export their beloved remix to other platforms. They can share their preferred settings with friends, though, so pals can easily replicate their favorite mix. Plays of an altered version of a song on Audiomack will be paid out the same as plays of official recordings.
Audiomack has Merlin — the global digital licensing agency for the independent music industry — “signed up for this,” says co-founder Dave Macli. “We are in talks with the majors.”
At the moment, Spotify appears mostly to have a plan to create some remixing tools in the future. (A rep for the service declined to comment.) The company has been interested in figuring out ways to let users “play with and manipulate music” for years in contexts like a DJ set, according to a former executive. On top of that, “Spotify is trying to seize a lot of creator engagement moments, because TikTok is much more of an engagement platform.”
While The Wall Street Journal reported that Spotify does not yet have licensing agreements in place for remixing tools, the former exec believes labels “will be all-in for anything that increases plays and gets them a bigger share of the royalty pool.”
And labels do appear more open to sanctioning user manipulation of their audio recently. In December, for example, the video game Fortnite introduced a new musical experience called “Jam Stage,” which allows gamers to play music with their friends — but every person can be noodling on a different song, creating a strange, cacophonous mash-up in real (virtual) time.
The former Spotify exec believes the real obstacle to getting official remixing tools in place will come from artists being protective of their work. “What are [labels] permitted to do in their contracts with artists, and how will artists feel about it?” he asks.
At Audiomack, Macli says “we respect an artist’s decision if they don’t want to be a part of [allowing users to remix their songs]. But I think in a way you’re fighting the tide.”
Once platforms and labels sort out licensing, one big question remains: will users make and listen to sped-up remixes on streaming services without the enticement of a compelling visual trend or the possibility of going viral?
Audiomack users already appear to like sending around the tracks they pitch up or alter in other ways. “Over 9% of all shares on the platform are modifications of songs,” according to Macli.
Though Klein agrees that “there is an appetite for listening to sped-up stuff,” he believes “there’s a much smaller use case in that context.” “Sped-up sounds are really breaking through on audiovisual platforms” — especially TikTok, which has had a fraught relationship with the music business lately.
Still, Macli says, “the industry is going to have to lean into this one way or the other. They should lean into it as a tech problem that the DSPs should solve.”
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.
UFC 301 will be a special mixed martial arts fighting event, as Alexandre Pantoja will defend his champion flyweight title for the first time on his home soil, Brazil. Going up against the titleholder is Steve Erceg who is hoping to defeat the champion and take home the title himself. The main card event will take place Saturday (May 4) at 10 p.m. ET and you can stream UFC 301 live at home through PPV on ESPN+.
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The UFC 301 card also features a co-main event between Hall-of-Famer Jose Aldo vs. Jonathan Martinez as well as early preliminaries and preliminaries beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
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Keep reading to learn more about the streaming options available to watch UFC 301 live online.
How to Watch UFC 301 Online
Pantoja vs. Erceg will be a PPV match streaming exclusively live on ESPN+. Current ESPN+ subscribers can watch UFC 301 when you log into your account and purchase the PPV match for $79.99. If you don’t have an ESPN+ subscription, the streaming platform offers a bundle deal for $134.98, which gets you instant access to the PPV match on top of an annual ESPN+ membership — a 29% off discount.
Early preliminaries will be aired on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass starting at 6 p.m. following preliminaries at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN 2 and ESPN+. If you have cable you can watch the preliminaries on any channel that gets ESPN. Cord cutters can still watch ESPN without cable through a few live TV streamers including Hulu + Live TV, which can be bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for more content streaming options.
Don’t need live TV options? ESPN+ can be bundled with just Hulu and Disney+ starting at just $14.99 a month.
Along with access to exclusive UFC events, an ESPN+ subscription gives you access to more live events for other sports as well as original content and archived games. You can also watch live sports like football, soccer, hockey and baseball, plus game recaps and analyses hosted by Peyton Manning, a shorter version of NFL Primetime, as well as full replays of historic NFL games.
Can You Watch UFC PPV Without ESPN+?
In order to watch UFC 301 and more UFC PPV events that are aired exclusively on ESPN+, you’ll need a subscription to the sporting events streamer. While not every fight will require a separate PPV purchase, any major events and title matches will most likely require an ESPN+ membership to get access to the PPV match.
Is UFC Only PPV?
Numbered UFC fights are typically going to be PPV matches as they’re usually special or highly-anticipated events. You can watch the weekly UFC Fight Night events without a PPV purchase.
What Is the UFC 301 Fight Card?
Check below to see the full fight card for UFC 301.
Pantoja vs. Erceg (flyweight)
Aldo vs. Martinez (bantamweight)
Anthony Smith vs. Vitor Petrino (light heavyweight)
Ihor Potieria vs. Michel Pereira (middleweight)
Paul Craig vs. Caio Borralho (middleweight)
Joanderson Brito vs. Jack Shore (featherweight)
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Iasmin Lucindo (strawweight)
Elves Brener vs. Myktybek Orolbai (lightweight)
Jean Silva vs. William Gomis (featherweight)
Joaquim Silva vs. Drakkar Klose (lightweight)
Jamie Mullarkey vs. Mauricio Ruffy (lightweight)
Dione Barbosa vs. Ernesta Kareckaite (women’s flyweight)
Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel (lightweight)
Alessandro Costa vs. Kevin Borjas (flyweight)
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.
WWE Backlash 2024 is here and the wrestling event is already turning out to be one of the most anticipated events of the season. Cody Rhodes will be put to the test as he defends his world championship title after winning one of the biggest WrestleMania matches to date. Now, he is set to go up against AJ Styles this Saturday (May 4) during the 2024 edition of WWE Backlash.
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Some star-studded guests are already rumored to be in attendance at the event including John Cena, who Sports Illustrated reported was already in Lyon, France, where the event will be taking place.
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Keep reading to learn more about the event including how to watch WWE Backlash online.
What Is WWE Backlash 2024? Date, Time, Location
WWE Backlash is one of the biggest wrestling events produced and hosted by WWE. Last year, the event even saw Bad Bunny trade the stage for the wrestling ring in a match against Damian Priest at 2023 WWE Backlash, which took place in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Now, for the first time ever, the wrestling event will head overseas to Lyon, France where Rhodes vs. Styles will take place. The main event is expected to air starting at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday (May 4).
Last-minute tickets are still available to buy online through Ticketmaster and StubHub with prices starting at around $72 a ticket. If you can’t find any travel deals to attend the wrestling event in person, then you can still stream WWE Backlash online at home through Peacock.
How to Stream WWE Backlash Online
Rhodes vs. Styles will be streaming exclusively through Peacock, which means you’ll need a subscription in order to watch the matches online. If you already have a Peacock subscription, then you can watch the WWE Backlash matches for free when you log into your account.
Don’t have Peacock? The streaming platform doesn’t have a free trial but it does come with a variety of plans starting at just $5.99 a month for the ad-supported plan or you can go ad-free with Peacock’s Premium Plus package for $11.99 a month. If you’re a student, you can take advantage of Peacock’s student discount that gets you a membership for just $1.99 a month.
International viewers should use a VPN like ExpressVPN or NordVPN to watch WWE Backlash from home.
Along with access to WWE Backlash, a subscription to Peacock will provide you with access to the streamer’s entire content library including more WWE events, Premier League, IndyCar and other sports as well as exclusive and original shows from Peacock, NBC and Bravo like Poker Face, Bel-Air, Bupkis, Mrs. Davis, Inside, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Vanderpump Rules and The Voice.
Is WWE Backlash a Pay-Per-View Event?
Unlike some WWE events, which require a pay-per-view stream, the 2024 WWE Backlash event isn’t a PPV match this time. However, it is being aired only on Peacock. That means if you don’t have a Peacock subscription you won’t be able to watch Rhodes vs. Styles or any of the other matches on the fight card.
How to Watch WWE Backlash on TV
You can watch WWE Backlash on TV through the Peacock app or on a smart device like a laptop, tablet or phone. From there, just log into your account and you’ll have instant access to the fights once they start at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.
What Is the WWE Backlash 2024 Fight Card?
Below you can see the full list of matches expected to take place on Saturday.
Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles
Damian Priest vs. Jey Uso
Bayley vs. Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton
The Kabuki Warriors vs. Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill
Randy Orton & Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga
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FROM made its debut in 2022, inviting viewers into the mysteries surrounding the Township and its trapped residents. The series was renewed for a third season last summer and now, the first teaser clip for FROM has emerged and reveals more chills and thrills to come.
FROM stars Harold Perrineau, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Eion Bailey Hannah Cheramy and more as it returns to the MGM+ platform after initially debuting on the Epix network. Perrineau plays the character of Boyd Stevens, the self-appointed sheriff and leader of the Township who devotes his life to protecting its inhabitants from the ghastly horrors of the night.
TV Line has more in its reporting on the teaser clip:
The series “unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter,” reads the official synopsis. “As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest – including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.”
We already know that the BLACK WATCH homies over at CASSIUS are hip to FROM and we expect the crew will be suggesting this series as well. Season 2 ended on an explosive cliffhanger and while we’re being vague, this show has to be absorbed from front to back to truly capture the moment. Yes, there are some bone-chilling scenes but the deeper story is worth the scares.
Check out the teaser clip below. The series will return this fall.
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Photo: Eric Charbonneau / Getty
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All episodes of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Bad Batch are now officially available to stream online through Disney+. After premiering in 2021, the animated series concluded May 1 with the third season’s 15th and final episode. No matter if you’re new to the show or want to binge-watch the show from the beginning, all seasons can now be watched online.
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Star Wars: The Bad Batch comes on the heels of additional Star Wars universe series including Andor and Ahsoka. The show follows a group of rebellious Clonetroopers as they look to reunite with Omega (an enhanced female clone created from Jango Fett’s genetic template) who is trapped in the Imperial’s scientific lab. As they navigate escaping the clutches of the Galactic Empire, the group must also figure out a way to rescue Omega and fight for freedom in a changing environment.
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Voice actors you can expect to hear include Dee Bradley Baker, Michelle Ang, Wanda Sykes, Jimmi Simpson, Noshir Dalal and Rhea Perlman.
Keep reading to learn the streaming options available to watch Star Wars: The Bad Batch online.
How to Watch Star Wars: The Bad Batch Online
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is a Disney+ Original series, which means it’s exclusive to the streaming platform. If you’re already a Disney+ subscriber, you can watch the animated series for free when you log into your account.
Don’t have a Disney+ membership? The streamer doesn’t come with a free trial, but does offer a mix of plans starting at $7.99 a month for an ad-supported experience or you can go ad-free for just $13.99 a month.
Along with Star Wars: The Bad Batch, subscribers will have access to the entire Disney+ library including content from National Geographic, Marvel and Lucasfilm. You can look forward to streaming TV sows and movies such as The Mandalorian, Secret Invasion, WandaVision, The Book of Boba Fett, The Beatles Get Back, J-Hope in the Box, SUGA Road to D-Day, The Prouder Family: Louder & Prouder and more.
If you want even more content options, you can bundle Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+ starting at $14.99 a month.
And for live TV options, Hulu + Live TV can also be bundled with Disney+ and will provide you with more than 90 live channel options in addition to the Disney+ and Hulu on-demand library.
Is Star Wars: The Bad Batch in Chronological Order?
The series fits within the Star Wars timeline occurring sometime between Revenge of the Sith and before Solo: A Star Wars Story. Within the series, you can expect more context to the rise of the Empire as well as Order 66’s impact on the series’ character and society.
Check below to watch the trailer for Star Wars: The Bad Batch.
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A dip in SiriusXM‘s paid subscribers in the first quarter caused the satellite radio giant’s stock to fall by more than 7% on Tuesday (April 30), even as first-quarter revenue beat analysts’ expectations.
The company reported that first-quarter revenue inched 0.8% higher to $2.16 billion — analysts polled by the London Stock Exchange were expecting $2.13 billion — thanks mainly to a 7% uptick in ad sales revenue.
Ad revenue totaled $402 million in the quarter, enough to offset a 1% decline in subscription revenue, which came in at $1.68 billion and contributes nearly 80% of the company’s overall earnings.
A 1.4% decline in self-pay subscribers to 31.58 million customers in the quarter contributed to “slightly higher churn” as an increase in sales of vehicles with existing subscriptions led to those subscribers shifting into unpaid trials, SiriusXM CFO Tom Barry said on a call with analysts.
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Executives reiterated their 2024 guidance and said they expected improvements in their subscription revenue, trial subscriptions and ad revenue in the second half of the year.
Despite the rollout of a new and costly streaming app with features SiriusXM says allow it to tailor content to subscribers, executives faced questions from analysts over what will charge future growth.
“On the business side, it’s really about reinvigorating demand,” SiriusXM CEO Jennifer Witz said on the call. “It’s taking longer than we’d hoped in terms of the rollout of the new platform and our ability to capitalize on improvements in marketing. But the key opportunities to build demand … are clear, across price, discovery and control, and we have this multipronged effort to [drive] these things.”
The company is hopeful that the revamped app, which launched in December and costs $9.99 per month, will attract new subscribers and drive revenue growth.
Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose 4% to $650 million. The company’s gross profit edged 0.6% higher to $1.13 billion, while the gross profit margin held flat at 53% in the quarter compared to last year. Total operating expenses held roughly flat at $1.73 billion.
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is a big investor in SiriusXM, having purchased nearly 9.7 million shares worth approximately $44 million last fall and then another 1.9 million shares worth $50 million of its tracking stock earlier this month.
In February, SiriusXM laid off 3% of its workforce affecting around 170 workers at the company, which said the cuts would enable it to invest in content and new technologies.
SiriusXM’s stock closed at $2.92 on Tuesday (April 30), down 7.2%.
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Bruce Springsteen is back on the road after having to reschedule dates for his world tour to recover from peptic ulcer disease. Now, he and the E Street Band are rocking out around the U.S. all summer on the North American leg of their world tour.
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Last-minute tickets are still available for the “Secret Garden” singer’s tour, and you can find cheap seats on Ticketmaster, StubHub, Vivid Seats (orders of $200+ can get $20 off with code BB2024) and Seat Geek (first purchases are eligible for $10 off order of $250+ with code BILLBOARD10). We spotted Springsteen ticket prices for as low as $56.
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If you weren’t able to score travel deals to see the 74-year-old live and in-person, then nugs.net will let you stream Springsteen’s tour from home — and for free. The site has a number of recordings from Springsteen’s current tour available to stream from your laptop, phone, tablet or TV.
Take advantage of nugs.net’s free trial, which will give you access to numerous performances by the “I’m On Fire” singer including past and upcoming performances from his tour. You’ll also have access to more live shows, like Phish’s sold-out concert at The Sphere, plus recorded concerts from the Grateful Dead, Metallica, Pearl Jam and Billy Strings.
Keep reading to learn more about how to stream Springsteen’s shows online.
How to Stream Bruce Springsteen’s 2024 World Tour Online
Want to stream Bruce Springsteen’s tour online? While there isn’t a livestream option, you can stream concerts from the Billboard Hot 100 chart maker as far back as 1978 (during the band’s Darkness tour) on nugs.net, as well as more recent performances including the surprise appearance from Patti Scialfa during his April 4 concert in Inglewood, CA. If you’re already a member of nugs.net, you can sign in and have instant access to on-demand streams as well as professionally mixed audio of concerts to listen at your leisure on your phone, TV or tablet.
Don’t have a subscription? New nugs.net users who sign up now can receive a seven-day free trial that’ll let you watch Springsteen’s tour online for free as well as additional artist performances. Once your free trial is over, you’ll be charged $14.99 a month for a subscription.
If you want to own recordings from the concert, the platform allows you to download audio in MP3 format (from $14.99), which the site claims has been professionally-mixed for the best streaming quality. The live album downloads are then yours to keep.
Stream Springsteen concerts online and get full details here.
French music streamer Deezer reaped the benefits of its price increases as its first-quarter revenues grew 15.0% to 132.5 million euros ($143.5 million at the average exchange rate for the period). Average revenue per user (ARPU) also improved for direct subscribers and business-to-business subscribers from partners including Brazilian mobile carrier TIM and French retailer Fnac Darty.
Deezer raised subscription prices in France, its largest market, in January 2022 and other markets later in the year. After Apple, Amazon, YouTube and Spotify all followed with their own increases, Deezer raised its prices again in September 2023.
In the first quarter, ARPU for direct subscribers grew 6.4% to 5.1 euros ($5.50) as the latest price increase was implemented for over 75% of them, while ARPU from partnerships improved 5.5% to 2.9 euros ($3.1). Both ARPU figures have grown considerably in the last two years. Since the first quarter, direct ARPU has grown 13.3% from 4.5 euros ($4.9) and partnership ARPU has improved 20.8% from 2.4 euros ($2.6).
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Partnerships produced most of Deezer’s revenue growth in the quarter. While direct revenue from paid subscriptions grew 5.2% to 86 million euros ($93.1 million), partnerships revenue grew 40.3% to 43.3 million euros ($46.9 million); Deezer provides its streaming platform for its partners’ branded products. The company attributed partnerships growth to a recent deal with Mercado Libre in Latin America, RTL in Europe and Sonos. The company also renewed deals with TIM and Fnac Darty in the quarter.
The first quarter improvement “highlights clear momentum and evidence that our strategy is on point,” said interim CEO Stu Bergen in a statement. “By delivering unique experiences to music fans worldwide, Deezer delivers value and innovation to all our stakeholders. We continue to be a catalyst for positive change, challenging the status quo in remuneration and pricing, while maintaining our unwavering support for artists and songwriters.”
France accounted for the majority of Deezer’s revenue (57.4%), though revenue in the country grew just 8.5% to 76.1 million euros ($82.4 million) from the prior-year period. Revenue in the rest of the world jumped 25.2% to 56.4 million euros ($61.1 million) and accounted for 42.6% of revenue, up from 39.1% of revenue in the first quarter of 2023.
Although a relatively minor player on the global music streaming stage, Deezer has been influential in the music industry’s efforts to make streaming a more sustainable endeavor for musicians. In 2023, Universal Music Group partnered with Deezer for an artist-centric royalty scheme that aims to provide better royalties for professional musicians. Independent rights group Merlin followed in March.
Part of providing better remuneration to professional artists is removing non-music tracks (also called functional music) from the platform and Deezer’s earnings release confirmed the company has removed over 26 million tracks (non-artist content, noise and duplicates) since October 2023. The company also “enforc[es] a stricter provider policy to ensure exceptional quality content and elevate the user experience,” according to the release.
Looking ahead, Deezer maintained its previous guidance given in February: Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be better than -15 million euros (-$16.2 million) — about half of the -29 million euros (-$31 million) in 2023 — and revenue growth is expected at 10%, which would be an improvement from the 7.4% revenue growth it saw in 2023.