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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.”
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 […]
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.
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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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