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Neil Young is bringing his music back to Spotify more than two years after requesting its removal from the platform, the singer-songwriter announced Tuesday (March 12).
In January 2022, Young published an open letter asking Spotify to pull down his catalog, citing what he called the spread of vaccine misinformation on the wildly popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which was then hosted exclusively on the streaming platform. Several other artists, including Joni Mitchell, Indie.Arie and Young’s Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young bandmates David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, subsequently followed suit, though CSN/CSN&Y and Arie’s music have since been restored to the service; Mitchell’s catalog remains absent.
In a new post on his Neil Young Archives website, the legendary artist said the end of Spotify’s exclusive deal with Rogan led to his decision to restore his music to the service. “My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify,” the post reads – a clear reference to the Joe Rogan Experience, though Young never mentions it by name.
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“I cannot just leave Apple and Amazon, like I did Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers at all, so I have returned to Spotify, in sincere hopes that Spotify sound quality will improve and people will be able to hear and feel all the music as we made it,” Young continued, before shouting out Qobuz and Tidal, where his catalog also lives, as “High res” streaming options.
Young concludes his post by stating his hope that Spotify “will turn to Hi Res as the answer and serve all the music to everyone. Spotify, you can do it! Really be #1 in all ways. You have the music and listeners!!!! Start with a limited Hi res tier and build from there!”
Spotify announced plans to roll out a HiFi tier in February 2021, though those plans have yet to come to fruition. In June 2023, Bloomberg reported the streaming giant would finally launch the product later in the year, but the company declined comment when reached by Billboard – and the calendar rolled over without the tier materializing.
Young has long been an advocate of high-resolution audio, even launching his own (now-defunct) high-res audio download platform, Pono, in 2015 before shuttering it two years later.
In September, Billboard estimated that the absence of Young’s catalog on Spotify had cost him roughly $300,000 in lost recorded music and publishing royalties to that point.
At press time, Young’s music catalog had yet to be restored to Spotify, which did not immediately respond to Billboard‘s request for comment.
A dozen years after Spotify launched in the United States and 18 years into the existence of YouTube, streaming music is so ingrained in Americans’ behavior that 91% of the U.S. internet population used a music streaming service in the last year, according to the 22nd edition of MusicWatch’s U.S. Annual Music Study.
According to the report, released Monday (Mar. 11), the number of U.S. subscribers to music services such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited reached 109 million in 2023 — meaning over half of U.S. internet users aged 13 and over now pay for a music streaming service. That number increases to 136 million if SiriusXM and Amazon Prime Music are included. SiriusXM is predominantly a satellite radio service that also has an internet product. Amazon Prime provides music streaming to customers who sign up for Prime for free shipping and other perks.
In 2012, just 56% of Americans used any type of music streaming service. That number jumped to 69% in 2014 and surpassed the 80% mark in 2018. But 2023 was the first time music streamers surpassed 90% of the internet population. MusicWatch counts music streaming on ad-supported audio platforms such as Spotify and Pandora, paid services such as Apple Music, and video services such as YouTube. For the sake of this survey, short-form video platforms such as TikTok and Instagram Reels are not considered to be music streaming platforms.
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The number of people who stream music has grown even faster than the proportion of the population that does so. In 2012, the U.S. internet population stood at roughly 125 million. By 2023, it had grown by nearly 60 million to 193 million. The way people access the internet has changed over that period. In the early days of the internet, people mostly had a dial-up home internet connection, but over time, home internet access improved while mobile internet usage exploded.
The prevalence of mobile internet has played an important role in music streaming adoption. Not long ago, MusicWatch principal Russ Crupnick noticed a change in the reasons why people paid for subscription services. Early subscription adopters were heavy users who found value in features such as playlists, connecting to their social networks and recommendations. Then, about five years ago, Crupnick found new subscribers’ reasons for paying a monthly fee started to change.
More recent adopters of paid music streaming services care more about access, not features, says Crupnick. As more people had smart speakers, bluetooth headphones and in-dash entertainment systems in their cars, it was important for services to offer a seamless listening experience as they moved from place to place. “It just works,” he says of subscribers’ rationale for paying. “It works everywhere that I want and works on all of my devices.”
Per-capita spending on recorded music increased 7% from 2022 as music subscriptions, CDs and vinyl all saw double-digit gains. That improvement came from both organic growth and price inflation, says Crupnick. Music subscription services pushed through a string of price increases after keeping their prices mostly untouched for many years — Apple Music in Oct. 2022, Spotify in July, YouTube Music also in July and Amazon Music in August.
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Jack Black‘s animated film takeover is continuing as he returns as Po the panda in Kung Fu Panda 4. The actor has been dominating the screen with his viral performance as Bowser in the Super Mario Bros. movie, which landed him on the Billboard Hot 100 for his electric breakout hit “Peaches.”
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And Kung Fu Panda 4 won’t be the last animated film that Black lends his voice to: He’s also planning to join another video game-turned-movie for Minecraft alongside Jason Momoa. Until then, the Jumanji actor will bring Po back to life onscreen as he faces new foes and adventures on his kung fu journey.
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Is Kung Fu Panda 4 Out Now?
Kung Fu Panda 4 premiered in theaters on March 8, and you can still get tickets to the movie to watch the latest film on the big screen.
In the fourth installment, Po (Black) is asked to evolve from the Dragon Warrior to the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. But, before he can undertake his new responsibilities (and figure out what it means to be a spiritual leader), he must find and train someone else to become the Dragon Warrior. Matters only get more complicated when a mysterious and powerful shapeshifting sorceress, Chameleon (Viola Davis), sets her sights on Po’s staff of wisdom, which would give her the power to summon all of Po’s past villains that he vanquished to the spirit realm.
Other cast members include Awkwafina, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Ian McShane and Ke Huy Quan.
Now that all four movies are out, you can check below to see the streaming options for how to watch all three Kung Fu Panda movies online.
How to Watch Kung Fu Panda Movies Online for Free
The Kung Fu Panda movies were distributed by Universal Pictures, which makes Peacock the official streaming platform for the franchise. You can stream Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Kung Fu Panda 3 online through Peacock. If you’re already a Peacock subscriber, you can watch all Kung Fu Panda movies for free when you log into your account.
Don’t have a Peacock subscription? The streaming platform doesn’t offer a free trial, but does have affordable plans starting at $5.99/month or you can save around 17% off with an annual plan starting at $59.99/year. Click here or the button below to start your Peacock subscription.
Peacock has two subscriptions to choose from: the Premium Plan and the Premium Plus plan. The Premium Plan is ad-supported and the cheapest option at $5.99/month. With it, you’ll get access to all the new and hit Peacock, NBC and Bravo content, thousands of hours of movies and TV series, live sports and events and more than 50 live channels.
Peacock’s Premium Plus plan is ad-free for $11.99/month and includes everything in the Premium plans as well as your local NBC channel live 24/7 and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
Original Peacock, NBC and Bravo content you can look forward to streaming include Mission Impossible, Based on a True Story, America’s Got Talent, Kevin Hart: Reality Check, Love Island, Poker Face, Bel-Air, Poker Face, Yellowstone, The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, Vanderpump Rules and more.
How to Watch Kung Fu Panda Movies At Home
If you’d rather own the movies you can buy Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Kung Fu Panda 3 as a set online through Prime Video for 40% off. A Prime membership isn’t required in order to stream the Kung Fu Panda movies online either — once you purchase the films all three will automatically be downloaded to your library to watch at your leisure.
Collectors can also buy the Kung Fu Panda: 3-Movie Collection on DVD to keep on display or watch on your portable DVD player on your travels. Amazon is offering the movie collection for 38% off slashing the price to $12.
“Kung Fu Panda: 3-Movie Collection” [DVD]
$12.41
$19.98
38% off
You can keep all three movies in one safe case with the Kung Fu Panda: 3-Movie Collection. Inside is three discs as well as bonus content and special features that’ll give you more insight into the making of the films.
Check out the trailer for Kung Fu Panda 4 below.
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At the 2024 Oscars on Sunday night, Emma Stone took home best actress for her performance in the comedy sci-fi film Poor Things. This marked the actress’ second Oscar following her 2016 win for best actress in La La Land.
That’s not the only golden statue Poor Things received: the Yorgos Lanthimos-directed movie also won best production design, makeup and hairstyling, and costume design. With the major awards wins, you can now watch Poor Things online for free through Hulu or you can buy or rent the movie on Prime Video.
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Keep reading to learn all the streaming options for Poor Things.
What Is the Plot for Poor Things?
Poor Things is based on a novel of the same title by Alasdair Gray and follows Bella Baxter (Stone), a woman who is resurrected by the unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). She runs off with a lawyer traveling across the continent and discovering the joys and wonders of life. Throughout the movie, viewers will watch Bella’s evolution as she learns about society and what it deems a woman’s place should be within it.
Other cast members include Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley.
Why Is Poor Things Rated R?
Poor Things is rated R for its scenes of gore, graphic nudity, language, strong sexual content and disturbing material, according to Rotten Tomatoes’ breakdown. R-rated movies are recommended for viewers 17 years and older unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. It’s also advised that parents learn more about the movie before allowing children under 17 watch.
How to Watch Poor Things Online for Free
You can watch Poor Things online for free through Hulu if you have a subscription — just log into your account and you can find it within the movie library.
Don’t have a Hulu subscription? The streaming platform offers a 30-day free trial to new users who sign up. Once your free trial is over, you’ll be charged a subscription fee based on the plan you choose at checkout. Click here or the button below to start your free trial.
Hulu offers two types of plans: an ad-supported version for $7.99/month or go ad-free with the premium plan for $17.99/month. If you want to expand your content offerings, you can bundle Hulu with Disney+ and ESPN+ starting at $14.99/month.
Want live TV too? Hulu also offers Hulu + Live TV for $76.99/month.
You can look forward to streaming exclusive and original content including Only Murders in the Building, Abbott Elementary, American Horror Stories, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, Pam & Tommy, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Shogun and more.
How to Stream Poor Things At Home
You can stream Poor Things online when you purchase the film on Prime Video. Right now, the movie is on sale for 35% off knocking the price from $20 to $13. You don’t need a Prime membership to buy Poor Things either. Once you make your purchase, the movie will automatically download to your library to watch and stream at your leisure.
Collector’s can preorder Poor Things on Blu-ray through Amazon, Target and Walmart for as low as $25. The movie will then be delivered to your door by the time it’s released on Tuesday (March 12).
“Poor Things” [Blu-ray]
$24.96
$34.99
29% off
$24.96
$34.99
29% off
$31.99
$34.99
9% off
The Poor Things Blu-ray features bonus material including commentary and special features that’ll give you a more in-depth look at the movie and its making. Inside the DVD case you’ll also receive a Blu-ray disc and digital code to download and take with you on the go.
And, if you want to discover scenes and moments that didn’t make the movie, the novel Poor Things is based will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the film and universe.
“Poor Things [Movie Tie-in]: A Novel”
$15.19
$18.99
20% off
$15.19
$18.99
20% off
The Poor Things novel comes with a cover adapted from the movie with Stone spotlighted. The book was originally published in 2023 and features 336 to delve into.
Check below to watch the trailer for Poor Things.
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A rematch is in store this weekend at UFC 299 as Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera enter the ring again in a bantamweight title match on Saturday (March 9) at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+. As a fresh UFC bantamweight champion, O’Malley will be going up against Vera (the one person who has beaten him in the past) during his first title defending fight.
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The match will occur live at the Kaseya Center in Miami, FL, and you can still get tickets to O’Malley vs. Vera II online to watch the fight in person. Want to stream O’Malley vs. Vera from home? Here’s how to watch UFC 299 live online on pay-per-view.
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How to Watch UFC 299
You can watch the UFC 299 main card on PPV starting at 10 p.m. ET through ESPN+. Early preliminaries will take place at 6 p.m. ET and preliminaries will begin at 8 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+.
Besides O’Malley vs. Vera II, other UFC 299 matches include Dustin Poirier vs. Benoît Saint Denis (lightweight), Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page (welterweight), Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena (welterweight), Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong (bantamweight), Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida (heavyweight), Katlyn Cerminara vs. Maycee Barber (women’s flyweight), Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (lightweight) and Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips (bantamweight).
Keep reading to learn how to stream UFC 299 online at home.
How to Watch UFC 299 Online Without Cable
O’Malley vs. Vera II is a PPV match that you’ll have to purchase in order to watch the fights live at home. Since UFC 299 is aired through ESPN+, you’ll need a subscription to the platform in addition to purchasing the PPV stream. If you’re already an ESPN+ subscriber, you can purchase the PPV fight for $80 here or through the button below.
Not an ESPN+ subscriber? UFC 299 is offering a bundle with an ESPN+ annual subscription and the PPV fight for $135, which will save you 30% off. When you purchase the bundle, you’ll automatically be subscribed to an annual membership of $109.99/year and will gain immediate access to UFC 299 when it airs on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET. Click here or the button below to get the PPV match.
Besides being able to stream UFC 299 online, an ESPN+ membership will give you access to the entire library of exclusive content such as live sports, UFC matches, originals from major names in sports such as The Captain, America’s Caddie, Man in the Arena With Tom Brady, More Than an Athlete With Michael Strahan, Our Time: Baylor Basketball, Al Davis vs. The NFL, Vick, Be Like Water, Breakaway and the entire 30 for 30 series.
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Zac Efron has returned to comedy in Ricky Stanicky, which premiered on Thursday (March 7) and is available to stream online now on Prime Video. After starring in the bio-drama Iron Claw, Efron joins John Cena and William H. Macy in the latest Prime Original.
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Ricky Stanicky follows three friends: Dean (Efron), JT (Andrew Santino) and Wes (Jermaine Fowler) who after a prank goes wrong, invent an imaginary friend named Ricky Stanicky to get them out of trouble. Twenty years later, the friends are still using the made up person to get them situations they don’t feel like dealing with. That is, until their loved ones become suspicious that Ricky isn’t real and insist on meeting him in person. Stuck with coming clean or keeping the lie going, the trio decide to hire a celebrity impersonator to fool their spouses and partners.
Keep reading to learn the streaming options to watch Ricky Stanicky online.
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How to Watch Ricky Stanicky Online for Free
Since the comedy is a Prime Original, you can stream Ricky Stanicky for free if you’re an Amazon Prime member. You just need to log into your account and you’ll be able to watch Ricky Stanicky online.
Don’t have a Prime membership? Amazon offers a 30-day free trial for new users who sign up, which means you can stream Ricky Stanicky online for free, along with all the other Amazon Prime member benefits. After the free trial is over, you’ll be charged the normal subscription fee of $14.99/month or $139/year. Click here or below to start your free trial.
A Prime membership won’t just let you watch Ricky Stanicky online, it will also give you access to the entire Prime Video library, including exclusive and original TV shows and movies like Upgraded, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Expats, Wilderness, The Wheel of Time, The Boys, Gen V and Daisy Jones & The Six.
If you want to expand your content library, you can add premium channels to your Prime subscription including Max, Starz and Paramount+ through the Prime Video Channel Storefront.
Outside of entertainment, a Prime membership comes with access to Prime Day, exclusive Prime member-only discounts, groceries, free one-day delivery, Prime Reading, Prime Try Before You Buy and more.
Check below to watch the trailer for Ricky Stanicky below.
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A new bill designed to increase streaming payouts for artists was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday (Mar. 6). Titled the Living Wage for Musicians Act, the legislation proposes the establishment of a new royalty fund that would pay artists directly, bypassing labels altogether.
Introduced by Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), the bill aims to boost artists’ streaming royalty from fractions of a penny up to one penny per stream by way of the new fund. It proposes to fund the additional royalty payments, in part, by mandating the addition of a fee to every streaming subscription equal to 50% of the subscription price — an amount that would be set anywhere between $4 and $10. The bill would also establish a royalty cap for tracks that generate at least 1 million streams per month, with royalties generated by the tracks beyond that number to be divided among all artists.
Notably, the bill would not affect the existing payout model but rather establish a separate fund on top of what artists already receive under the current system.
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“It’s only right that the people who create the music we love get their fair share, so that they can thrive, not just survive,” said Tlaib, who has long advocated for higher royalty payments to artists on streaming services, in a statement.
Damon Krukowski, a member of the band Damon & Naomi (and formerly Galaxie 500) and an organizer for the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW), added in a statement, “There is a lot of talk in the industry about how to ‘fix’ streaming — but the streaming platforms and major labels have already had their say for more than a decade, and they have failed musicians.”
The UMAW partnered with the representatives in drafting the act.
It’s unlikely streaming services and top labels will support all of the changes proposed by the bill. Daniel Ek, Spotify’s co-founder/CEO, expressed reluctance for years to raise subscription prices, although they did finally increase in 2023, rising from $9.99 to $10.99. Also likely to be unpopular with streaming services: a mandate that 10% of all of their non-subscription revenue, including from advertising, goes to the fund as a way to further increase payments to recording artists.
Labels and some artists also seem likely to oppose the cap in which the most popular artists share portions of their streaming revenue with the rest of the streaming pool. And labels — which have lobbying power through the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) — will also likely challenge the provision that would see artists paid directly from the fund rather than through the labels themselves.
An RIAA representative declined to comment on the bill.
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 age-old question of whether or not men and women can just be friends is answered in the 2011 movie One […]
Spotify will pass-on the music streaming tax imposed by the French government by hiking its subscription prices in that market.
As previously reported, France’s National Assembly last December approved a so-called “CNM Tax” on streaming brands, the funds from which would finance the national public body, The Centre National de la Musique (CNM), which was created in 2020 and is already partly financed by the live music industry.The tax was predictably decried by the streaming services. For platforms that earn more than 20 million euros ($22 million) in annual turnover — including Spotify, Apple Music and Deezer — a new tax charge of 1.2% would be applied on all streaming revenue generated in France in addition to their existing tax duties. Social media platforms including Facebook and TikTok, which license and feature music, would also be subject to the taxes.
Spotify, the global market leader, said it couldn’t absorb the Macron government’s new costs and would offset them one way or another.After announcing back in December that the streaming giant would pull its financial support to a number of local music festivals, Spotify today (March 7) confirms a price increase for its premium packages – applied only to subscribers in France. Reps from Spotify claim the tax doesn’t add up. This new fee “will generate approximately 15 million euros, when the CNM’s administrative budget (office fees, personnel, capital expenditure, media monitoring or professional training etc.) sits at 20.2 million euros,” reads an open statement issued today.
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“Our concern is that possibly less than half of its overall 146.9 million euros budget will find its way toward effectively aiding music.”Spotify, the message continues, “has proudly championed French artists for the past 15 years; we certainly didn’t wait for the CNM to be created in 2020 to help artists find success in France, and outside of France; to help promote French repertoire and grow the royalty pool for French rights holders. Spotify’s payments have totaled close to 225 million euros in 2022 alone (or about 1/4th of all the French recorded music industry revenues for that year). That is up more than 200% percent since 2017.”The price increase isn’t laid out, though Spotify promises to update its French subscribers over the coming weeks with full details.
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“To put it bluntly, all French users will see their subscription plan fee go up,” the message confirms. “French users will now pay the highest subscriptions across the European Union.”
Read Spotify’s open-letter below.
Spotify Premium subscribers in France will soon experience a price increase due to additional costs on music streaming services imposed by the government, as part of the “CNM Tax.” While we worked very hard to encourage the government to avoid adding this tax, unfortunately they decided to move forward.
Perhaps you’ve never heard of the CNM – it’s a public body that commissions studies on the French music industry, and provides financial aid to record labels and the live industry. At the end of 2023, as part of its 2024 budget, the French government decided that digital music streaming services will now have to pay a new tax in order to finance it. Our worry, on top of what would be equivalent to a double payment on our part, has been that this tax will not go directly to artists, nor will it have a tangible output visible to fans; instead, it will simply come at the expense of listeners, and create an additional middleman – the CNM. In fact, this tax will generate approximately 15 million euros, when the CNM’s administrative budget (office fees, personnel, capital expenditure, media monitoring or professional training etc.) sits at 20.2 million euros. Our concern is that possibly less than half of its overall 146.9 million euros budget will find its way toward effectively aiding music.
Spotify has proudly championed French artists for the past 15 years; we certainly didn’t wait for the CNM to be created in 2020 to help artists find success in France, and outside of France; to help promote French repertoire and grow the royalty pool for French rights holders. Spotify’s payments have totaled close to 225 million euros in 2022 alone (or about 1/4th of all the French recorded music industry revenues for that year). That is up more than 200% percent since 2017.
Yet, with the creation of this new tax, Spotify would be required to give approximately two-thirds of every euro it generates to music to rights holders and the French government. Of course, this is a massive amount and does not allow for a sustainable business. As we have long said, we simply can’t absorb any additional taxes. Even after making the difficult decision to reduce our artist marketing budget and support of French music festivals – which is an essential vehicle for Spotify to continue to drive hundreds of millions of euros to the music industry – it still continues to impede our ability to operate in France. Accordingly, over the coming weeks and months, we’ll need to make changes to our price plan in France.
To put it bluntly, all French users will see their subscription plan fee go up. French users will now pay the highest subscriptions across the European Union.
Spotify is increasing prices in France in order to offset these new costs. We’ll come back to our French subscribers over the coming weeks with the full details on the upcoming price increase.
For more information on the global streaming economy, the players, and the process, visit our website Loud & Clear.
GYROstream, the Australian-owned music distribution company, assembles a new-look leadership team at home and abroad, as the business pursues its goal to become the country’s No. 1 net exporter of music, Billboard can exclusively reveal.
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Leading the changes is Adrian Burke, former label partnerships lead at Spotify Canada, who is tapped to steer its North America activities, which include GROUP SPEED, GYROstream’s recently-launched boutique artist services company.
Based in Toronto, Burke is named GM at GROUP SPEED, with duties for guiding strategic direction for the new business in North America and liaising with the group’s team to help “elevate artist careers,” reads a statement.
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Burke completed a seven-year stint with Spotify, where he cultivated key partner relationships for the streaming giant, developed global artist campaigns and implemented data-driven strategies to help create millions of incremental streams for artists worldwide, reads a statement.
Burke is one of several new faces at GYROstream, which, across all brands, boasts 39 employees in seven countries, including company co-directors Andy Irvine (CEO), Viv Mellish (CMO) and Alex Wilson (head of distribution and customer service).
New faces at the tech business include Harry Young, who steps into the newly-created role as senior A&R manager role across the group, working alongside Burke. Young served in A&R capacities for more than a decade with Dew Process Records + Publishing, where he discovered Mallrat and worked with a roster that includes Spacey Jane, Tkay Maidza, Allday, YNG Martyr, Tyne-James Organ, Alice Ivy and more.
The fleshed-out A&R team includes Benjamin James, now appointed as global head of A&R across all brands; and Australia-based A&R and streaming partnerships coordinators Molly Jackson and Taylor Dwyer, a new recruit based in Los Angeles with a primary focus on GROUP SPEED.
Among the key arrivals at GYROstream is trailblazing digital strategist Alison Bremner, who is named as head of artist marketing strategy, a prominent music post working across both GROUP SPEED and GYROstream. Bremner is recognized for her part in @thexhan’s success on TikTok as the short-video platform’s most-followed creator in Australia with 18 million fans, and for facilitating partnerships with Gucci, Red Bull and other blue-chip clients.
(From left to right) GYROstream’s Alex Wilson, Adrian Burke, Viv Mellish and Andy Irvine.
GYROstream
Based in Brisbane, GYROstream expands its core operations team at its headquarters, adding staff in customer service, distribution operations, product development and royalty management, topped off with a fresh website.
“Expanding our artist services offering globally through GROUP SPEED and opening it up to new markets as a standalone product is the next evolution of our business and we can’t wait to see what this team achieves together,” comments group CEO Irvine. Exporting Australian and New Zealand music to the world is a critical piece. “We believe we are well on the way to becoming Australia’s leading net-exporter of recorded music within five years and this new team are determined to achieve that goal,” he continues.
Founded in the Queensland capital in 2018, GYROstream represents thousands of artists across Australia and New Zealand for artist services and global digital distribution, and delivers to upwards of 100 digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple, TikTok, Amazon and YouTube.
In 2021, GYROstream took out The Music Network’s Tinnie award for Music Distributor of the Year; the following year launched Find My ISRC, a tool to assist DIY artists, managers and labels to keep track of their recordings online; and in 2022 established the GYROrecords label.
Today, its suite of activities include royalty payment splits, publishing administration via GYROpublishing, publicity through GYROpr, digital marketing through GYROdigital, and the white-label distribution platform DistroDirect.
Key staff have made the long haul for SXSW 2024 for DistroDirect’s official showcase event next Tuesday, March 12 at Las Perlas, in Austin, TX.