Streaming
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Universal Music Group hit enough right notes during its first Capital Markets Day (CMD) presentation since before going public in 2021, judging from Billboard’s review of a handful of equity analysts’ comments on Tuesday’s event.
Reviews of the presentation from London’s Abbey Road Studio, which featured talks by CEO Lucian Grainge and other top executives, varied from zealous to merely positive. JP Morgan analysts called UMG’s presentation “one of the best capital markets days we have attended in the past 30 years, and it further increased our already high conviction in the UMG story.” Barclays analysts didn’t believe there was enough new information to change investors’ minds about the company. Still, they wrote, “We viewed UMG’s arguments as convincing and their financial targets as achievable.”
As for the targets, UMG said revenue will grow at more than a 7% cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2028 — not including the impact of any mergers and acquisitions. As JP Morgan noted, UMG stuck with the “high single digit growth” it gave in its last CMD presentation before going public in September 2021. In other words, UMG believes it can achieve the same high single-digit growth rate that initially lured streaming-hungry investors when the company broke off from Vivendi three years ago. Had UMG downgraded to a lower revenue CAGR — say, in the mid-single digits — the post-presentation commentary wouldn’t have been as kind.
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Subscription music streaming’s role is so vital to UMG’s future that it crafted a narrative to explain how it can achieve CAGR of 8% to 10% in subscription revenue. It’s called Streaming 2.0 and it took center stage in the CMD presentation. In the initial Streaming 1.0 phase, services such as Spotify and Apple Music kept prices steady while prioritizing acquiring subscribers over maximizing revenue per user (ARPU). They paid the same royalty regardless of creator and quality of music. They built global presences but got most of their revenue from a relatively small number of Western markets.
Streaming 2.0 is about monetization and getting more from existing subscribers while signing up customers in developing markets. Not every stream will be worth the same and generic “functional music” will get paid less. Streaming platforms will use customer segmentation to offer premium experiences for customers willing to pay more. To that end, CFO Boyd Muir revealed that UMG is in “advanced talks” with Spotify about its planned “superfan” tier, which Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has said could be priced at $17 or $18 per month. Tencent Music Entertainment already offers such a product, Super VIP, that costs five times as much as a normal subscription.
With streaming growth slowing, it was important for UMG to prove it has a plan for the future of streaming. After all, subscription growth has an outsized impact on investors’ outlook. In July, UMG’s stock dropped 24% in a single day after UMG’s second-quarter earnings revealed a sudden, sharper-than-expected slowdown in streaming revenue. Streaming 2.0 neatly packages UMG’s various tactics into a simple, understandable concept.
UMG also leaned heavily into direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales of merch, vinyl and other items, and Muir gave a new data point: the company’s D2C sales are growing at a 33% CAGR and totaled 548 million euros ($612 million), or roughly 5% of total revenue, from about 1,300 online stores. That gives UMG a massive amount of data on its artists’ biggest fans. “The superfan/D2C opportunity is not just a complementary high growth revenue opportunity,” Muir said. “It’s also an important competitive advantage that is increasing our appeal to artists and giving us the capability to do more for them than our competitors.”
The music business has changed dramatically since UMG’s last CMD presentation in 2021. TikTok became the de facto way to break new artists. Vinyl sales exploded. Labels got better at selling directly to fans. Subscription services finally raised their prices. Artificial intelligence quickly became both public enemy No. 1 and the next big opportunity. Companies made a staggering number of investments in developing markets.
UMG’s task was to show it had a believable vision for the future. Given everything the company laid out, Grainge was able to do that when he told investors that “we are nowhere close to achieving the full potential of our business.”
Investors will want to see results first, though. In a week when stock markets rallied after the U.S. Federal Reserve chopped interest rates, UMG’s share price dropped 3.6%.
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Looking to watch a film inspired by a bestselling book? If you don’t already know, the film It Ends With Us is the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s wildly popular novel. This movie has taken the world by storm, earning over $309 million at the global box office. The film premiered in theaters in August. Although there isn’t a DVD and digital release date yet, you can pre-order it on Prime Video for $24.99.
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The film follows Lily Bloom (played by Blake Lively), a young woman who navigates a complicated relationship with her first love. As she gets older, she falls for a charismatic neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid (played by Justin Baldoni). While dealing with love, trauma and making tough choices, Lily learns the importance of breaking abusive relationship cycles. According to a review from Collider, the movie showcased an “emotional and effective depiction of domestic violence and how to find the strength to overcome it.”
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Director and executive producer Justin Baldoni shared in an interview with Today on what it was like directing a movie told in a female lens. “The last thing I wanted to do was have a male gaze penetrate these very important moments that need to be told in a truthful way, to represent all of the women that experience them every day,” he said.
It Ends With Us is directed and executive produced by Justin Baldoni. This film was also produced by Alex Saks, Jamey Heath, Blake Lively, and Christy Hall. The cast includes Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, and Hasan Minhaj.
Keep reading for details on how to watch It Ends With Us online.
How to Watch It Ends With Us Online
Viewers can pre-order the movie today on Amazon at just $24.99. You can now pre-order It Ends With Us in two formats: DVD for $26.99 and Blu-ray for $24.99.
Not subscribed to Prime Video? You can join Amazon Prime under a free trial to watch Prime Video movies and more.
Prime Video provides an extensive array of exclusive TV series, movies and other must-watch programs, and you can add Prime Channels such as Paramount+, Max, Starz and Showtime, BET+ and AMC+.
Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month after the free trial (students and EBT/SNAP recipients can join for 50% off). Prime members get access to Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Gaming and Prime Reading, in addition to free same-day, one-day or two-day delivery and exclusive discounts.
Besides It Ends With Us, Prime Video features exclusives like Marlon Wayans: Good Grief, Prime Video features exclusives like The Idea of You, Fallout, Them 2, Space Cadet, Invincible, Road House, Reacher, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Citadel, Daisy Jones & The Six, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Swarm, Harlem, The Boys, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Fleabag, The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Wheel of Time and The Legend of Vox Machina.
Universal Music Group and Spotify are in “advanced talks” over a high-priced, superfan tier of the streaming service that offers a better user experience than the standard subscription plan. The status of the negotiations were revealed by UMG CFO Boyd Muir on Tuesday during the company’s Capital Markets Day presentation in London. That a Spotify […]
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Hulu has become a hub for streaming some of the most talked about content including the platform’s 2024 Emmy-nominated series Only Murders in the Building starring Selena Gomez and FX’s hit dramedy The Bear. In an effort to make Hulu a more affordable streaming option for everyone, the platform is offering a student discount that drops the price from $7.99 a month to a wallet-friendly $1.99 a month.
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While a free trial isn’t included with Hulu’s student discount, this streaming deal for students will give you 75% in savings and access to hundreds of TV series, movies and sports content to stream online whenever you want. Hulu’s library doesn’t just have its own original TV shows and movies, you can also stream programs from ABC, Adult Swim and FX including new episodes of series online for free the day after it airs.
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Keep reading to learn how to get Hulu’s student discount.
How to Get Hulu’s Student Discount
New and current Hulu subscribers who are enrolled at a US Title IV accredited college or university are eligible to score the 75% off deal.
If you’re a current Hulu member, you can get the discount here when you click on “get this deal.” You’ll need to verify your student status through Sheer ID, which you’ll be redirected to once you click the deal. Once confirmed, your Hulu plan will automatically switch to the student membership. The discount only applies to the Hulu (With Ads) plan, which means you’ll need to switch your subscription if you currently have Hulu (No Ads) or Hulu + Live TV.
Don’t have Hulu? You can create an account here to instantly get the deal on the Hulu (With Ads) plan. Once you verify your student status, you’ll be charged $1.99 a month for as long as you’re an enrolled college student.
Some of the content you can look forward to streaming include Hulu originals like The Kardashians, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, How to Die Alone, Normal People, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Great. ABC, FX and Adult Swim content you can watch include Grey’s Anatomy, Family Guy, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Modern Family, Bob’s Burgers, The Rookie, Rick & Morty, Snowfall, Criminal Minds, American Dad, 9-1-1, The Good Doctor, King of the Hill, Sons of Anarchy, Bones, Futurama, ABC’s 20/20 and The Golden Girls. Sports fans can also stream NFL games, college football and NBA matches.
Adult cartoon fans will appreciate Hulu Animayhem that spotlights some of the most popular animation and anime series from classics to new programs for you to watch online.
Universal Music Group opened up about how the company plans to keep growing in amid an evolving streaming landscape on Tuesday at the company’s capital markets day. Held in the storied Abbey Road studios in London, UMG’s c-suite and various executives from Republic, Interscope, Virgin Music Group and more described how they build a world around superstars like Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and Olivia Rodrigo, and how they’ve launched new acts like the Afrobeats star Rema.
The crowd of mostly financial industry analysts and investors also got an overview of the collectibles UMG hopes superfans will open their wallets for, its talks with Spotify about higher-priced premium subscription plans, and it’s new strategy to keep streaming revenues growing by an 8-10% compound average growth rate until fiscal year 2028.
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Streaming 2.0
Despite industry reports that new streaming subscribers are hard to find in developed markets and that streaming growth rates in smaller music markets like Brazil, Italy and Germany are besting major markets like the U.S., UMG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lucian Grainge gave an overview of UMG’s new strategy — dubbed Streaming 2.0 — to get more revenue out of streaming.
“The addressable market — in both established markets and fast-growing high potential music markets — is massive,” Grainge said, referring to streaming subscriptions. “We expect more than a billion subscribers by the end of the decade, and we constantly ask ourselves, ‘How long could it take us to get to 2 billion?’”
“While streaming has delivered robust growth to UMG for over a decade, Streaming 2.0 will deliver a new age of innovation, consumer segmentation, geographic expansion and greater value through both subscriber and [average revenue per user] growth,” Grainge said.
The strategy relies in part on increasing the number of streaming subscriptions in developing markets where UMG says subscribers meaningfully contribute to monthly trade average revenue per user. Less than half of people in established markets have streaming subscriptions, with less than 25% of the population in Japan holding subscriptions, UMG chief financial officer Boyd Muir said.
UMG said it also expects a new wave of subscribers in these markets to come from a second cohort of older listeners starting up subscriptions and younger, digitally native music fans getting older and spending more on their streaming subscriptions. They also expect to target audiobook listeners and satellite radio subscribers for music streaming subscriptions.
Super premium streaming subscriptions
UMG’s Streaming 2.0 strategy also relies on innovation in streaming, possibly like the development of high definition streaming plans like the one Spotify‘sDanielEk hinted in June is on the horizon. Ek said that “delux” subscription could cost around $17-$18 per month for a single account.
UMG is in advanced talks to partner with Spotify on the development of that higher-priced subscription plan, Muir said Tuesday. During his presentation, UMG chief digital officer Michael Nash compared it to “another exciting” example of higher priced subscription plans — Tencent Music Entertainment’s super VIP tier, which costs five times as much as the standard tier.
Muir said “a double digit percentage” of TME’s subscriber base signed up for the super VIP plan. UMG’s own research tells it that 23% of current streaming subscribers would pay more for a “better music experience.”
Monetizing superfans
UMG execs spoke admiringly of the good old days when superfans lined up outside stores to spend gobs of money on Michael Jackson and Shania Twain CDs. The reason why? Devotees of artists in prior decades spent more per capita on music, merchandise, concert tickets and collectibles than streaming-era fans.
“Superfans, the most avid 20-30% of all music listeners, once drove over 70% of recorded music spending,” Muir said. “Streaming monetizes them, but not nearly as well in the past. This is an enormous opportunity. We are seeing dramatic growth in revenues that are complimentary to spending.”
He was referring to premium music — vinyl, collectible CDs and cassettes — and merchandise collectibles. UMG has seen its revenues from products sold directly to consumers through some 1,300 odd online stores grow at a 33% compound annual growth rate in recent years.
When something like a $55-Olivia Rodrigo Stanley Cup gets sold, UMG collects as much information as it can, and the purchaser becomes one of the 100 million fans in what Muir referred to as “our owned audience.”
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Curious to learn more about the behind-the-scenes lives of child stars like Demi Lovato? The singer’s new documentary Child Star was released Tuesday (Sept. 17) on Hulu.
According to Hulu’s press release, this documentary “explores the highs and lows of growing up in the spotlight through the lens of some of the world’s most well-known former child stars.” Get ready to watch sit-down interviews with your favorite stars in Hollywood, archival footage, and highlights showcasing the perspective of a child star.
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The documentary showcases the stories of former child stars including Drew Barrymore, JoJo Siwa, Raven-Symoné, Christina Ricci, Kenan Thompson, Alyson Stoner and more sharing some of the challenges that they faced at a young age.
On Tuesday, Lovato posted a photo of herself with Child Star co-director Nicola Marsh behind the scenes of the documentary. “I am so proud to say that Child Star is streaming on @hulu now! I can’t wait for you all to see it,” she captioned the photo adding, “A huge thank you to everyone who was a part of this project and helped to make it possible.”
Keep reading for details on how to watch Child Star.
How to Watch Child Star Online
Child Star is available now to stream on Hulu. The 97-minute documentary dropped on Tuesday.
Not subscribed to Hulu? Hulu is currently offering a 30-day free trial, which you can use to watch Child Star for free. Hulu’s streaming plans start at $7.99/month after the free trial, but if you’re a student, you can join for just $1.99/month.
Stream documentaries, movies, reality shows like The Golden Bachelorette and more with a subscription to Hulu+Live TV ($77) which includes Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ in addition to 90+ channels.
Keep in mind, if you love to watch music documentaries, you can stream a variety of them on Hulu, including The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears, Amazing Grace, The Beatles: 8 Days a Week, Amy Winehouse: A Final Goodbye, Billie, Madonna and the Breakfast Club, Bad Rap, 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez, Zappa, The Jesus Music, Chasing Train: The John Coltrane Documentary, Moby Doc, Glee: The 3-D Concert Movie, Oscar Peterson: Black & White, Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan, Show Me the Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall and Cunningham.
Watch a sneak peek of Child Star below.
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Calling all Bachelor Nation fans! Get ready to watch Joan Vassos’ journey to find love as the first star of The Golden Bachelorette, premiering Wednesday night (Sept. 18) at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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Vassos quickly became a fan favorite on the first season of The Golden Bachelor. Despite her strong connection with Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner, she made the difficult decision to leave the show to address a medical issue involving her daughter.
Now, it’s Vassos’ turn to find the love of her life. “For the first time in Bachelor franchise history, 24 seasoned men in the prime of their lives will roll up their sleeves and step into the spotlight, all vying to make a lasting impression on Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos,” ABC shared in a press release.
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Jesse Palmer returns as host of the new season. In July, the former Bachelor star posted a photo on Instagram featuring himself and Vasso in front of the iconic Bachelor Mansion with the caption, “It’s been a busy summer.”
Keep reading for details on how to watch the first season of The Golden Bachelorette.
How to Watch The Golden Bachelorette Online for Free
The first season of The Golden Bachelorette airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, and streams on Hulu the following day.
If you have cable, you can catch The Golden Bachelorette on your local ABC affiliate. For those without cable, ABC can be streamed online via ABC.com with a provider login. You can also access ABC through free trials from DirecTV Stream, fuboTV or SlingTV (and Express VPN or Pure VPN, if you’re outside of the U.S.). With these options, you’ll be able to watch the latest Bachelorette season live on TV or stream from your laptop, tablet or phone.
Fubo and DirecTV Stream offer free trials for up to a week (plans start at $75-$85/month). DirecTV Stream’s most affordable plan, the Entertainment package, comes with 90+ channels including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, MTV, ESPN, BET, VH1, TLC, WeTV, Lifetime, HGTV and more.
The Golden Bachelorette is also available to stream free with a Hulu subscription. Not subscribed for Hulu? Hulu is currently offering a 30-day free trial which you can use to watch new season of The Golden Bachelorette. You can also catch up on Vasso’s journey and learn more about her previous experience by streaming The Golden Bachelor.
You can catch episodes of The Bachelorette, The Bachelor and more with a subscription to Hulu+Live TV ($77) which includes, Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ in addition to 90+ channels.
Looking for another streaming option? You might want to consider subscribing to Sling TV. Subscriptions start at just $20 for the first month (regular $40) to stream dozens of channels including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox in select regions and cable channels such as Bravo, E!, MSNBC, TLC, USA, Food Network, Discovery Channel, FX, ESPN and more.
The Golden Bachelorette 2024: Who Are the Contestants?
A retired videographer, a chiropractor, a portfolio manager, a retired financial analyst, an insurance executive, a contractor and more are among the 24 men who compete for Vassos’s heart this season.
The full list of contestants range from ages 57 to 69, and come from all over the country.
William “Bill,” 68, a retired videographer from Portland, Ore.
Robert “Bob,” 66, a chiropractor from Marina Del Ray, Calif.
Charles K., 62, a portfolio manager from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
Charles L., 66, a retired financial analyst from Philadelphia, Pa.
Charles “Chock,” 60, an insurance executive from Wichita, Kan.
Christopher, 64, a contractor from West Babylon, N.Y.
Daniel “Dan,” 64, a private investor from Naples, Fla.
David, 68, a rancher from Austin, Texas
Gary, 65, a retired finance executive from Palm Desert, Calif.
Gil, 60, an educator from Mission Viejo, Calif.
Gregg, 64, a retired university VP from Longboat Key, Fla.
Guy, 66, an ER doctor from Reno, Nev.
John “Jack,” 68, a caterer from Chicago, Ill.
Jonathan, 61, a shipping consultant from Oakland, Iowa
Jordan, 61, a sales manager from Chicago, Ill.
Keith, 62, a girl dad from San Jose, Calif.
Kenneth “Ken,” 60, a property management treasurer from Peabody, Mass.
Kim, 69, a retired Navy captain from Seattle, Wash.
Mark, 57, an Army veteran from Leesville, La.
Michael, 65, a retired banking CEO from Denver, N.C.
Pablo, 63, a retired UN agency director from Cambridge, Md.
Pascal, 69, a salon owner from Chicago, Ill.
Ralph “RJ,” 66, a financial advisor from Irvine, Calif.
Thomas, 62, a fire department chief from New York, N.Y.
Watch a sneak peek of The Golden Bachelorette below.
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After the success of American Horror Story and American Crime Story, executive producer Ryan Murphy now introduces American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez as a 10-episode limited series.
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Starting on Tuesday, Sept. 17, the two-episode series premiere is available to stream on Hulu, while it also airs on FX.
Ahead, read on for ways to watch and stream American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez.
What Time Is The American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez Premiere?
The first two episodes of American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez are available to stream on Hulu starting on Tuesday, Sept. 17. However, it also airs on the same day at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX. Episode drops on every Tuesday morning at 12:01 a.m. ET/PT on Hulu, while it broadcasts later in the day at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX.
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Where to Watch American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez for Free
If you’re a cord-cutter, then there are a number of ways to watch some of your favorite TV shows without cable — especially if you want to watch for free. For example: Hulu offers a 30-day free trial to try out the service, while many other streaming services, such as DirecTV Stream and Fubo, offer free trials so you can watch American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez on FX without spending money up front.
Keep reading for more details on how to watch American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez on Hulu, Disney+ (as part of the Disney Duo), DirecTV Stream and Fubo.
How to Watch American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez on Hulu
The best way to watch American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez is with a subscription to Hulu. All episodes of the limited series on the streaming service, while you get access to other fantastic originals, including The Bear, Only Murders in the Building, The Handmaid’s Tale, American Horror Stories and more. You also get access to FX originals including Fargo, Reservation Dogs, What We Do in the Shadows, Under the Banner of Heaven and others.
Hulu starts at $7.99 per month, or $79.99 per year for the ad-supported plan, while you can go without ads for $17.99 per month.
How to Watch American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez on Disney+
Looking to add Disney+ with your Hulu subscription? You can get Disney+ and Hulu in one streaming service with the Disney Duo. With sign up, you get a new hub called “Hulu” at the top of the Disney+ homepage, along with Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.
Episodes are available to stream with the Disney Duo too. Not a subscribers? You can sign up for the ad-supported plan for $9.99 per month, or you can go ad-free for $19.99 per month.
How to Watch American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez on DirecTV Stream
A subscription to DirecTV Stream gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels, starting at $79.99 per month. The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez for free, if you sign up now.
You can watch local networks — including NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and PBS — as well as many cable networks, such as FX, AMC, A&E, Bravo, Cartoon Network, ESPN, FS1, VH1, Fuse, CNN, Food Network, Lifetime, CNBS, BET, MTV, Paramount Network and many others.
How to Watch American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez on Fubo
Fubo starts at $49.99 per month (with the streamer’s current deals) with nearly 200 channels, including local and cable, that are streamable on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and on web browsers. And with a seven-day free trial, you can watch American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez for free, if you act fast and sign up now.
The services gets you live access to local broadcast networks, like NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox, while it also has dozens of cable networks, such as FX, Bravo, TLC, ESPN, E!, FS1, MTV, CMT, ID, Ion, OWN, Paramount Network, TV Land, VH1 and much more.
More Ways to Watch
If you’re overseas and you’d like to stream American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez internationally, you can sign up for a VPN, such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN and PureVPN, which lets you access a number of streaming platforms, like the ones mentioned above, legally.
The miniseries follows former-New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez (Josh Andrés Rivera) and his rise to stardom in the NFL, and his fall from grace as a murder suspect.
It also stars Patrick Schwarzenegger, Lindsay Mendez, Tony Yazbeck, Jake Cannavale, Catfish Jean, Jaylen Barron, Tammy Blanchard, Ean Castellanos, Thomas Sadoski, Norbert Leo Butz, Kwadarrius Smith, Casey Sullivan and others.
American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez is available to stream on Hulu and broadcasts on FX on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. In the meantime, watch the trailer for the American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez 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.
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Agatha All Along, the heavily anticipated Disney+ series will premiere with back-to-back episodes on Wednesday (Sept. 18).
Kathryn Hahn stars as Agatha Harkness, a neighborhood witch that audiences first met on the Disney+ series, WandaVision. In the spinoff, Agatha loses her powers after a teenager helps her break from a “distorted spell” and sets out to get them back, according to the series description.
Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili, Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza and Debra Jo Rupp are included in the cast.
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Jac Schaeffer, Rachel Goldberg and Gandja Monteiro directed the series. Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Mary Livanos and Schaeffer are executive producers. Trevor Waterson is co-producer.
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The new series debuts on the heels of Disney+ announcing a promo deal. Keep reading to learn more about the $1.99 offer and how to stream Agatha All Along.
Disney+ $1.99 Promo: How to Redeem in Time to Watch ‘Agatha All Along‘ & More
The first two episodes of Agatha All Along will begin streaming on Disney+ on Wednesday at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. The remaining seven episodes will premiere weekly on Disney+.
How much does Disney+ cost? The basic streaming plan usually starts at $9.99 per month, but new and returning customers can subscribe to Disney+ Basic for $1.99/month for three months — a savings of $18 off the base price. The limited deal launched on Sep. 12 and ends on Sept. 27.
$1.99/month for three months $9.99/month 80% off disney+
Disney+ Basic gives you access to Marvel, Star Wars, Disney Channel and Pixar originals, along with other movies, shows, concerts specials documentaries and more including The Acolyte, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version), Moon Knight, Loki, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Bluey. Inside Out 2 (streaming Sept. 25) and Wizards Beyond Waverly Place (streaming Oct. 30).
In addition to the limited promo, Disney+ debuted a series of exclusive offers and discounts for subscribers. Some of the perks include early access to Agatha All Along merchandise at DisneyStore.com beginning Sept. 18; an exclusive bundle of over 35 free Marvel Digital Comics and 15% off Disney-inspired goodies at Funko and Loungefly.
Watch the trailer for Agatha All Along below.
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You can’t say no one’s getting rich from streaming. In an indictment unsealed in early September, federal prosecutors charged musician Michael Smith with fraud and conspiracy in a scheme in which he used AI-generated songs streamed by bots to rake in $10 million in royalties. He allegedly received royalties for hundreds of thousands of songs, at least hundreds of which listed as co-writer the CEO of the AI company Boomy, which had received investment from Warner Music Group. (The CEO, Alex Mitchell, has not been charged with any crime.)
This is the first criminal case for streaming fraud in the U.S., and its size may make it an outlier. But the frightening ease of creating so many AI songs and using bots to generate royalties with them shows how vulnerable the streaming ecosystem really is. This isn’t news to some executives, but it should come as a wake-up call to the industry as a whole. And it shows how the subscription streaming business model with pro-rata royalty distribution that now powers the recorded music industry is broken — not beyond repair, but certainly to the point where serious changes need to be made.
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One great thing about streaming music platforms, like the internet in general, is how open they are — anyone can upload music, just like anyone can make a TikTok video or write a blog. But that also means that these platforms are vulnerable to fraud, manipulation and undesirable content that erodes the value of the overall experience. (I don’t mean things I don’t like — I mean spam and attempts to manipulate people.) And while the pluses and minuses of this openness are impossible to calculate, there’s a sense in the industry and among creators that this has gradually become less of a feature and more of a bug.
At this point, more than 100,000 new tracks are uploaded to streaming services daily. And while some of this reflects an inspiring explosion of amateur creativity, some of it is, sometimes literally, noise (not the artistic kind). Millions of those tracks are never heard, so they provide no consumer value — they just clutter up streaming service interfaces — while others are streamed a few times a year. From the point of view of some rightsholders, part of the solution may lie in a system of “artist-centric” royalties that privileges more popular artists and tracks. Even if this can be done fairly, though, this only addresses the financial issue — it does nothing for the user experience.
For users, finding the song they want can be like looking for “Silver Threads and Golden Needles” in a fast-expanding haystack. A search for that song on Apple Music brings up five listings for the same Linda Ronstadt recording, several listings of what seems to be another Ronstadt recording, and multiple versions of a few other performances. In this case, they all seem to be professional recordings, but how many of the listings are for the same one? It’s far from obvious.
From the perspective of major labels and most indies, the problems with streaming are all about making sure consumers can filter “professional music” from tracks uploaded by amateur creators — bar bands and hobbyists. But that prioritizes sellers over consumers. The truth is that the streaming business is broken in a number of ways. The big streaming services are very effective at steering users to big new releases and mainstream pop and hip-hop, which is one reason why major labels like them so much. But they don’t do a great job of serving consumers who are not that interested in new mainstream music or old favorites. And rightsholders aren’t exactly pushing for change here. From their perspective, under the current pro-rata royalty system, it makes economic sense to focus on the mostly young users who spend hours a day streaming music. Those who listen less, who tend to be older, are literally worth less.
It shows. If you’re interested in cool new rock bands — and a substantial number of people still seem to be — the streaming experience just isn’t as good. Algorithmic recommendations aren’t great. Less popular genres aren’t served well, either. If you search for John Coltrane — hardly an obscure artist — Spotify offers icons for John Coltrane, John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, the John Coltrane Quartet, the John Coltrane Quintet, the John Coltrane Trio and two for the John Coltrane Sextet, plus some others. It’s hard to know what this means from an accounting perspective — one entry for the Sextet has 928 monthly listeners and the other has none. If you want to listen to John Coltrane, though, it’s not a great experience.
What does this have to do with streaming fraud? Not much — but also everything. If the goal of streaming services is to offer as much music as possible, they’re kicking ass. But most consumers would prefer an experience that’s easier to navigate. This ought to mean less music, with a limit on what can be uploaded, which some services already have; the sheer amount of music Smith had online ought to have suggested a problem, and it seems to have done so after some time. It should mean rethinking the pro-rata royalty system to make everyone’s listening habits generate money for their favorite artists. And it needs to mean spending some money to make streaming services look more like a record store and less like a swap-meet table.
These ideas may not be popular — streaming services don’t want the burden or expense of curating what they offer, and most of the labels so eager to fight fraud also fear the loss of the pro-rata system that disproportionately benefits their biggest artists. (In this industry, one illegitimate play for one song is fraud but a system that pays unpopular artists less is a business model.) But the industry needs to think about what consumers want — easy ways to find the song they want, music discovery that works in different genres, and a royalty system that benefits the artists they listen to. Shouldn’t they get it?