Spotify. We know it, we love it, we use it, we think it's less of a douche bag than Apple Music. While most of us think this company is pretty cool and supports the industry, it's sitting on a huge volcano of debt which could erupt any day now. Despite the fact that the company is worth $8.5 billion, Spotify took out $1.5 billion in loans just last year alone. Wall Street continues to reject Spotify's public listing and desire to sell stock because the company isn't making enough money. What is Spotify to do?
Streaming
Russian Around Licensing
I like to listen to my Discover Weekly playlist as I fold my unmentionables. I've got plenty of other playlists which I enjoy exercising and jamming to. I think it's safe to say that I like Spotify. You know who else likes Spotify? People in countries where Spotify hasn't been licensed. Excuse me, what? The biggest offender in this case is the country of Russia. Russia is a member of the group of counties where Spotify is not licensed. Spotify cannot keep track of royalties and pay adequately according to currency in certain countries, so the software isn't licensed there. That doesn't mean people go without however.
Face The Music
In this past election season (please God, make it go away), Facebook noticed a spike in use. For the social media giant, this would appear to be a good thing. However, there's something troubling about the data coming in for Facebook. As researchers are calling it, Facebook is, and has been, past its peak. Things are getting to the point where the price of the stock isn't worth what the company is actually doing.
The Prince and the P.O.’d: The Story Continues
Of course, the Prince Estate still stands by their POV that they did want the music to be brought forth, just not in the way that it was and that Tidal's argument is utter malarkey.
The Prince and the Peeved
However, kids, she is NOT the first artist to fight so fiercely for artist rights. Before Taylor Swift ever began singing, there was Prince, or, as we should say, the artist formerly known as Prince, or The Love Symbol, depending on your preference. As much as we like to call Ms. Swift frigid and beastly for protecting her rights, Prince makes her look civil. And, even in death, Prince is still battling for his rights.
YouDon’t Get It Red: Still Stupid, But it’s New-ish
The video streaming service has been pushing its paid viewing service, YouTube Red, on us for about a year now, trying to break into the premium streaming market. The idea itself of YouTube Red is interesting because it features some of our favorite YouTubers in big-time content like web series and professional movies. While this is really cool for the creators and YouTube personalities, the YouTube execs are soon to face a cold reality.
Ghosts Aren’t Real
The legendary country artist has announced harbingers of the death of his own streaming/music sale service, GhostTunes. Here's the thing about GhostTunes's fated passage into eternity: no one cares. I hadn't even heard of GhostTunes until half an hour ago. It is highly likely that artists whose music is featured and on the site don't know the site exists either. The fact of the matter is that you have to follow these rules, if you want to keep your relevancy and your marketability.
Wilds of the Amazon (Prime)
Like many college students, I have an Amazon account which I use to buy books, gear for my room, and anything else that strikes my fancy. I love Amazon so much that I have my own Student Prime account, which gets me faster shipping and a library of movies via my laptop. However, Amazon is broadening its horizons, in terms of media. In fact, Amazon has recently announced its new unlimited music streaming service, catapulting it forth into the music industry. While this is definitely a business savvy move for the company, some of its intended practices seem a bit off.
Show Me the Money!
Money. Money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money. When you go into the music industry, that is all your support system, your desires to advance, and even your fans want to talk about. Eventually, you kinda want it to go away and just make music in a cave where the IRS can't hear you or find you. Pain in the bum as it is, it is quite necessary to further your career. We all know that a major label is good for "star power" and bad for money, but how bad can it really be?
Going Viral
It may not feel like it to some of us yet, but Autumn is upon us. Now, this does mean that a few of our favorite things return to greet us like pumpkin-spiced God knows what, trees changing to spectacular shades of orange and gold, and, my personal favorite, Halloween. However, Autumn does mean the return of some seasonal evils: UGG boots, family gatherings, the common cold and influenza. With all of this crap soon to be flying around in the air, it's important to get vaccinated, take especially good care of your health, and avoid getting an infection or virus at all costs.
The View from 214 