Spotify Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Archewell media company launched by Prince Harry, 38, and Markle, 41, didn’t produce enough content to receive the full payout of the roughly $20 million deal the couple signed in 2020.The news comes after struggling Spotify announced this month it will cut 200 jobs as it reimagines its approach to podcasting.“The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify,” an Archewell Productions spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal.“Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform.”The Post has contacted reps for Harry, Markle, and Spotify for comment. “Archetypes,” which explored the labels that hold women back, was the only project the couple produced for Spotify during their two-and-a-half-year partnership.There were only 12 episodes of “Archetypes,” which featured guests such as Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, Mindy Kaling, and Paris Hilton, and typically ran for about an hour.

Grimes has discussed AI and streaming services, saying she thinks Spotify and others should have a section dedicated to it.The singer recently revealed that she is currently beta testing her own AI voice mimicking software that will allow users to record vocals in Grimes’ voice, with a hit single from Kito featuring ‘AI Grimes’ released soon after.Now, in a conversation with Jaguar on the UTOPIA Talks podcast, Grimes has discussed consent with regards to AI and the voice of artists being used by others.“I think it’s good to have consent,” she responded. “It wouldn’t personally bother me, but I just still think it’s good to respect people, like if they don’t want that… It is a lot, you are like foregoing creative control. And so you sort of have to be like open to that.“I think there’s systems that can make it a bit easier.

Spotify laid off some 6% of its 6,600-strong workforce.As the streaming platform gears up to scale down its internal operations, redundancies are now officially reaching 2% of its entire workforce — a staggering number considering how recent the investment took place.In a blog post on the streaming platform, Spotify’s head of podcast business Sahar Elhabashi wrote, “We are expanding our partnership efforts with leading podcasters from across the globe with a tailored approach optimized for each show and creator.”“This fundamental pivot from a more uniform proposition will allow us to support the creator community better,” Elhabashi continued.“However, doing so requires adapting … As a result, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to make a strategic realignment of our group and reduce our global podcast vertical and other functions by approximately 200 people, or 2% of Spotify’s workforce.”The cuts prove that the company is failing to see the results it had hoped for in the podcast arena — despite pumping billions of dollars into having Markle and Joe Rogan’s podcasts on its platform.However, Markle’s “Archetypes” podcast has struggled to remain at the top since its debut in August 2022 as by November, the podcast slid down to number 22 in the charts.For his part, Rogan’s podcast suffered a series of controversies ranging from Covid-19 vaccine misinformation to being accused of using racial slurs and making antisemitic comments.In 2021, it was reported that Meghan and Harry received a cool $25 million from Spotify for singing on the dotted line for a lucrative audio deal.More recently, Markle was honored at the 48th annual Gracie Awards where she picked up a gong for her podcast — though she was not

Spotify has launched its AI DJ across the UK and Ireland this week, which recognises your listening habits and suggests new songs for you using artificial intelligence.The concept was first announced by Spotify back in February, when it unveiled its DJ feature, and described it as a “personalised AI guide that knows you and your music taste so well that it can choose what to play for you”.Now, in an update shared yesterday (May 16), developers at the streaming platform have confirmed more details on the AI DJ feature and confirmed that it has been launched in the UK and Ireland.According to a blog update, the feature is all about “connection and discovery”, and runs through a combination of Spotify’s personalisation technology and OpenAI technology in the hands of its onboard music experts. It also features a dynamic voice for the host/DJ, also created using artificial intelligence.The blog also describes how users will be served songs and context geared towards their individual preferences.

Universal Music Group has been in correspondence with the major music streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify, to demand that the companies help block the AI programs that are creating new songs based on the music of UMG artists. A report published last week by the Financial Times contains emails and interviews with sources close to UMG.

Spotify has announced that it is to shut down music trivia game Heardle, less than a year after it purchased it.In July of 2022, the streaming service announced that they had bought the game, which arrived as a Wordle spin-off that played fans the intro to well-known songs and asked them to identify the track as quickly as possible.At the time, Spotify’s global head of music Jeremy Erlich said: “Heardle has proven to be a really fun way to connect millions of fans with songs they know and love and with new songs… and a way to compete with their friends as to who has the best musical knowledge.”Now, the company have confirmed that they are shutting down the service, saying in a statement: “After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Heardle as we focus our efforts on other features for music discovery.”As Billboard report, the game is set to disappear on May 5, with fans being sent a push notification this week that read: “Thanks for playing Heardle, but unfortunately we have to say goodbye.

Spotify has shut down its live audio app Spotify Live, with the company saying it “no longer makes sense as a standalone app”.Spotify Live, which was previously called Spotify Greenroom and purchased (under the name Locker Room) by Spotify in 2021, allowed fans to stream and interact with live audio and podcasts.Speaking to Music Ally this week, Spotify confirmed that they were shuttering the app, saying: “After a period of experimentation and learnings around how Spotify users interact with live audio, we’ve made the decision to sunset the Spotify Live app.“We believe there is a future for live fan-creator interactions in the Spotify ecosystem; however, based on our learnings, it no longer makes sense as a standalone app,” they continued.“We have seen promising results in the artist-focused use case of ‘listening parties’, which we will continue to explore moving forward to facilitate live interactions between artists and fans.”Elsewhere at Spotify, it was recently revealed that company executives have only spent 10 per cent of their $100million (£81.75million) budget on a new fund to promote music and audio content by members of “historically marginalised groups”.The Creator Equity Fund was launched last year in the wake of controversy surrounding Joe Rogan’s Spotify-exclusive podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, due to uses of the N-word and COVID vaccine misinformation.A host of popular Bollywood songs have also been removed from Spotify after a licensing dispute with a top label.

Official Charts Company.The list featured artists including Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Arctic Monkeys, Sam Fender and Dua Lipa.Sophie Jones, BPI Chief Strategy Officer and Interim Chief Executive said of the data: “Streaming has changed the face of music – enabling artists to connect with fans at home and around the world in ways never possible before, and with consumers also able to enjoy unprecedented choice and affordability.“It is heartening to see this new research showing so many artists achieving such huge success in streaming, encompassing many less well-known names as well as global superstars.“With record labels delivering improvements in areas such as transparency and deal terms, as the market continues to adapt and evolve, their biggest contribution remains essential investment to develop and support artists.”You can see the top 20 artists below:1. Ed Sheeran2. Harry Styles3. D-Block Europe4. Arctic Monkeys5. Dave6. Adele7. Coldplay8. Elton John 9. Dua Lipa10. Queen 11. The Beatles12. George Ezra13. Oasis 14. Sam Fender 15. Fleetwood Mac16. Little Mix17. Central Cee18. Calvin Harris 19. Sam Smith 20. Becky Hill Last year, the UK government’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) formally launched a new study to examine the music streaming market.The announcement followed on from the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s ‘Economics Of Music Streaming’ report, which was published in 2021 and led to the government calling on the CMA to start an investigation into the matter.They announced that the CMA “will examine the music streaming market, from creator to consumer, paying particular attention to the roles played by record labels and music streaming services”.The CMA’s assessment will consider

Spotify after a licensing dispute with a top label.As The Independent report, fans have been sharing their anger after hundreds of songs from the Indian label Zee Music Company have been disappearing from playlists.The label, which purports to be India’s second most popular, claims it is home to more than 50 per cent of new Bollywood music.Now, hugely popular soundtracks to films including Bajirao Mastani, Ram-Leela and Gully Boy have all been removed from the service, while the song ‘Apna Bana Le’, from new film Bhediya, has also been removed despite being the most-streamed song in India on Spotify in recent weeks.In a statement toBillboard, Spotify said: “Spotify and Zee Music have been unable to reach a licensing agreement.“Throughout these negotiations, Spotify has tried to find creative ways to strike a deal with Zee Music and will continue our good faith negotiations in hopes of finding a mutually agreeable solution soon.”Elsewhere, it was recently revealed that Spotify executives have only spent 10 per cent of their $100million (£81.75million) budget on a new fund to promote music and audio content by members of “historically marginalised groups”.The Creator Equity Fund was launched last year in the wake of controversy surrounding Joe Rogan’s Spotify-exclusive podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, due to uses of the N-word and COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.Just over a year on, however, Bloomberg has found that the initiative has got off to a slow start.

Spotify executives have only spent 10 per cent of their $100million (£81.75million) budget on a new fund to promote music and audio content by members of “historically marginalised groups”.The Creator Equity Fund was launched last year in the wake of controversy surrounding Joe Rogan’s Spotify-exclusive podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, due to uses of the N-word and COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.Just over a year on, however, Bloomberg has found that the initiative has got off to a slow start. Spotify was found to have taken months to hire staff and deal with “shifting priorities”, and Bloomberg also obtained a memo which said that at the beginning of the year, they were still finalising the fund’s budget and were still sorting out their priority projects.A project manager was appointed and teams assembled to pitch and create shows and assist with marketing, the initiative lacked enough of a structure in terms of fielding projects and funding.“The Spotify Creator Equity Fund is dedicated to a variety of initiatives that help elevate and support an inclusive and diverse portfolio of artists and creators on the platform,” a spokesperson for Spotify said in a statement.

“the world’s most popular artist.”The 33-year-old “Starboy” singer currently holds the Guinness title for the most monthly listeners on Spotify (male) at 111.6 million, which also makes him the first artist to reach 100 million monthly listeners on the platform, Guinness confirmed to The Post on Tuesday. His Spotify numbers even soar above other high-ranking acts, including Miley Cyrus, who has 82.3) million monthly listeners, Shakira (81.7 million), Taylor Swift (80.3 million) and Rihanna (78.2 million).The Weeknd’s closest male competitor, Ed Sheeran, has 77.5 million monthly Spotify listeners.

Hulu limited series of using exclusive reporting from her Spotify podcast without citation or payment.In an interview with The New York Times published Friday, Petrzela explained that she believes that content from her podcast, “Welcome to your Fantasy,” was used for Kumail Nanjiani’s “Welcome to Chippendales.”Petrzela further told The Post on Saturday that she is “troubled by the close similarities” between the two projects.“From story structure to certain characters and plot details to the almost identical title, which understandably led many to believe, mistakenly, that I was involved in the creation of the television adaptation,” Petrzela emailed The Post.“I am glad this case is being reported because it raises important questions about attribution and creative ethics, especially when reporting nonfiction.”The Post reached out to Spotify, Hulu, and Nanjiani’s reps for comment.Petrzela’s 2021 podcast, which was co-produced by Gimlet Media and Pineapple Street Studios, told the story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the late founder of the all-male revue Chippendales.The nine-episode series explored Banerjee’s rise and fall before his 1994 suicide ahead of sentencing for pleading guilty to arson, racketeering and murder-for-hire charges.Banerjee had hired Nick De Noia to help him manage the business, but after a bad deal, Banerjee became angry with De Noia and wanted to have him killed.“It was forbidden for dancers to take money for sex but some did,” Petrzela told The Post in a 2021 interview about Chippendales. “I heard of guys making $300 to $1,500 for encounters.”Petrzela worked on the Spotify series with Dr.

Linkin Park‘s Mike Shinoda has released a new single ‘In My Head’ – check out the official music video below.The song features Kailee Morgue on vocals as the Nu Metal icon lends this brand new effort to the official Scream VI soundtrack. The song officially dropped on Friday (March 10), with Shinoda saying he was “excited to share” the track with fans – having teased it heavily.With a lo-fi intro that gives way to heavy beats pulsing as Shinoda showcases his rapping skills, the track moves into an electro-flavoured pop banger that follows in the vein of (and builds on) 2018’s ‘Promises I Can’t Keep’ and last year’s ‘Happy Endings’ which featured Iann Dior and UPSAHL.Watch the video for Mike Shinoda and Kailee Morgue’s ‘In My Head’ below:‘In My Head’ is available to stream on a number of platforms including: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, plus many more.In the run-up to the single’s release Shinoda and Morgue released a number of skit promo videos for the track.

Snoop Dogg has brought the Death Row Records catalog back to streaming services.The ‘Gin And Juice’ rapper had promised to bring the iconic rap catalog back to traditional streaming services and apps last month. And on Thursday (March 9), Snoop stuck to his word, announcing the release of the catalog on his Twitter.“Yessir.

Spotify has announced the rollout of a new vertical feed that will give users the ability to preview podcasts and music through scrolling, similar to TikTok.The feed – which is available now – was announced through the streaming platform’s official newsroom on Wednesday (March 8). The new interface makes previewing content on the platform easier for users and is split into two sections: music and podcasts & shows.Ready, set, discover new audio easier than ever before! Take a look at our greatest app evolution yet.

Frank Ocean has been uploading some of his old music on to Spotify under an aliasThe user blondead has so far uploaded three Ocean fan favourites from his 2010, 70-track compilation ‘The Lonny Breaux Collection’.Three tracks ‘miss you so’, ‘bedtime story’ and ‘sucka for love’ have so far been uploaded to stream from the artist page.The songs match the tracks ‘Miss You So’, ‘Bedtime Story’ and ‘Sucka for Love (Alternate Version)’.Ocean’s official Spotify account currently only has a select portion of his discography on the platform featuring major studio albums ‘Blonde’ and ‘channel ORANGE’ but older records such as ‘The Lonny Breaux Collection’ and ‘nostalgia, ULTRA’ are not officially available to stream.“how did i not clock frank ocean been uploading old music on spotify under a different moniker,” wrote one fan on Twitter, upon spotting the tracks.Another added: “Oh my GOD sucka for for love is finally on Sportify – Frank is hilarious for n this – not Blondead.”how did i not clock frank ocean been uploading old music on spotify under a different moniker— s ☆ (@certishaz) March 7, 2023Oh my GOD sucka for love is finally on Spotify – Frank is hilarious for this – not Blondead

Spotify has introduced an AI-powered DJ function, which learns your listening habits and plays your favourite songs.A new blog from the streaming service describes the new tool as “a personalised AI guide that knows you and your music taste so well that it can choose what to play for you”.It adds: “This feature, first rolling out in beta, will deliver a curated lineup of music alongside commentary around the tracks and artists we think you’ll like in a stunningly realistic voice.“It will sort through the latest music and look back at some of your old favorites—maybe even resurfacing that song you haven’t listened to for years. It will then review what you might enjoy and deliver a stream of songs picked just for you.

Spotify boasts an earworm-harnessing hack that allows users to identify the tunes running through their heads. The “lyrics search” was actually launched in 2021 — but the “secret” function is just now coming to the attention of many flustered users.To use the function, which is available on both iOS and Android phones, Spotifyers simply pull up the “search” function, which is used to locate everything, including songs, albums, playlists and even radio stations and upcoming concerts.

Spotify is wading into the controversial, often repulsive menage-a-trois of A.I., art, and business with a new listener guide called DJ. Powered by OpenAI and Spotify’s proprietary personalization technology, DJ speaks to Spotify users and offers recommendations based on your listening history as well as commentary between songs.

J.K. Rowling has addressed the backlash to her past comments about transgender people.Over the last two years, the Harry Potter author has generated widespread controversy with a number of remarks that many have perceived as transphobic.Now, speaking about the backlash in a new podcast, Rowling has claimed that fans “profoundly” misunderstood her point of view.In the upcoming podcast, The Witch Trials Of J.K.

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds have shared a live concert on the 10 year anniversary of their album ‘Push The Sky Away.’The band performed tracks from the record at Los Angeles’ Fonda Theatre on February 21, 2013. Three days earlier the album was released.For a limited time the band are allowing fans to stream the concert, watch a performance of ‘Mermaids’ from the show and a video showing how the album was made.

Zoë Kravitz has co-written two tracks on Taylor Swift’s upcoming album ‘Midnights’.The singer-songwriter is set to release her 10th studio album this Friday (October 21). It’ll feature the single ‘Anti-Hero’ as well as a collaborative song with Lana Del Rey called ‘Snow On The Beach’.As reported by IndieWire, Kravitz has co-written tracks titled ‘Karma’ and ‘Lavender Haze’.Last month, Swift confirmed that her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff had worked on ‘Midnights’.

upcoming album “Midnights”— which drops Friday — by revealing a new lyric each night this week at the stroke of 12 on a billboard in cities around the world. The first lyric was revealed at the witching hour Monday on a huge video screen in Times Square — and read, “I should not be left to my own devices.”“Listeners around the world have spent many a midnight with Taylor Swift. Through life’s triumphs, celebrations, and hardships, Taylor’s music and lyrics have always been a source of comfort when the clock strikes 12 and beyond,” Spotify, which is teaming with Swift, said in a statement.

Netflix miniseries The Playlist have heaped praise on the series.The six-episode docu-drama, which was released on the streaming site last week, charts the rise of Spotify in a “fictionalised” account, following co-founder Daniel Ek and the idea to start a music streaming platform amid piracy in the music industry.“I’m convinced that The Playlist on @netflix is the best original I have seen on the platform in a while,” wrote one viewer on Twitter.Another said: “Don’t sleep on #ThePlaylist on @netflix. It is honestly one of the best limited series I have watched in a long time and gives you a great insight into the workings of the music industry and streaming business.”“THE PLAYLIST on Netflix — a dramatisation of the founding of Spotify — is pretty great.

Spotify has been accused of a lax response to remove white supremacist content from the streaming platform.According to a report by the Anti-Defamation League, a total of 40 white supremacist acts were being hosted on Spotify, violating the platform’s rules against “dangerous content”.The report found that musical sub-genres embraced by these artists included Fashwave – electronic music that espouses white supremacist ideology, Rock Against Communism, a sub-genre of punk that promotes racism and antisemitism and National Socialist Black Metal (NBSM), a sub-genre of metal that espouses fascism and white supremacy.The ADL noted that several of these acts, many of which it says shared links to “other extremist spaces” directly in their profiles, are “verified” artists on Spotify, giving them licence to use the platform’s built-in tools to help surface their music on playlists.The report claimed that a keyword search on Spotify for the term Fashwave turned up in a total of 72 playlists created by the platform’s users, with titles such as 14/88 (a white supremacist code) and Right Wing Death Squad.It also highlighed instances of Spotify-generated algorithmic playlists curated for individual users that incorporate white supremacist content. Despite contravening the anti-extremist guidelines in Spotify’s content policy, such content has flourished on the platform, according to the report.A previous report in February, found that Spotify’s platform rules were lacking and “loosely defined,” leading Spotify to update those rules to add “a much more explicit anti-extremism policy.”But the ADL said in its new report that those rules “do not appear to be strictly enforced” and “Spotify still has considerable work to do in

Lewis Capaldi has covered Olivia Rodrigo‘s ‘Driver’s License’ for Spotify Singles – hear the cover, recorded at Abbey Road, below.Capaldi recently returned with comeback single ‘Forget Me’, which went straight to Number One in the UK singles chart and came complete with a music video that recreates Wham!’s ‘Club Tropicana’ video shot-for-shot.Alongside the ‘Driver’s License’ cover, Capaldi also shared a stripped back version of ‘Forget Me’ for the Spotify Singles release.In a statement about the new song, Capaldi wrote: “I’m back. My new single is called ‘Forget Me’, and let’s just be honest here, lyrically it covers a lot of the same ground as before.

Wet Leg have covered Ashnikko for Spotify Singles – listen to their take on ‘Daisy’ below.The duo are currently on a US tour behind their self-titled debut album, which they recently restarted after cancelling a number of gigs due to “mental and physical health” issues.Discussing their Ashnikko cover, the band’s Hester Chambers said: “I remember going to stay with Rhian around the time we recorded ‘Chaise [Longue]’ with Jon McMullen and she had told me about this artist she’d been listening to loads. She sang and played ‘Daisy’ on the guitar in the morning while we had coffee.

according to The Wrap, in Australia, Canada and the UK, where Markle still has a very loyal fanbase despite her Prince Harry leaving royal life in 2021.“Archetypes” has also outperformed the “Game of Thrones” podcast that was centered around the new spin-off “House of the Dragon,” which premiered on Sunday.In the podcast, Markle discusses the stereotypes faced by women in professional and social environments and featured tennis legend Serena Williams as her first guest.This is not the first time Rogan, who’s had a very fraught relationship with Spotify, has been dethroned. In September 2021, a podcast entitled “Batman Unburied” topped Rogan before he reclaimed the top spot again.Rogan also has some history of beef with Markle, after calling her a “little American hussy” in February 2021, which caused all 113 episodes to be mysteriously removed from the streaming platform.Several Twitter users rejoiced at Rogan’s downfall.“MEGHAN KNOCKED JOE ROGAN OUT OF THE #1 SPOT!!!!! MY GOD THIS IS A HUGE DEAL.

Spotify has launched a new concert tickets website where fans can buy gig tickets directly from the streaming service.The website, Spotify Tickets, went live yesterday (August 10). According to MusicAlly, the site is “strictly a test rather than a full commercial launch”.Through the site, Spotify users can buy tickets for a string of upcoming US shows by TOKiMONSTA, Limbeck, Annie DiRusso, Crows, Dirty Honey, Four Years Strong and Osees.

SoundCloud, who last year announced that it’d be the first music platform to direct the fees of its paying subscribers to the artists they stream.SoundCloud said that it was “a more equitable and transparent way for independent artists who monetise directly with SoundCloud to get paid”.It’s an approach that’s been previously backed by many musicians who have criticised the economics of online streaming.Leading streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music currently operate on a system where royalty payments are distributed in accordance with which artists have the most plays.But it has been criticised by smaller and up-and-coming acts, who claim that the system allows huge global names to generate vast amounts of money while leaving little for musicians who have not achieved similar success.Now, it’s been confirmed that Warner Music Group has implemented SoundCloud’s royalty system. Each artist credited with having earned royalties from a particular recording will earn a share based solely on each stream of that specific release.However, Far Out Magazine cites the results of a recent report by Media Research which found that 56 per cent of artists surveyed were making more revenue by using SoundCloud’s old pro-rata model rather than the new one.Numerous other major streaming platforms – including Spotify and Apple Music – are currently still using the pro-rota model.Upon SoundCloud introducing the fan-powered system, the company’s chief executive officer Michael Weissman said: “Many in the industry have wanted this for years.

Ed Sheeran has hit a milestone streaming record, becoming the first artist to ever hit 100million followers on Spotify.The English singer-songwriter has taken to Twitter today (July 27), sharing a video in which he shows off a white t-shirt that was sent to him by the streaming service that reads “ASK ME ABOUT MY 100 MILLION SPOTIFY FOLLOWERS” in all-caps. In the clip, shot before a show on Sheeran’s current stadium tour, Sheeran comedically goes up to disinterested staff at the venue in order to get their attention with the shirt.The only person in the video who gives a positive response is singer Maisie Peters, Sheeran’s current support act, who replies: “Well done, Ed Sheeran!” Peters then gives Sheeran a hug.

Metallica‘s classic track ‘Master Of Puppets’ have increased significantly following its use in Stranger Things‘ season four finale.In the finale, titled ‘The Piggyback’, Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) played the 1986 track on a rooftop to distract a horde of demonic bats protecting the lair of main villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).Following the episode’s release last Friday (July 1) on Netflix, Metallica shared a post on Instagram on Tuesday (July 5) praising the show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, for the sequence.“The way The Duffer Brothers have incorporated music into Stranger Things has always been next level, so we were beyond psyched for them to not only include ‘Master Of Puppets’ in the show, but to have such a pivotal scene built around it,” the band wrote.Since its appearance on the show, the song has shot to Number Seven in Spotify‘s Top 50 USA playlist, the first time it has ever broke into the playlist’s Top 10 according to Digital Music News.Earlier this week, it was revealed that Robert Trujillo’s son Tye added guitar tracks to ‘Master of Puppets’ for the song’s inclusion in the show.Elsewhere in the fourth season, the show used Kate Bush track ‘Running Up That Hill’ – sending the song to Number One on the Official UK Singles Chart and reportedly earning the singer an estimated $2.3million (£1.9million) in streaming revenue.Speaking after the track achieved its third week atop the UK chart, Bush recently said: “I just can’t believe it – No. 1 for the third week.

MixMag).The increase in rates, which amounts to 44 percent, follows a long battle with streaming platforms like Amazon Music, Spotify and YouTube.The percentage of label revenue (the TCC rate) has also been capped, meaning  publishers will only be able to receive a limited royalty rate.The president of The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), David Israelite said in a statement: “Today the court reaffirmed the headline rate increase we earned four long years ago, confirming that songwriters need and deserve a significant raise from the digital streaming services who profit from their work.“We will fight to increase the TCC, or percentage of label revenue, which amounts to an insurance policy for songwriters, in the next CRB and will also fight for stronger terms regarding bundles.”Artists will receive the backdated rates, although this could be months away according to Bart Herbison of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). He said it is “still unknown when songwriters will receive their payments”.He added: “The bad news is that the definition of “bundled services” and of total content costs, one of the streaming rate tiers, were not what we wished.

Crosby, Stills and Nash is back on Spotify after the musicians initially removed all of their music earlier this year in solidarity with Neil Young.Back in February, Crosby, Stills & Nash joined a growing number of acts who demanded that their music be removed from Spotify amid the COVID controversy involving Joe Rogan.Members of the disbanded folk supergroup, which when joined by Neil Young were known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, supported Young who in January said that he wanted all his music pulled from the streaming platform.Young took aim at controversial podcaster Joe Rogan – a prominent skeptic of the COVID vaccine who has a $100million exclusivity contract with Spotify – pointing out the widespread misinformation shared through his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience.In February, Crosby, Stills and Nash said: “We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify’s Joe Rogan podcast. While we always value alternate points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences.

Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground production company is heading to Amazon’s Audible platform.Following the end of a three-year deal with Spotify, the Obamas have reportedly inked an exclusive multi-year, first-look deal with the Amazon-owned platform.While firm details surrounding the Obamas’ new deal with Audible remain unclear at this time, comments from Michelle Obama hint at the possibility of their content with Audible being released on multiple streaming platforms.The Audible deal will see the Obamas “keep striving to tell compelling, provocative, and soulful stories — while doing everything we can to make sure they reach the folks who need to hear them,” Michelle Obama told The Hollywood Reporter.A Higher Ground spokesperson also told The Hollywood Reporter that the two companies “plan to make the Audible Originals available to the widest possible audience”.The newly signed deal with Audible comes after the Obamas’ three-year deal with streaming giant Spotify ended earlier this year. The Spotify deal saw them “develop, produce and appear” on select podcasts through their Higher Ground production company.The Obamas’ contributions to Spotify notably included the eight-part podcast series Renegades: Born In The USA with Bruce Springsteen.

Kendrick Lamar performed a short set during a Spotify event in Cannes last night (June 20) – you can watch footage of his live performance below.The Compton rapper played live at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès yesterday as part of Cannes Lions Festival – six days before he is due to headline the Pyramid Stage on the final night of Glastonbury 2022.Lamar, who recently released his long-awaited fifth studio album ‘Mr.