Streaming’s growth plan in the connection economy

During Universal’s Capital Markets Day, Universal Music Group (UMG) chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge cited some “fundamental facts” of the music business. These include the promise that “streaming will continue to propel many years of industry growth”. However, the past few months have provided plenty of indicators that music streaming is at a turning point.

Mixcloud Announces Acquisition Of Live Music Marketplace Encore

Upon joining Mixcloud, Encore will continue to operate as an independent brand, booking musicians, bands and DJs for events of all kinds. Meanwhile, Mixcloud will help steer the next stages of the company’s product.

The music industry is entering the era of “Streaming 2.0” and could be on course for 2 billion paying subscribers says Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge

Universal Music's Capital Markets day at Abbey Road Studios offered significant insight into how UMG sees the current global music business, where it sits, and how it's going to grow in coming years.

Spotify is releasing a Travis Scott concert film… on YouTube

Video is an increasingly prominent feature on Spotify, from artist clips and full music videos through to video podcasts. However, the company’s latest video project will make its debut off-platform.

AI Can Generate Music, But Is That Really What People Want?

AI can generate original music in an instant, but with the live sector rising 25% each year, what makes audiences gravitate towards live music? Emotional content? Relatability? Let’s take a look.

How music distributors, bots, and streaming platforms are stopping legitimate artists from getting paid

Musicians like Devi McCallion struggle to receive royalties after dubious claims of illicit streams, but little help is available.

Amazon is ending support for its DeepComposer AI-music keyboard

Did you know that Amazon was involved in AI music on both the software and hardware side? It would have been easy to miss this part of its business.

Bose Announces New Earbuds And A Soundbar That Pairs With Ultra Open Earbuds

Bose has announced a new pair of true wireless earbuds, a soundbar and an upgrade to the personal surround sound on the Bose Ultra Open sports earbuds. The new QuietComfort Earbuds have been designed for everyday use and include customizable tap controls, voice commands, wireless charging case and up to 8.5 hours of playtime, all housed in a compact and durable package.

TuneFM is using crypto to pay artists up to 100X more than Spotify

Tune.FM describes itself as a decentralized Web3 music-streaming platform built atop the Hedera Hashgraph blockchain with a mission to help artists earn more in royalties from their music by “streaming royalty micropayments and digital music collectibles.” Payments are made in crypto via with its native JAM token.

DJ Fresh on why he launched AI-powered start-up Voice-Swap

In a music industry grappling with the consequences of AI, the Voice-Swap platform offers a counterpoint to data scraping and deepfakes: a legal and ethical approach to voice modelling.

AI headphones will soon change the way you hear the world

New technology is turning headphones into reality-editing machines that can reshape how you hear the world.

Soundstripe launches 'AI Song Editing' feature with Daaci

We know Soundstripe for its business licensing music to YouTubers and other online video creators. Now it is dipping its toes into the world of AI music again via a partnership with startup Daaci.

Sony Pictures, Music Help Sony's Sonieum Web3, Blockchain Incubator

The company wants to "catalyze ecosystem growth and accelerate adoption by leveraging its vast global reach and technological expertise across entertainment, gaming, and consumer electronics."

— Send story ideas & feedback to: jeff@platformandstream.com

️— Interested in sponsoring the newsletter? You'll find all the details here.​