The music streaming service Spotify recently announced the addition of video advertisements on its ad-supported (i.e., FREE!) platforms. According to Spotify, on mobile devices, the video ads will be in the form of “sponsored sessions,” where users can watch a video ad in exchange for 30 minutes of ad-free listening. As for desktop users, they’ll […]
Casting a Net: Podcasts, Webcasts, and the Licensing Regime
So you want to start a music podcast. Or, maybe a music webcast. Regardless of which format you choose, you’ll need to acquaint yourself with copyright law and licensing. But how easy it is to license the content you desire varies greatly on whether you opt for a podcast, where users download your episodes (much […]
I Read Ten Articles About Music Streaming Royalties And All I Got Was Confused
Even if you only casually follow the trials and tribulations of the modern music industry, you’ve probably seen some iteration of the following article on music streaming royalties: “My Song Got One Million Plays on Pandora and All I Got Was X Dollars.” Without question, music streaming royalties are granular.[1] But the dollar figures attached […]
Why Beats Music Might Beat Spotify in Battle of Music Streaming Services
By John Seay, Atlanta Entertainment Lawyer Let’s get this out of the way early: I’m excited about Beats Music. Although I’ve defended Spotify at times, I’ve done so mostly because (1) there’s a lot of bad information out there about it; and (2) it needed to succeed because, what else is there? Well, starting on January […]