Music Business Roundup: Spotify’s New Content, Sony Contract Leaked, & More

Each week on Songwriter U, Songspace recaps the top stories in the world of music business. Here’s everything you need to know from the week ending on May 22nd.

Spotify Announces New Content
The major streaming service held a media event in New York City this week to unveil new parts of their platform, including the addition of original video, podcasts, and news sections. They also announced a new type of music discovery, where playlists will be recommended based on the user’s past listening preferences, location, and the time of day.
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Sony’s Contract With Spotify Leaked
A contract between major label group Sony Music and Spotify was leaked online – then removed per Sony’s request – and sparked a lot of conversation around streaming payments, labels, and artists. The contract is a major source of information, as these documents are usually kept private. The International Music Managers Forum took particular interest in the contract, noting how Sony seemed to earn a lot of money that was not necessarily shared with the artists.
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Jack White Defends Tidal
In a recent post on his website for Third Man Records, Jack White explained some of the reasoning behind Jay-Z’s new music service (in which White is one of the artists partners). White discussed how he believes Tidal will help offer unknown and struggling musicians make more money, as well as how he believes paying for music is similar to how people pay to go see a movie at the theater.
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Starbucks Says Goodbye To iTunes
After a long partnership, the global coffee company Starbucks is teaming up with Spotify. The deal will include free Spotify Premium accounts for all employees, curated playlists in stores, and the ability to earn Starbucks rewards through the streaming service.
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Hunter Hayes Chooses Digital
The young country artist Hunter Hayes has decided to take a stance when it comes to embracing the new digital world: he is releasing an EPs worth of songs exclusively through digital services (Spotify initially, then on iTunes). The absence of a physical CD release could be a sign of the future, and is especially risky in the country format which traditionally buys more physical product than other genres.
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