Spotify has announced “Spotify Tickets” to start testing concert ticket sales directly to fans. The move comes after a strong post-lockdown fan demand for live music tickets. Fans will need to have a Spotify account to submit an order for a ticket.

According to BVMI, the German music industry generated USD $999.11 million in total revenue during H1 2022, marking a 5.5% increase year-over-year from H1 2021. The number was driven by continued streaming growth, which made up 73.3% of the total.

Video giant YouTube recently explained in its update to its “Test Features and Experiments” page that creators may have more music options for their content, including an ability for them to access partners’ music while still being able to earn revenue on their videos. The company also stated that they are still testing with a limited set of creators.

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Compiled by Heidi Seo


Exploration Weekly - Aug 12, 2022

As Live Music Bounces Back After Lockdown, Spotify Dips a Toe Into Concert Ticket Business

Following strong post-lockdown fan demand for live music tickets, streaming giant Spotify, with its 433 million monthly active users, could be thinking of making a serious play in the live music ticketing business. This week, Spotify started testing concert ticket sales directly to fans via a new ‘Spotify Tickets’ site. Fans will need to have a Spotify account to submit an order for a ticket to one of the events listed on the site, and if they don’t, they’ll need to register for a free account with the platform before they can do so. As first reported by Music Ally, concerts for seven artists are currently listed on the site, including Annie DiRusso, Crows, Dirty Honey, Four Years Strong, Limbeck, Osees and Tokimonsta.

German Music Industry Revenue Approached $1 Billion During 2022’s First Half Amid Continued Streaming and Vinyl Growth, Report Says

The German music industry generated €967 million during 2022’s first half, according to a newly released report, with digital having accounted for more than 80% of the total. Berlin’s Federal Music Industry Association (BVMI) revealed this and other performance data for the German recorded music industry in a half-year report this week. Per the analysis, the mentioned €967 million (USD $999.11 million) in total revenue marks a 5.5% year-over-year boost from H1 2021 and was driven by continued streaming growth. Streaming itself is said to have made up 73.3% of total revenue in the German music industry during Q1 and Q2 of this year.

YouTube Tests Rev-Share Changes for UGC Videos That Use Music

YouTube Content ID may soon be allowing copyright rights holders to share revenues with the creator of the video. “We are starting to experiment with ways to grow creators’ music options for their content. This includes introducing the ability for creators to access our partners’ music while still being able to earn revenue on their videos,” explained YouTube in a recent update to its ‘Test Features and Experiments’ page. “Right now we’re still building and testing with a limited set of creators, and will have more news to share in the coming months.”

Taylor Swift’s Five-Year Legal Battle Over “Shake It Off”, Explained

Taylor Swift recently claimed this week that her song “Shake It Off” was “written entirely by me” as part of a five-year copyright infringement lawsuit filed by songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler. They claim that Taylor’s team lifted her lyrics to “Shake It Off” from a 2001 song called “Playas Gon’ Play” by the group 3LW. Currently, Taylor’s lawyers are trying their best to avoid a trial. This week, they asked Judge Fitzgerald to decide the case without the help of a jury, arguing that months of discovery in the case had turned up other “fatal flaws” in the accusations. Among other things, they said it was now clear that Taylor had never heard the song – a key requirement in any copyright lawsuit. If Swift’s motion is denied, a trial will take place at some point in the future; no date has yet been set.

iHeartMedia Revenues Reach $954M in Q2, Up 11% YoY

US broadcaster iHeartMedia has published its financial results for Q2 2022 (ended June 30). Overall revenue in Q2 edged up 11% year-over-year to $954 million, in line with the group’s forecast of between a 10% and 14% revenue growth. The figure, however, was slightly down from the average estimate of $955.9 million by seven analysts, according to Yahoo Finance. Net income came in at $14.4 million, versus a net loss of $32.3 million in the year-ago period. The development signaled iHeartMedia’s continued recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when the company swung to a loss of $197.3 million in Q2 as revenues tanked 46.6% due to lower revenue from broadcasts, networks, sponsorship and events and audio and media services. Most recently, the company’s podcast segment continues to grab a bigger share of the company’s revenue and income.

Random Ramblings

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  • The life and chart legacy of Olivia Newton-John.
  • The eternal influence of Imogen Heap.
  • What's the difference between composition and sound recording copyrights?



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