✖ Does Apple’s lossless streaming move impair fairer subscription prices?
And: NFTs to fund songwriting; AI x Spice Girls x Nine Inch Nails; Techstars Music demo day; Live Nation invests in Liquid Death; Music algorithm prescriptions for Alzheimer's
Apple just announced they’ll be launching spatial and lossless audio, at no extra cost, to all Apple Music subscribers starting in June. Seemingly in response, Amazon announced that they’ll be folding their lossless quality tier into the standard Amazon Music subscription tier. Lossless quality music is $9.99 now.
👉 This is an ecosystem tie-in play for Apple & Amazon, using lossless as a loss leader.
👉 Apple & Spotify have each other in their crosshairs (think: EU antitrust case, artist remuneration letter).
👉 Music streaming subscriptions need a price hike a la Netflix. This hampers those efforts.
TECH
🙋♂️ Hi, it’s me. I’m doing a monthly column for the brand new AmplifyYou blog. My most recent piece dives into fan retention strategy.
📀 The real promise of blockchain technologies like NFTs are not auctions: it’s collaboration. In five weeks, Songcamp went from idea to a funded virtual song making camp with its works being auctioned. Here’s the whole recap.
💿 One of the people behind the Songcamp initiative is the artist Matthew Chaim. For inspiration on how to use the budding Web3 landscape to create new models for music releases, check out his reflections on the digital space and his upcoming 9-track album release:
“3 of those songs are not yet complete. One of them is missing a second verse. And the other two are still in demo stage. Through the use of collectible NFTs, I will test out different ways of involving my audience in the completion of those 3 songs.”
👩🏫 It’s demo day at the Techstars Music startup accelerator. Tune into Rolling Stone’s Twitch channel later today to hear from their latest batch (11pm Berlin, 5pm New York City).
🌑 Trent Reznor tells you what he wants, what he really, really wants in this AI-generated remix of the Spice Girls in the style of Nine Inch Nails.
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👩⚕️ Alzheimer’s patients and hospital staff prescribed music in NHS trial
“An algorithm allows the software, which is linked to a streaming service like Spotify, to change forthcoming tracks if the prescription doesn’t appear to be working.”
“Young songwriters at songwriting academies, where students’ work is submitted to companies, were notable victims, reportedly not getting paid equitably for their work on some of K-pop’s biggest hits.”
🧠 The MMF Guide to Mental Health 2021 (PDF)
The Music Manager Forum UK launched their new, revised 2021 MMF Mental Health Guide, originally created in collaboration with Help Musicians UK and Music Support UK to offer guidance and signpost support for managers and their clients.
👩⚖️ Hope on the horizon for UK cancellation insurance?
“The government has indicated it will intervene if commercial insurance is still unavailable when the country is scheduled to fully reopen.”
💦 Live Nation invests in canned-water company Liquid Death
“According to Liquid Death, the company opted for aluminium cans because they are “infinitely recyclable”, with over 75% of the aluminium produced since 1888 still in use, unlike plastic, of which just 10% has been recycled.”
MUSIC
Bouncing to this classic baile funk mixtape by DJ Marco Polo.