Starting today, Spotify is paying creators in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada based on how much engagement their videos receive from paid subscribers, similar to platforms like YouTube.
We don’t know how much video creators will earn, but there’s plenty of interest in the program — according to Spotify, almost 60 percent of eligible shows and networks have enrolled since it was announced last month.
The music streaming service responded to Drake’s accusations that it used bots and payola to “artificially inflate” Lamar’s streaming numbers, saying Spotify “invests heavily in automated and manual reviews to prevent, detect, and mitigate the impact of artificial streaming on our platform,” Billboard reports.
Have you ever wondered who makes the tunes for Spotify’s “ghost artists?” Real musicians, including a jazz artist interviewed by Liz Pelly, in an excerpt from her upcoming book, Mood Machine. I wonder how long that gig will last...
[Harper's Magazine]
This year, Spotify teamed up with Google to let you generate a podcast with two AI ‘hosts’ based on what you’ve listened to.
That’s growth of 12 percent year-over-year, according to the company’s third quarter earnings. Monthly active users are up, too, reaching 640 million.
Android Police writes that it took less than 24 hours for Google to fix the issue, partly thanks to a particularly concerted effort on the part of Google Home users. Also: today I learned there’s a dedicated Google smart home gadget feedback form.
A reader asked the Denver Post why it hadn’t covered a grisly and salacious 2014 murder in Littleton, CO. It hadn’t, because the crime never happened.
But there it is on YouTube and Spotify, accumulating millions of views with seemingly AI-generated voiceovers and faces. True crime fans say they reported the videos months ago after YouTube recommended them, but they aren’t being removed.
Monthly active users increased by 14 percent year-over-year to 626 million, but 5 million short of Spotify’s expectations for the quarter. Subscribers also increased by 12 percent to 246 million, with Spotify reporting a record-high operating income of €266 million (about $288.8 million).
The growth timeline “exceeded even our own expectations,” said CEO Daniel Ek. “This all bodes very well for the future.”
The streaming music service has launched a new Parental Guide detailing its tools for managing your kids’ listening habits as well as its efforts to keep the platform safe.
Spotify’s actual parental controls are limited to filtering out explicit content and controlling the playback of certain artists. For a fully curated experience, you’ll need to spring for Spotify Kids, which is part of the Premium Family package.
[www.spotify.com]
The iconic desktop media player has enjoyed several revivals, but none as technically impressive as Rodrigo Méndez’s Linamp.
Powered by a Raspberry Pi 4B, the stereo’s touchscreen interface features Winamp’s recognizable UI, allowing music to be played from CDs, storage drives, and even Spotify. Most of the iconic Winamp features are there, including playlist editing, but those hypnotic visualizers are, unfortunately, MIA.
Google introduced AI extensions last year, letting the bot formerly-known-as Bard connect with other Google apps and services. It’s continued expanding the feature, most recently adding a connection between Gemini and YouTube Music, but now Android Authority has found code in the app indicating Gemini could connect to Spotify, too, eventually.
Hopefully, Gemini works better than our experience with the Rabbit R1.
[Android Authority]
