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☆ TikTok’s Star D’Amelio Family Starts New Venture to Help Influencers Grow Beyond Social Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/damelio-family-starts-new-venture-to-help-influencers-grow-beyond-tiktok-a9870f25

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Spotify Layoffs Are Latest Sign of Struggles in Podcast Business
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Anne Steele | Will Feuer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/spotify-to-cut-200-jobs-as-it-reorganizes-podcasting-division-39720004

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Taylor Swift’s Tour Is Wreaking Havoc on Ticket Reselling
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/taylor-swift-fans-crashed-ticketmaster-now-they-are-rattling-stubhub-4bde1797

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: ticketmaster

☆ Legislation Aims to Increase Live-Ticketing Competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Richard Blumenthal and Amy Klobuchar are sponsoring the Unlock Ticketing Markets Act. Photo: Tom Williams/Zuma PressSenators on Wednesday introduced legislation aimed at improving competition in live ticketing by preventing ticketing companies from locking up venues in long-term exclusive contracts. The move follows a Senate hearing in January on Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift ticketing problems last fall. The Unlock Ticketing Markets Act, sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D., Conn.), would allow the Federal Trade Commission to prevent the use of “excessively long” multiyear exclusive contracts with event venues that the senators say lock out competitors, discourage innovation of new services and increase costs for fans.

☆ Spotify CEO Calls AI ‘Cool and Scary’ as It Hits Music Industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Photo illustration: Ryan TrefesSpotify Technology SA reported its strongest first-quarter user growth ever, but a soft ad business led to lower-than-expected revenue. During the quarter ended in March, the company laid off employees and reorganized its top brass, saying it aims to become more efficient this year following an intense period of spending. Spotify also introduced a new video feed for its app in a bid to boost user engagement. It overhauled its landing page to recommend music, podcasts and audiobooks to users via short clips, similar to TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

☆ Warner Music Group to Cut 4% of Workforce
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Warner Music, the third-largest major music company, is allocating resources toward artist and songwriter development. Warner Music Group Corp. plans to layoff about 4% of its global workforce, according to a memo from new Chief Executive Robert Kyncl, citing the need to reposition the company toward technology. The job cuts mark the first major strategic move made by Mr. Kyncl, who joined the company in January after departing Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube as its business chief. About 270 jobs will be eliminated.

☆ Taylor Swift Fans Prepare Wardrobe, Hydration Strategies for Marathon-Length Shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kassie Meiler endured six hours in an online waiting room to score tickets to one of Taylor Swift ’s upcoming concerts in Tampa, Fla. Now, the 27-year-old is gearing up—literally—for the stamina test of the pop star’s 44-song, three-hour stadium spectacle. Instead of heels, Ms. Meiler plans to wear platform Keds, the sneaker brand Ms. Swift once endorsed. Rather than a sparkly fringe jacket similar to what Ms. Swift sports onstage, Ms. Meiler is seeking a cooler option for the April show she will attend, perhaps in vest form.

☆ Spotify Launches New Video Feed to Keep Listeners Listening
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Spotify Technology SA wants users to discover their next favorite artist on its platform, and not on TikTok or YouTube. The Swedish music-streaming company on Wednesday introduced a new video feed for its app, aiming to recommend music, podcasts and audiobooks to users via short clips, similar to TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

☆ Beyoncé’s Ticket Sales Are Ticketmaster’s Next Test After Taylor Swift
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Ticket sales to Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour will serve as a closely watched test for Ticketmaster in the wake of its bungled sales of Taylor Swift tickets late last year. On Tuesday, a series of presale tickets to Beyoncé shows in certain cities will become available to Citi credit-card holders before ticket sales open up to more fans in a series of staggered sales. A limited number of tickets to some shows went on sale Monday for a portion of Beyoncé’s superfans, known collectively as the BeyHive, with no initial reports of significant technical problems.

☆ Spotify Adds Users, Reports Loss After Big Investments in Podcasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Spotify Technology SA reported strong user growth but another quarterly loss after the company invested extensively to build its podcast business. The audio giant, which last week laid off employees and reorganized its top brass, said it aims to become a more efficient business this year following an intense period of spending. Spotify’s chief content and advertising business officer, Dawn Ostroff , will leave the company. She spearheaded the company’s expansion into podcasting, helping acquire studios and ink deals with high-profile figures such as Joe Rogan, Michelle Obama and Kim Kardashian.

☆ Senate Hearing on Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift Meltdown: Five Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Taylor Swift didn’t appear at a Senate hearing looking into last year’s botched ticket sales by Ticketmaster for her coming tour. Live Nation Entertainment Inc. faced questions from lawmakers in Washington on Tuesday, in a Senate hearing stemming from Ticketmaster’s botched ticket sales last year for Taylor Swift’s coming tour. Senators pressed Live Nation , which owns Ticketmaster, over the company’s exclusive arrangements with venues, ticketing fees, defense against cyberattacks and consumer-data protection practices. Lawmakers also sought to portray the company as a monopoly, accusing it of anticompetitive practices and suggesting that an unwinding of the 2010 merger that united the two companies be considered.

☆ Taylor Swift Ticketmaster Debacle Prompts Lawmaker Scrutiny of Live Nation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Live Nation Entertainment Inc. faced accusations of exorbitant ticket fees, flawed customer service and anticompetitive practices during a Senate hearing Tuesday, held after the company’s Ticketmaster unit last year botched ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s coming tour. “This is all the definition of monopoly,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), laying out complaints from venues that fear losing Live Nation concerts should they choose to use a ticketing provider other than Live Nation’s ticketing unit, Ticketmaster. “Live Nation is so powerful that it doesn’t even need to exert pressure, it doesn’t need to threaten because people just fall in line,” she said during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

☆ Senators Press Live Nation Over Taylor Swift Ticketmaster Debacle
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Country Music Star Zach Bryan Is Trying to Break Up With Ticketmaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Country star Zach Bryan’s coming concert tour is trying to dodge one major stop: Ticketmaster. The down-home crooner, who has been outspoken about the ticketing giant’s dominance in the music industry, on Thursday announced his first arena headlining tour, which will go through venues that don’t have exclusive ticketing agreements with Ticketmaster. He will play and even headline some music festivals that will be ticketed by Ticketmaster, a setup that Mr. Bryan has described as beyond his control.

☆ Alexa, That Isn’t Elvis! New Music Shuffle Irks Amazon Prime Users
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Sebastian Herrera | Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Dustin Bingham loves to play music when he cooks. Recently, he asked one of his eight Amazon Echo smart speakers to play Michael Bublé while he prepared some pasta. Sure enough, sounds of the Canadian crooner filled the kitchen, courtesy of his Amazon Prime music account. But what was that next tune? Not Mr. Bublé, and not anything Mr. Bingham had ever heard before.

☆ How Spotify’s ‘Case 63’ Went From Regional Hit to Unexpected Chart-Topping Podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Spotify Technology SA’s original sci-fi thriller “Case 63” has become one of its biggest shows, marking a strategic shift for the streaming giant in the type of content it is creating for its audio business. Initially a Spanish-language Chilean series, “Caso 63” ranked No. 1 for nearly a month in Argentina and Mexico post-premiere in 2020. 1 podcast in translations for Brazilian and Indian audiences. The English version, released at the end of October, topped the charts in the U.S., Canada, Ireland and the U.K.

☆ Justin Bieber Nears Roughly $200 Million Deal to Sell Music Rights
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Justin Bieber is close to a deal to sell his music rights to Blackstone Inc.-backed Hipgnosis Songs Capital in a transaction valued at around $200 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The potential deal includes the pop star’s interest in both his publishing and recorded music catalog, the people say, and comes as such transactions are becoming harder to close, music executives say.

☆ Taylor Swift Tickets: How Many Might Be Left?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

When historic demand for presale tickets to Taylor Swift ‘s next tour overwhelmed Ticketmaster’s system last month, many empty-handed fans hoped they would get another crack at tickets during a sale to the general public. Then, a day before those tickets were to be offered, Ticketmaster called the sale off, citing an insufficient number of tickets to meet demand.

Hipgnosis owns the rights to songs written by artists such as Shakira, Lindsey Buckingham and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Investors are demanding a change of tune at Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd., the London-listed investment vehicle that owns the rights to tens of thousands of songs written by artists such as Shakira, Lindsey Buckingham and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hipgnosis was founded by Merck Mercuriadis , a former pop-star manager who has called catalog copyrights recession-proof, and better than investing in oil or gold. Hit songs can yield decades of payments for their owners, as they are streamed, played on the radio, performed live or featured in advertisements.

☆ Taylor Swift Concert-Ticket Mess Draws Scrutiny for Live Nation and Ticketmaster
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Singer Taylor Swift sold more than two million tickets on Ticketmaster in one day. Ticketmaster’s Taylor Swift tour fiasco last week renewed calls to investigate the 12-year-old merger that joined the world’s largest live event promoter with the dominant ticketing company. But some legal experts are skeptical that dismantling the behemoth would address the problems raised by officials and fans. Lawmakers and attorneys general have lined up to hold Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its Ticketmaster unit accountable for a botched ticket-sale process for Ms. Swift’s first concert tour in five years, blaming the website’s failure and high fees on a lack of competition.

☆ Ticketmaster Sells More Than Two Million Taylor Swift Tickets in One Day, a Record
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Anne Steele | Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Taylor Swift ’s presale for her first tour in five years broke sales records as millions of fans rushed to snap up tickets despite glitches affecting Ticketmaster’s system and backlash from politicians over the ticket seller’s power. Ms. Swift’s 52-date stadium run sold over two million tickets on Tuesday—more than any other artist in a single day, according to the company. Tuesday’s presale was limited to a select group of people who had registered with Ticketmaster, part of an effort to ensure that actual fans, rather than scalpers, got first crack at tickets.

☆ Ticketmaster Backlash Mounts After Taylor Swift Ticket Debacle
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Alyssa Lukpat | Anne Steele | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Politicians and Taylor Swift fans are criticizing Ticketmaster for anticompetitive behavior after the online ticket seller’s website crashed this week and some people couldn’t buy tickets to Ms. Swift’s coming tour. When tickets went on sale Tuesday for Ms. Swift’s first tour in five years, a rush of fans swarmed Live Nation Entertainment Inc.’s Ticketmaster site. The site was one of the few places to buy a ticket for Ms. Swift’s “Eras Tour.” Fans complained on social media that the site kept crashing.

☆ Taylor Swift Cancels ‘Eras Tour’ Ticket Sale to General Public After Ticketmaster Glitches
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Anne Steele | Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Taylor Swift canceled her “Eras Tour” ticket sale to the general public planned for Friday after the presale for the pop star’s first tour in five years saw historic demand, overwhelming ticketing systems and leaving few available seats. In a statement, Ticketmaster confirmed that the general sale would be called off. The ticket seller said the cancellation was due to high demand and “insufficient remaining ticket inventory to meet that demand.”

☆ Taylor Swift Breaks Ticket-Sales Record With ‘Eras Tour’ Despite Ticketmaster Glitches
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Anne Steele | Alyssa Lukpat | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Taylor Swift ‘s presale for her first tour in five years broke sales records as millions of fans rushed to snap up tickets despite glitches affecting Ticketmaster’s system and backlash from politicians over the ticket seller’s power. Ms. Swift’s 52-date stadium run sold over two million tickets on Tuesday—more than any other artist in a single day, according to the company. Tuesday’s presale was limited to a select group of people who had registered with Ticketmaster, part of an effort to ensure that actual fans, rather than scalpers, got first crack at tickets.

☆ Taylor Swift’s Concert Ticket Sales Plagued by Ticketmaster Delays
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Anne Steele | Ashley Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Taylor Swift’s 52-date run is slated to be her most extensive U.S. stadium tour to date. A rush to buy tickets for Taylor Swift ’s first tour in five years—and five albums—left fans scrambling and distraught Tuesday as Ticketmaster’s system was overwhelmed in markets across the U.S. and would-be buyers waited in long lines. Live Nation Entertainment Inc.’s Ticketmaster site, which is selling tickets for the 2023 tour via a system meant to give preferential treatment to longtime fans, crashed in New York and other cities amid a crush of fans trying to snap up what industry executives have anticipated will be the hottest tickets since the lift of pandemic restrictions on the live touring business.

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