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☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Wayfair, Meta, Apple, Spotify, Qualcomm and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wayfair — Shares of the furniture retailer jumped 24.1% on Monday after Wayfair received upgrades from multiple Wall Street firms, include a double upgrade to overweight from underweight at JPMorgan. Spotify — Spotify gained 3.1% after the company sent an internal memo to staff on Monday announcing plans to lay off 6% of its global workforce, or about 600 employees. Western Digital — Shares jumped 7% after Bloomberg reported that merger talks between Western Digital and Kioxia are advancing. Western Digital would spin off its flash business and merge it with Kioxia in a separately traded company, the report said. Evoqua shares jumped more than 14% following the announcement.

☆ Spotify cuts 6% of its workforce, content chief departs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Spotify has a total workforce of around 9,800 people, which means the cuts impact about 600 employees. Dawn Ostroff, Spotify's head of content, is also leaving the firm. Ostroff, a former president of Conde Nast Entertainment, joined Spotify in 2018 to help the company grow its fledgling advertising and podcasting businesses. In her time at Spotify, Ostroff signed Barack and Michelle Obama's production company Higher Ground Productions to have the former U.S. president and first lady work on exclusive podcasts for Spotify. She also led the deal to get exclusive rights to The Joe Rogan show and was responsible for negotiating exclusive podcasting deals with Kim Kardashian, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

☆ Spotify joins media firms to urge EU action against Apple's 'unfair' practices
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 18 (Reuters) - Music streaming service Spotify Technology (SPOT.N), along with other media firms such as Deezer, urged the European Commission to take action against Apple Inc (AAPL.O) for anticompetitive and unfair practices, in a joint industry letter on Wednesday. The letter, addressed to the European Union antitrust regulator's Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, demanded the Commission to act fast for the welfare of European consumers. Spotify has for years accused Apple of abusing its market position using its App Store rules to stifle competition. "We are writing to you to call for swift and decisive action by the European Commission against anticompetitive and unfair practices by certain global digital gatekeepers, and Apple in particular," read the letter, which was signed by chief executives of media firms Schibsted, Proton and Basecamp. Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ TikTok is quietly testing a podcast feature that allows users to listen to audio in the background
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

TikTok is testing a new "Podcasts" feature that allows users to listen to audio in the background. TikTok is testing a new "Podcasts" feature that allows users to continue to listen to a video's audio even while the app is in the background. Ordinarily, moving away from a TikTok video pauses it outright. One in three respondents said YouTube was their preferred podcast app, followed by Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Spotify has since borrowed tactics from TikTok, including testing a TikTok-like feed for discovering audio on its app.

☆ ATP roundup: Jenson Brooksby rallies in Auckland
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

January 9 - Jenson Brooksby dropped a set but charged back to beat Italian Fabio Fognini 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-3 in the first round of the ASB Classic on Monday in Auckland, New Zealand. Brooksby led the first set 5-3 before Fognini rallied to force a tiebreak. Fognini won six straight points to take that set, but from there it was all Brooksby, who finished the match with six aces and saved six of eight break points while converting six of 14. 5 seed Daniel Evans of Great Britain 7-5, 7-5 in the first round in Australia. Sixth seed Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia, seventh seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain and Great Britain's Jack Draper also won Monday.

☆ They Wanted a Versatile One-Bedroom in Chicago for About $200,000. Which Option Did They Choose?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Carisa Crawford Chappell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

After their son was accepted into Columbia College in Chicago last year, Brian McCutcheon and Donna Sink started looking for ways to cut down on expenses and make everyone’s life easier. A campus housing policy had kept Angus McCutcheon, now 19, in a dorm as a freshman, but the couple hoped they could find him a new living arrangement for his sophomore year. Angus was excited to be able to choose his home and wanted to be close to campus, restaurants and shops. “I’m a fan of natural light.”The family connected with Daniel Eirinberg of eXp Realty, who agreed that Printers Row would be ideal. “You’ve got good train access and a bunch of great little cheap and delicious food choices that cater to the college students,” he said.

☆ Insomnia is a $5 billion business — and this former sleep doctor thinks it's time for a new approach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Ari Levy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

Daniel Erichsen, founder of the Sleep Coach School Daniel ErichsenDaniel Erichsen spent about a decade as a sleep doctor, primarily seeing patients who were struggling with sleep apnea and insomnia. According to market research firm Imarc, the global insomnia market will hit $5.1 billion this year and climb to $6.1 billion by 2028. Other apps, including some backed by venture capital firms, promote cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or CBT-I. That therapy is meant to change the way people think about sleep and incorporates behavior changes like sleep restriction and stimulus control. Kendall's message, which mirrors much of Erichsen's teachings, is that sleep is simple, but insomnia makes it seem complex.

☆ App store avalanche forecast as Apple bows to EU demands
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA) will force Apple and fellow tech giant Google to provide space for third-party app stores on their respective iOS and Android devices. Ben Wood, CMO of industry analysis firm CCS Insight, said he expects "an avalanche of app stores" in the near future. "There's an emerging 'coalition of the willing', and all of them have a vested interest in no longer having to pay what they see as a tax to Apple," Wood told Reuters. Deals for exclusive content could drive competition in app stores in the same way as it has in the "streaming wars" between Netflix and challengers like Disney+ and Amazon Prime, Trezentos said, adding: "Netflix has content that HBO doesn't have ... App stores can be like that." "The biggest hurdle they are going to need to overcome is the consumer," Wood at CCS Insight said.

☆ Netflix's 'The Playlist' creative team on telling Spotify's origin story
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Teddy Farkas | Fahiemah Al-Ali | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNetflix's 'The Playlist' creative team on telling Spotify's origin storyCNBC's Carl Quintanilla breaks down the story of Spotify with the creative team behind Netflix series 'The Playlist' for the latest episode of digital interview series 'Binge.' Lead Writer Christian Spurrier and Director-Creator Per-Olav Sørensen share the challenges and extensive research involved in telling a story that's still unfolding, how Spotify co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek inspired the show's lead character, and why the tech founder fixture has captivated Hollywood producers and audiences alike.

☆ Elon Musk says he's resolved a 'misunderstanding' with Tim Cook about Twitter potentially being yanked from Apple's App Store
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk said a "misunderstanding" over Twitter with Apple CEO Tim Cook was resolved on Wednesday. Cook was clear that Apple never considered removing Twitter from the App Store, Musk said. Musk claimed earlier this week that Apple had threatened to remove Twitter from the App Store. "Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store," Musk wrote in the tweet. Musk claimed on Monday the iPhone maker had threatened to remove Twitter from its App Store and "won't tell us why."

☆ Spotify CEO renews attack on Apple after Musk's salvo
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

loadingEk tagged a number of sympathetic business leaders in his 21-tweet thread, including Musk, Microsoft president Brad Smith, and Proton founder Andy Yen. Spotify has previously submitted antitrust complaints against Apple in various countries, alleging the 30% charge has forced Spotify to "artificially inflate" its own prices. Tim Sweeney, the CEO of "Fortnite" maker Epic Games, tweeted on Wednesday that fighting Apple's "monopoly" was "an American issue transcending party politics". Musk is expected to talk with European Commissioner Thierry Breton via videocall on Wednesday afternoon, though the agenda was unknown. The pair previously met in Texas in May, ahead of Musk's $44 billion purchase of Twitter, where they signaled broad agreement on EU tech regulation policy.

Musk also suggested Apple had threatened to block Twitter from its app store, although he did not explain why. loadingSpotify has previously submitted antitrust complaints against the iPhone-maker in Europe, and Epic Games sued Apple in the United States in 2020. The European Commission has been investigating whether Apple's rules for app developers violate its rules after Spotify filed an antitrust case against Apple in 2019. "Apple continues to disadvantage competitors, and the impact is huge - on consumers, app developers, and now, authors and publishers. Apple, Twitter and Spotify did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

☆ Elon Musk's war with Apple shows just how much power Tim Cook has over how we all use the internet
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk is criticizing Apple's App Store policies, and other tech CEOs have voiced support. Now, Musk is loosening Twitter's content-moderation policies and tech observers say Apple could pull it from the App Store, too. (When asked two weeks ago about the possibility of removing Twitter, Apple CEO Cook told CBS News, "They say that they are going to continue to moderate ... Failure to comply with its policies risks Twitter's removal from the App Store, which would undoubtedly harm Twitter's bottom line. Musk is now trying to put Apple in the hot seat, a seat that Tim Cook and Apple have largely tried to avoid.

☆ 'I'm glad Elon is in the fight': Tech CEOs battling Apple's 30% App Store fee get unexpected ammo from Musk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Shona Ghosh | Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk has fueled a prolonged fight between Apple and app developers over App Store fees. One CEO who predicted trouble when Musk bought Twitter said the billionaire would draw attention to a niche issue. The latter has delighted developers and tech CEOs who rely on the App Store for its huge reach. In a separate tweet, Sweeney noted that Apple had blocked "Fortnite" from the App Store. The streaming app remains available through the App Store.

☆ How Spotify stayed No. 1 in streaming audio even with Apple, YouTube and Amazon aiming for it
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Barbara Collins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Spotify, once a Swedish startup tasked with tackling music piracy issues, is now the most popular audio streaming subscription service in the world. The platform disrupted the audio streaming field – being named to the CNBC Disruptor 50 list in 2013, also making appearances on the list in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 – and set the blueprint for audio streaming services to come. Spotify's success quickly caught the eye of major technology competitors, who have since released their own streaming music platforms such as Apple Music, YouTube Music and Amazon Music. 1 audio streaming service and has kept pace on subscription prices. The pricing tweaks continue between the players in the streaming music space.

☆ Australia launches review into former pilots training Chinese military
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Australia will launch a review into the obligations former Defence Force personnel have to protect state secrets, following reports that Australians were among the Western military pilots who had been approached to help train the Chinese military. Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Wednesday the intelligence agencies and Australian Federal Police were "investigating a number of cases" in Australia, and announced a review into the policies and procedures governing Australian Defence Force personnel. "It's important that we have the most robust framework possible that is in place to protect Australia's information and protect our secrets." Britain has said it would change its national security laws to stop former military pilots being recruited by third-party agencies to work in China, after reports up to 30 pilots had trained the Chinese military. An Australian citizen, Daniel Edmund Duggan, was arrested in New South Wales state in the same week that Britain announced the crackdown on former military pilots.

☆ Former U.S. military pilot arrived in Australia from China weeks before arrest - lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Nov 4 (Reuters) - A former United States military pilot arrested in Australia and facing likely extradition to the United States on undisclosed charges had arrived from China weeks before and interacted with Australian intelligence agencies, his lawyer said on Friday. Consequently Reuters was unable to determine the specifics of Duggan's case, or why he may have interacted with Australian intelligence. "He denies having breached any U.S. law, any Australian law, any international law," Miralis said outside the court. He said the United States should not make an extradition request to Australia until this complaint was resolved. Under Australia's extradition treaty with the United States, an extradition request must be made within 60 days of arrest.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Former U.S. military pilot arrested in Australia listed same Beijing address as Chinese hacker -documents
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The Beijing address is listed in Australian company filings for the pilot and a U.S. blacklisting for the Chinese businessman, however, it was unclear whether they used the Beijing address at the same time. Another aviation source said Duggan went to Beijing to work with Stephen Su, also known as Su Bin in China. When Reuters visited the Beijing address this week the reporter was told it was a residential building and denied entry. Under Australia's extradition treaty with the United States, an extradition request must be made within 60 days of arrest. Robert Anello, the lawyer who represented Su Bin in the 2014 hacking case, declined to comment and Su Bin could not be reached for comment.

☆ Exclusive: Former U.S. military pilot arrested in Australia listed same Beijing address as Chinese hacker
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

☆ Amazon expands ad-free music, podcasts for Prime members
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Annie Palmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Logo of music streaming platform and online music store Amazon Music is displayed on a smartphone on December 14, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. Amazon is expanding its selection of ad-free music and podcasts for Prime members, the latest effort to sweeten the perks offered in its mainstay subscription program. Amazon is significantly boosting its music library available to Prime subscribers to 100 million songs, up from 2 million, the company announced Tuesday. The new Prime podcast and music perks are likely to ratchet up competition with Spotify and Apple's Apple Music. "When Amazon Music first launched for Prime members, we offered an ad-free catalog of 2 million songs, which was completely unique at the time," said Steve Boom, VP of Amazon Music, in a statement.

☆ Former U.S. military pilot who worked in China arrested in Australia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A former U.S. military pilot and flight instructor who ran an aviation consultancy in China is in custody in Australia awaiting an extradition request from his homeland on an undisclosed charge, officials said Wednesday. Australian Federal Police arrested him that day “pursuant to a request from the United States,” a police statement said. His move followed a report that up to 30 former British military pilots had been hired to train members of China’s People’s Liberation Army. He became an AV-8B Harrier fighter pilot and an instructor pilot during his service. It is not clear whether he continues to live in China or what he was doing in Orange when he was arrested.

☆ Spotify criticizes Ye's comments, keeps his music
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - As corporations around the world including Adidas AG (ADSGn.DE) cut ties with Kanye West, music streaming service Spotify Technology SA(SPOT.N) said it would not remove the rapper's music unless his label requested it. Music from the artist now known as Ye did not violate anti-hate policies, Spotify chief Daniel Ek told Reuters. The music also can be found on Apple Music and YouTube Music. Since the remarks, Ye has lost high profile and lucrative partnerships. If Ye's label asks for the rapper's catalog to be removed, Ek said, "Obviously we'll respect their wishes."

☆ Elon Musk says Apple's battle with Spotify is 'concerning' and its new 30% charge on social-media ad revenue 'is a lot'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk tweeted in response to a post by Spotify's CEO about how Apple handles competitors. Apple and Spotify have long feuded over rules on the App Store. The billionaire was responding to The New York Times' article published on Tuesday, which Spotify CEO Daniel Ek shared on Twitter. Ek's Twitter post is the latest development in Spotify and Apple's prolonged dispute over the tech giant's App Store rules. Spotify has accused Apple of anti-competitive practices and previously challenged the iPhone maker's control over the App Store.

☆ Brands have fled Kanye. What about his music career?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Frank Pallotta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — has lost partnerships with fashion brands including Gap, Balenciaga and Adidas following his antisemitic comments in recent weeks. But what does this all mean for Ye’s music career? A career in two partsYe, formerly known as Kanye West, has had a lucrative music career. Will Spotify and Apple Music pull Ye’s music? One area that could see a financial impact for both Ye and Universal Music Group is the licensing of his music.

☆ Spotify CEO says he wants to hike prices in the US, following Apple Music and YouTube's subscription increases
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Spotify could increase subscription prices in the US, according to CEO Daniel Ek. Price hikes are expected to happen during 2023, Ek told The Wall Street Journal. He added that Spotify has raised prices in more than 46 markets around the world. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Ek said subscription price hikes should be expected in 2023. YouTube also recently raised its premium family subscription from $17.99 per month to $22.99, per TechCrunch.

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