Spotify Makes Bold Move of Artist Solidarity
Users of the free version of Spotify may have an unavoidable reason to up their membership to Premium status. Yesterday the music-streaming giant announced a new licensing deal with Universal Music Group, the world’s largest record label, giving Universal artists the option to allow streaming of new music to be available exclusively to Spotify Premium subscribers for the first two weeks. At this time, the agreement only applies to full-length albums, allowing singles to remain accessible to Spotify users on all tiers. The joining of Spotify and Universal Music Group is an acknowledgement that streaming undoubtedly dominates the music business, and by implementing what’s called “windowing,” free subscribers are inclined to up their membership, in theory allowing Spotify to allocate more money towards artist royalties. Daniel Ek, chariman and CEO of Spotify says the partnership “is built on a mutual love of music, creating value for artists and delivering for fans.” With any luck on the music industry’s side, this partnership will set a trend for other record labels to place limits on Spotify’s free service.
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Alan Menken to Receive Johnny Mercer Award
Songwriter and film composer Alan Menken will be the 2017 recipient of the Johnny Mercer Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 48th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner this June. The Johnny Mercer Award was introduced in 1981, five years after the legendary songwriter’s death. The award is given to a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted, and “whose body of work is of such high quality and impact that it upholds the gold standard set by the legendary Johnny Mercer.” Menken was inducted in 2008, and is the eight-time Oscar, seven-time Golden Globe, eleven-time Grammy, and one-time Tony award winner (for those keeping count that’s just an Emmy shy of an EGOT) behind the music of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Hercules, and Pocahontas, as well as on- and off- Broadway productions of shows like Newsies, Sister Act, and Little Shop of Horrors. His music has even popped up in episodes of Sesame Street and the Seth Rogen gross-out comedy Sausage Party. Alan Menken will receive the Johnny Mercer Award on June 15th.
Photo: Buena Vista Pictures
-Taylor Wallace
