Ears To The House

2 Minutes

News

How many of those streams will be paid for in the future? As Spotify Wrapped looks set to hit artists inboxes this Thursday, a question about the changes kicking in during 2024…

Ears To The House Team 27 November 2023 0 Comment

We’re almost at that time of the year when artists start receiving emails from Spotify telling them how they’ve done on the streaming site this year. Many will choose to parade the badges proudly...

2 Minutes

News

They’ve got you right over a barrel! Threaten Spotify with having to pay artists more money, and they’ll just leave your country – as Uruguay are about to find out…

Ears To The House Team 21 November 2023 0 Comment

History is littered with examples of people and institutions being corrupted by power. Quite simply, if you hand over all the power to someone, they’re probably going to be tempted to abuse it –...

2 Minutes

News

Is this just the start of a slippery slope? Spotify confirms that anyone getting less than 1000 streams for a track from next year won’t be getting paid for it…

Ears To The House Team 8 November 2023

Ever since Spotify was founded back in 2006, it has become the most curious of beasts. Despite becoming the website which, in many ways, saved the majors from a very bleak future as everything...

2 Minutes

News

Do they STILL have to plug music in this way? There’s a hard techno playlist on Spotify – and we still don’t know how the hell this cover photo got approved…

Ears To The House Team 7 November 2023

So how do you promote music in this day and age? No one seems to know the right answers to this question anymore – and Ears To The House certainly can’t profess any specific...

2 Minutes

Business

Just pay everything to Lucian Grainge and be done with it! Spotify is changing its royalty model from next year to combat streaming fraud – but who will REALLY benefit from the move?

Ears To The House Team 25 October 2023

Everyone seems to agree that the streaming model doesn’t pay in the way that it should. Even the major labels admit that there are issues within the current system – despite them being by...

2 Minutes

News

Spotify should raise their prices, says Warner Records boss

Ears To The House Team 18 September 2022

It was Baz Luhrmann on his 1999 song “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” who commented that you should “Accept certain inalienable truths; prices will rise, politicians will philander. You too will get old, and...

2 Minutes

News

The majors are worried about their streaming cash cow…

Ears To The House Team 9 June 2022

On this Thursday morning at Ears To The House HQ, we all feel like Dennis Nedry. You might remember him from the 1993 film Jurassic Park. In an exchange with Lewis Dodgson, he says...

2 Minutes

News

Spotify FINALLY addresses Joe Rogan controversy – what kept them?

Ears To The House Team 31 January 2022

Spotify boss Daniel Ek is a man who’s apparently got used to the good times. For many years now, Spotify’s share price has kept going up, the major labels have been happy with what...

News -3 Minutes

Reasons to cancel your Spotify subscription? This blog can cite just a few – and a stupid controversy over $100million shock jock Joe Rogan is not one of them…

Ears To The House Team 30 January 2022

This blog makes no pretence of objectivity. I have opinions and I use this blog to express them. I don’t run a news wire service – anyone who comes onto the blog and encounters...

News -1 Minute

Not the start Daniel Ek wanted to his week! Fresh from major labels probe, indy label body Impala now wants UK’s anti-competition body to take a closer look at Spotify’s much maligned Discovery Mode…

Ears To The House Team 10 January 2022

This blog welcomes the prospect of Daniel Ek not having a particularly good start to the week. And it looks like he’s about to get that. A few months ago, a parliamentary committee in...

News -1 Minute

Yet another reason (as if any were needed at this point!) that streaming doesn’t work – the price of a streaming subscription has only gone up 4 cents since Rhapsody came along in 2001…

Ears To The House Team 4 December 2021

More than once in the past on this blog, I’ve expressed the view that major record labels made a monumental mistake when the internet came along, and it’s one that everyone – except themselves...

News -2 Minutes

As Spotify Wrapped makes its annual appearance to get music makers feeling warm and fuzzy inside, a reminder the only person winning in this system is Daniel Ek…

Ears To The House Team 2 December 2021

Earlier this week, this blog published all about Traxsource’s 2021 In Review. I offered up a defence of the platform for carrying out this annual tradition. And one thing I forgot to include in...

News -1 Minute

Why ARE the dance music press so slow at reporting the news? Resident Advisor finally tell readers about Spotify’s Daniel Ek investing €100million in defence company – two weeks after a one-man blog did!

Ears To The House Team 30 November 2021

Traditionally, new editors are appointed to publications when the old one decides they’re leaving or the management think new energy or a different direction is needed. And having studied some sociology a very long...

News -2 Minutes

Whilst you’re at it, could you tell Spotify to pay more to artists? Adele requests Spotify remove shuffle as default button on albums – and Daniel Ek is too starstruck to ignore her!

Ears To The House Team 22 November 2021

Is there a way to get Daniel Ek, the CEO of Spotify, to take any notice of you? Well, unless you’re Sofia Levander – she’s his wife and most men can verify you ignore...

News -3 Minutes

No cash to pay artists properly, but lots of money for new defence tech companies – Daniel Ek’s investment of €100million into AI business raises all manner of ethical questions…

Ears To The House Team 15 November 2021

This blog firmly believes that Spotify hates the artists and labels signed up to its platform. Their incessant attempts to reduce the amount of royalties they pay out, plus ongoing legal battles to stop...

News -1 Minute

Spotify wants to reduce its royalty payouts to songwriters – so just WHY does Daniel Ek’s website hate the people who made him a multi-billionaire?

Ears To The House Team 15 October 2021

I’ve come to the conclusion that Daniel Ek hates musicians. And by that, I include artists, singers, songwriters, that bloke you got in to play the guitar solo bit, publishers and the rest. I...