Ears To The House

2 Minutes

News

Time for a new rise to streaming rates, surely?

Ears To The House Team 3 July 2022

Lots of people seemed to be terribly pleased with themselves over the weekend, following Friday’s announcement by the USA’s Copyright Royalty Board that it was standing by its decision to increase headline rates to...

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...

2 Minutes

News

How long until one MILLION can live off Spotify money? Er, prepare for a shock…

Ears To The House Team 31 January 2022

Nearly four years ago now, Daniel Ek had more idealist ambitions than he does today. Whereas the Spotify boss nowadays seems to care more about investing his money in defence tech startups and trying...

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

The Neil Young thing really isn’t the big story here! Whilst Daniel Ek’s Spotify fights bid to pay songwriters more money, the company is about to sign a sponsorship deal worth $380million with Barcelona FC…

Ears To The House Team 28 January 2022

Much has been said over the past few days about musician Neil Young demanding his music was taken off Spotify due to false Covid information allegedly being broadcast by their $100million podcaster Joe Rogan....

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 -2 Minutes

Who seriously cares? My own question for Music Business Worldwide as they ask whether Universal or Spotify will be worth more at 2021’s end…

Ears To The House Team 10 December 2021

Back on Monday, Music Business Worldwide asked what they thought was an important question concerning Universal Music Group and Spotify. “Which of music’s two giants will be worth more at the end of 2021?”,...

News -2 Minutes

Over two MILLION streams and just over £93 in the bank: the truth of what’s behind those glossy Spotify Wrapped graphics as NZCA Lines blows the whole thing open…

Ears To The House Team 8 December 2021 1 Comment

Why would anyone bother making music in this day and age? Whilst I’m not saying that money should be the sole driver for producers, singers and the rest, getting paid for your work is...

News -2 Minutes

PRS for Music launch fund to help musicians pay their winter bills – but in a climate where Universal’s Lucian Grainge gets paid £150million, isn’t this just a sticking plaster for a far bigger problem?

Ears To The House Team 6 December 2021

Unless you’ve been living under a rock recently, you can’t have possibly failed to notice that your money doesn’t go quite as far as it used to. Food costs are up, fuel costs are...

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 -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

Did your takedown requests get lost in the post? DJ Sneak – who promised to take his music off digital stores in January – still has hundreds on Traxsource…

Ears To The House Team 2 November 2021

On December 29th last year, DJ Sneak decided to make a few changes to the way he did business. And one of those was to declare his music would be coming down from digital...

News -1 Minute

Spotify teams up with Shopify to allow artists to sell merchandise through their profiles on the streaming site – so is any excuse to avoid paying better royalties good enough now, Mr Ek?

Ears To The House Team 22 October 2021

It seems the prospect of paying artists more money is about as well received with Daniel Ek as the sight of a wooden stake is for a vampire. It’s hard to come to any...

News -2 Minutes

Do you feel like Eric Cartman yet? Threatened probe by UK competition authorities into streaming and the majors has just moved one step further…

Ears To The House Team 19 October 2021

The very first episode of South Park, broadcast in 1997, featured Eric Cartman having an alien probe stuck up his backside. Cartman would spend the entire episode denying its existence, yet he would frequently...