Spotify has once again drawn the ire of the music industry. The National Music Publishers' Association has called on the Federal Trade Commission to examine the streaming service's addition of audiobook content into all of its paid subscription plans. According to the group's FTC complaint, Spotify's recent actions are part of "a scheme to increase profits by deceiving consumers and cheating the music royalty system." This requires some backstory. In November 2023, Spotify announced that it would include 15 hours of audiobook content as part of all its Premium subscription plans. A few months later, the company unveiled a new audiobook-only subscription, offering the same number of listening hours for $10 a month. The publishers' organization claims that Spotify's recent price increases are based on offering that extra audiobook content, and that paying customers are automatically being charged for a service they didn't choose and can't opt out of without switching to the free, ad-supported listening experience. And the additional revenue from the higher Premium subscription costs may not go to the music composers. According to the FTC complaint, Spotify will pay about $150 million less in music royalties over the first year of these new bundled Premium plans. The NMPA letter goes so far as to call the new audiobook-only plan "a sham" that "exists solely to allow Spotify to claim that audiobook content is a significantly and independently valuable aspect of its 'bundled'... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-06-12 23:52:55 UTC ]
News tagged with:
#deceiving consumers
#company unveiled
#listening hours
#organization claims
#paying customers
#additional revenue
#$150 million
#nmpa letter
#exists solely
#early stage
#planned overhaul
#royalty model
#routinely criticized
#streaming ecosystem
#audiobook
The Russian opposition politician, who died in prison in February, completed an autobiography which will come out later this yearA memoir by the late Russian politician Alexei Navalny is due to be published this autumn, publisher Penguin Random House (PRH) has announced.The Russian opposition... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-11 16:01:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#memoir due
#published posthumously
#publisher penguin
#memoir
180 titles have been submitted for this year's German Book Prize, established to 'draw attention beyond national borders' to German fiction. The post German Book Prize: 180 Novels Submitted by 106 Publishers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-04-10 17:03:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#draw attention
#german book
Nine digital publishing execs that spoke with Digiday said they are investing in other social platforms like Instagram and TikTok to grow their reach. But the question remains if these strategies can actually make up the social referral deficit. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2024-04-10 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#social platforms
#publishers turn
#digital publishing
Audio shared with the New York Times appears to record executives discussing purchase of the US books giant to feed into its large language modelsStaff at technology company Meta discussed buying publishing house Simon & Schuster last year in order to procure books to train the company’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-09 15:36:14 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#train ai
#publishing house
#schuster
Each year the Bologna Children’s Book Fair honors a half dozen publishers with the BOP - Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year; the 2024 winnerswere announced on April 8. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#bologna children
#bologna children’s book fair
Returning this year to Bologna Children's Book Fair, PublisHer names its award winners and offers a daily panel discussion and networking. The post At Bologna: PublisHer’s Excellence Awards and Panel Discussions appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-04-04 23:27:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#bologna children
#excellence awards
#panel discussions
#book fair
#award winners
#children's book
In its first year, Keeperton will publish 10 titles—four of them by Swan, whose Miles High Club series is a BookTok favorite—under its romance imprint, Arndell. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#romance imprint
The New Press publisher Ellen Adler will step down from that role at the end of September, leaving the independent publisher of progressive books after a 21-year run. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#independent publisher
As Bologna Book Plus prepares to stage its first Audio Forum, Spotify's audiobook catalogue jumps from 200,000 t0 250,000 titles. The post Spotify Expands Its Premium Audiobooks Offer: Canada, Ireland, New Zealand appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-04-02 20:34:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#audio forum
#audiobook
#bologna book
Reaching its 15th anniversary, the Emirates Publishers Association opens a 10-million-dirham fund that includes a business incubator. The post Emirates Publishers Association Issues 10-Million-Dirham Fund appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-04-02 13:37:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#15th anniversary
#publishers association
“My job as a parent isn’t over until your book gets published,” my father said, years ago. I don’t remember the circumstances of this statement—where we were, what we were doing. I want to say it had something to do with his body, maybe the deterioration of his lungs to COPD, his breathing so... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-27 08:54:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#memoir
The eight indie presses that made PW’s fast-growing list for 2023 thrived in a challenging business environment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#indie presses
#made pw
Sybil Steinberg, a lifelong lover of literature and a 'Publishers Weekly' editor for 25 years, died on March 17. She was 90. Steinberg served as editor of the magazine's Reviews and Author Interview departments until her retirement in 2001. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
John Grisham's longtime publisher will return after a buyout to oversee the publishing strategy for the John Grisham brand, "which will now live alongside the sales and corporate marketing teams," PRH CRO Jaci Updike wrote in a memo. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#longtime publisher
#john grisham
#publishing strategy
#penguin random house
Months after mass layoffs threatened its future, Sports Illustrated will resume publishing after its owner reached a new rights deal with digital media company Minute Media. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2024-03-18 17:12:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with:
#sports illustrated
#rights deal
#digital media