Music publishers accuse Spotify of 'bait-and-switch subscription scheme'

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

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Heinemann to publish Godfather prequel

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Fri, 06/05/2011 - 16:25 William Heinemann is to publish a prequel to Mario Puzo's The Godfather series, written by author Ed Falco and based on an unproduced screenplay by Puzo. Publisher Jason Arthur bought UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #donadio olson


Hearst, Apple Reach Deal to Bring Subscriptions to iPad

Hearst will begin selling iPad subscriptions to Esquire, Popular Mechanics, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #oprah magazine #popular mechanics


Hearst Partners With Apple on Subscription Offering

In the wake of Time Inc.’s announcement of the agreement with Apple that allows print subscribers to access iPad editions of magazines, Hearst has struck a deal with Apple to sell subscriptions through the iTunes store. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #itunes store #sell subscriptions #print subscribers #subscription offering


Amazon to Publish New Line of Romances [Voices]

Amazon.com Inc. is expanding its fast-growing publishing business with a new line of romance books, its latest quest for original content to distinguish its print and digital bookselling services. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #original content #romance books


Hearst Strikes Deal with Apple on iPad Subscriptions [Voices]

In a big win for Apple Inc., magazine publisher Hearst Corp. has agreed to sell subscriptions to the iPad editions of a range of its publications through iTunes, beginning with three of its popular magazines, the publisher said. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #popular magazines #ipad editions #sell subscriptions #big win


Publishers "have nothing to fear from Hargreaves" - Vaizey

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 05/05/2011 - 09:35 Culture minister Ed Vaizey has suggested the results of the Hargreaves intellectual property review should not be feared by publishers, giving the earliest indication that the review takes into account industry concerns.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Notting Hill Editions to revive essay publishing

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 05/05/2011 - 15:22 New imprint Notting Hill Editions launches today (5th May), with the aim of revitalising essay publishing. Essays by George Perec, Roland Barthes, Lavinia Greenlaw and Jonathan Keates, accompanied by introductions by the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #james fenton #margaret drabble


Starling to join Octopus Publishing Group

Publication Date: Wed, 04/05/2011 - 09:00 Alison Starling is to join Octopus Publishing Group as publisher. Starling was publishing director at Ryland, Peters & Small for 12 years, commissioning titles such as The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook. She joins OPG on 9th May and will commission... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #great addition #denise bates #mitchell beazley


Small Publishers and Marketing Services

American Business Media’s annual meeting this year took a single theme approach, focusing on the opportunity for b-to-b publishers to offer marketing services. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #marketing services #small publishers


Evans Publishing files Company Voluntary Arrangement

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 03/05/2011 - 08:25 Educational publisher Evans Publishing has filed a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) after saying the school and library market has faced an "extremely tough 18 months". The 103-year-old company, which trades under the name... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #library market


Travel publishers look to children's sector for growth

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 04/05/2011 - 09:10 Lonely Planet is launching a range of children's books called Not-for-Parents, and says that it sees children's publishing as a "good route" to grow the business. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #travel publishers


App Roundup: More Publishers Develop For Droid

With the latest slew of magazine apps launched in the past few weeks comes promising news for publishers in the digital space: publications with an Apple app have seen enough success to try their luck in the Android market. Enter the Droid Apps Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #android market #digital space #latest slew


Report: Variety on Block; Publisher says “Nonsense”

Variety was one of just four magazines kept by Reed Elsevier after it sold off more than 60 different properties over the last three years. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #reed elsevier


Steidl awarded publishing award

Written By: Jenny Roper Publication Date: Thu, 28/04/2011 - 06:55 German publisher Gerhard Steidl has been awarded the inaugural outstanding contribution to publishing award at his year's Kraszna-Krausz Book Awards. Steidl received the prize last night (27th April). He still independently... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #world rights #publishing award


Penguin to publish slow news title

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 28/04/2011 - 08:00 Viking has been scanning the local papers and choosing the most eyebrow-raising headlines—often for all the wrong reasons—in a tribute to the quirky world of slow news days. Whitstable Mum in Custard Shortage . . And... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #local newspapers #local papers


Justine Southall appointed publisher of Marie Claire

Justine Southall, previously the publisher of NatMag's Cosmopolitan magazine, has been made publisher of IPC's women's glossy, Marie Claire. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2011-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cosmopolitan magazine #marie claire


News.me, the iPad News Aggregator Blessed By Big Publishers, Gets Ready To Launch [MediaMemo]

The 99-cents a week-service looks like the kind of thing that could drive the New York Times and the Associated Press batty. Instead, they've signed on for a piece of the action. Continue reading at AllThingsD

[ AllThingsD | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ve signed #big publishers


Ogden Publishing To Integrate Fulfillment with E-mail Marketing

Ogden Publications will be combining their in-house fulfillment database with their e-mail service provider to better market content and consumer products to readers.The blending of Advantage Computing Systems’ fulfillment platform with the iPost iMM digital e-mail marketing technology is... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #consumer products


London Book Fair: 'Back with a vengeance', say publishers

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Fri, 15/04/2011 - 09:05 read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Advocate Chooses DTI's Cloud Publishing Platform to Future-Proof Operations

The Advocate, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana newspaper owned by the Manship family is managing its content publishing infrastructure with DTI ContentPublisher and DTI Cloud. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2011-04-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #baton rouge