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 ]
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Lego Publishing will launch a new imprint, Lego Books, in partnership with children's book publisher Ameet. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-04 12:07:17 UTC ]
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One of the most interesting things about book publishing, as an industry, is the way imprints and publishing houses develop over time—shifting focus to keep up with public interest, taking on personalities along with personnel, changing hands ad nauseam and merging like no one’s watching.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-08-15 09:36:09 UTC ]
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African publishers should publish more books in indigenous languages to stop their disappearance and to increase the awareness of African writers in their own countries, the celebrated Kenyan writer and activist Ngugi wa Thing’o told delegates at the second International Publishers Association... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-13 23:53:47 UTC ]
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Following the June 7 departure of publisher Dayna Anderson and managing editor Cassandra Farrin, the Eagle, Idaho-based company named Justin Mitson publishing director. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Working to build a global, supportive community of women in publishing, the first PublisHer's dinner brought together some 30 women making a difference in the book business. The post First PublisHer’s Dinner: Working to Support Women in Publishing appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers gathered in Milan, Italy, on March 5 – 7 to discuss revenue diversification and monetizing audiences overseas. The post ‘Scale itself isn’t that transformative’: Insights on sustainable publishing models from the Digiday Publishing Summit Europe appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2019-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A report from Axel Springer shows churn prevention is a higher priority this year while satisfaction with platform support has declined. The post ‘Retention is a key strategic element for all publishers’: European publishers focus on churn appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2019-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Assistance on licensing, printing permits, ISBNs for new titles, trade inquiries, and more are available now to publishers in the UAE at a centralized resource hub located at Sharjah Publishing City. The post At Sharjah Publishing City, the Emirates Publishers Association Opens a ‘One Stop Shop’... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 2019 Publishers' Forum in Berlin will feature a programming partnership with the Frankfurter Buchmesse's THE ARTS+, while Publishing Scotland has issued its call for fellowship applications. The post Industry Notes: Germany’s Publishers’ Forum and THE ARTS+, Publishing Scotland Fellows... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"There was a time when there were few English-language publishers here in Québec," says Linda Leith, president of the Association of English-language Publishers of Québec. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Canadian digital platform is using machine learning to discover what readers want. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recently, I did some revenue forecasting for a client who is considering entering the digital news/content space. The product offering is pretty unique, but it will be entering a very saturated market with large, established competitors, traditional competitors like The New York Times and Wall... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2018-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Financial Times and New York Media suspended their paid media on Facebook over concerns about how news publishers are treated under its new ad policy. The post Publishers stop Facebook ad spending over policy that treats publishers as political advertisers appeared first on Digiday. Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2018-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First quarter revenue fell 7.6% in Salem Media Group's publishing division which it attributed to a slowdown in author acquisitions in its self-publishing business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'We can use the marketing muscle and the global strength that we have to support this ever-widening range of storytellers,' says Mikyla Bruder, publisher of Amazon Publishing. The post Mikyla Bruder, Publisher of Amazon Publishing Worldwide: ‘When the Stories Are Good’ appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a never-before staged seminar event, London Book Fair this year presented a mini-conference on the freedom to publish with the International Publishers Association and featuring the widow of slain publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan. The post Publishing’s Darker Stories: Focusing on Freedom to... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The director of Tyto Alba describes what her house and other publishers are up to. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Regardless of the market's limited size, given a national population of only 1.9 million, the standards of the publishing industry in Latvia remain very high. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The executive director of the Lithuanian Publishers Association surveys the literary scene. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Two of Lithuania's most prominent publishing figures are optimistic about the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-03-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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