Mohammed Al-Asimi

Spotify and Tencent announce

Washington - Muslimchronicle

Music streamer Spotify — ahead of an expected initial public offering in 2018 — has agreed to buy a stake in China’s Tencent Music Entertainment, which in turn will purchase an equity stake in Spotify, the companies announced Friday. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Spotify and Tencent’s music subsidiaryRead more

Spotify builds streaming lead at 60 million subscribers

Washington - AFP

Spotify said Monday that it had 60 million paying subscribers, expanding its lead in the fast-growing world of music streaming. The Swedish company has more than double the base of nearest competitor Apple Music, which in early June said it had 27 million subscribers. Apple Music, however, achieved its growth rapidly as it was launched only two years ago byRead more

Streaming now makes up most US music industry revenue

New York - Arab Today

Streaming for the first time accounted for most recorded music revenue in the United States last year, bringing the industry its fastest growth in nearly 20 years, figures showed Thursday. While the breakneck expansion is welcome news for a long-beleaguered music industry, overall revenue is still half the level from the late 1990s before the revolution in online music. TheRead more

Ed Sheeran smashes Spotify records with new album ‘Divide’

New York - Arab Today

Ed Sheeran has smashed Spotify records with his new album "Divide," which drew nearly twice as many listens on its first day as the previous leader. The world's largest streaming service said that the pop singer's album was heard nearly 57 million times on Friday, its first day of release. The figure far outpaced the previous record-holder, R&B sensation TheRead more

Ed Sheeran breaks Spotify records with new music

New York - AFP

Pop singer Ed Sheeran on Friday broke all-time records on Spotify as fans rushed to hear two songs from his upcoming album. The British singer-songwriter's "Shape of You" became the top song ever for a single week on the world's largest streaming website, with 52,359,013 listens through Thursday. "Shape of You" shattered the previous record for a single week setRead more

Drake dominates Spotify for another year as the most streamed artist

New York - AFP

Rap superstar Drake has dominated Spotify for the second straight year, ending 2016 as the most streamed artist and with both the most heard album and song. The world's leading streaming service, releasing figures Thursday for the past one-year period, said that its users listened to the Canadian rapper's songs 4.7 billion times. He more than doubled his total ofRead more

Spotify launches Japan streaming

Tokyo - Arab Today

Online music giant Spotify said Thursday it is launching a streaming service in Japan with a karaoke twist, the world's second-biggest music market but one still dominated by compact discs. Sweden-based Spotify said it will offer a free service with advertising and an ad-free 980 yen ($9.70)-per-month version with around 40 million song titles. "The Japanese market is very different"Read more

Spotify breaks $2bn in revenue but still in red

Stockholm - AFP

Streaming leader Spotify said Monday that its losses deepened last year even as the company topped $2 billion in revenue amid the global boom in online music. The Swedish company founded in 2008 has been at the forefront of the music industry's turn to streaming, which offers unlimited music on demand, yet it has never turned a profit itself. Luxembourg-basedRead more

Jay-Z's Tidal streaming service hits 3m users

New York - AFP

Tidal, the streaming service led by Jay-Z that launched to a mixed reception a year ago, said Tuesday it has climbed up to three million subscribers. Tidal, which last revealed its subscription base at one million in September, said in a statement marking its one-year anniversary that it now has three million members in 46 countries. Aimed at taking aRead more

Musicians' site SoundCloud starts subscription service

New York - Arab Today

SoundCloud is finally ready to take on Spotify. After months of teasing, SoundCloud’s subscription music service is debuting today: it's called SoundCloud Go, and in many respects, it's the same as any other streaming service. For $9.99 a month, you get access to songs from popular artists, ad-free streaming, and offline sync. But Go has a hook that no otherRead more