Apple has announced the Apple Music Voice Plan, a new subscription tier for Apple Music designed around the power of AI assistant Siri. The Apple Music Voice Plan offers subscribers access to the service’s catalogue of 90 million songs; tens of thousands of playlists, including hundreds of brand new mood and activity playlists, personalised mixes, […]

In the Nordics, approximately 3 million people (equivalent to 15 per cent of the population 15–74-year-olds) listen to podcasts on an average day, according to Mediavision’s Q1 figures. Spotify and Apple are two of the main players in the market. Among those who listen to podcasts, 37 per cent choose to listen via Spotify while […]

Music consumption increased for a sixth year in 2020, with 155 million albums or their equivalent either streamed or purchased in 2020 – an 8.2 per cent rise on 2019, with growth led by streaming fuelled by label investment. There were some 139 billion audio streams – up by over a fifth – with nearly […]

The UK House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee is to undertake a new inquiry examining what economic impact music streaming is having on artists, record labels and the sustainability of the wider music industry. With streaming currently accounting for more than half of the global music industry’s revenue, the inquiry will look […]

UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom is inviting evidence on the market position and impact of BBC Sounds, the Corporation’s streaming media and audio download service that includes live radio, audio-on-demand, and podcasts. Ofcom notes that the audio and radio sector is undergoing a period of rapid change, driven in part by streaming services including global players […]

Spotify will launch in Russia next week, and go head-to-head with Apple Music as well as other well-established local operators. Investment bank Exane/BNPP reports that Spotify is likely to partner with local Russian telcos and target the estimated 144 million potential users and more than 95 million smartphone owners. “Russia is one of the fastest […]