HighNotes: Music streaming now a game of monopoly

David vs Goliath

 

"An epic battle in streaming music is about to begin, and only a few will survive" - sounds super sensationalist, doesn't it? The truth is that that's exactly the scenario we're heading for with most of the internet tech giants involved. No one's really turning a profit yet in music streaming, but economists predict growth in 2015 as a bigger portion of the market embraces subscription models. It's Spotify and Pandora vs Apple and Google, pretty much. We're in for a tale of David vs Goliath - let's hope music wins in the end.

 

 

Internet monopoly

 

Will Goliath just acquire David? There has been talk circulating that Google has been looking into buying Spotify - while those rumours were denied last year, they seem to have arisen once again. There are a number of reasons why it would be a good buy for Google, but then again there are a number of reasons why it doesn't need to buy Spotify. Read "Spotify: seven reasons why Google might buy the streaming music service" to get a balanced take of the possible acquisition.

 

Streaming unfeasible for artists

 

The music industry is in a bit of a bind when it comes to streaming - as it stands royalties are just too low to support the majority of artists, and if this remains the status quo, we could see a dip in new artists as it just becomes financially unfeasible to make music. This isn't good news for the industry, and this certainly isn't good news for music lovers the world over. We have a feeling though that while technology may have got us into this bind, it will certainly untangle it. Read "Musicians: Streaming will sweep us into poverty" to get the facts and figures on streaming royalties.

 

 

Vevo setting up for sale

 

Vevo could be on the market soon. The new investor would have control of the company, and with its strong positioning in the music industry, it's a sweet buy, but at the moment, it's not viable enough for a long line of investors to queue up in pursuit. Why? Well, it seems Sony and Universal are taking the lion's share of profits. Can Vevo convince them to take a cut in their revenues and see the company with a possibly higher valuation? It will take some work. Read "Vevo, the giant music video site, tries to fix itself before it sells itself" to understand Vevo's dilemma.

 

Chris LaRosa leaves YouTube

 

YouTube's music industry liaison Chris LaRosa is set to depart the video streaming giant to work on a startup with one of his long-time associates. According to YouTube, however, his leaving will not affect the much-anticipated launch of YouTube's forthcoming music service - it's still full steam ahead.