Spotify is once again introducing a new feature – music videos in the application, perhaps to distract users from the scandalous year that included ICE advertising launchas well as dozens of artists – Cindy Lee, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, Massive Attack and others – boycott of streaming service.
Following the news that former CEO Daniel Ek will step down from his positionThe streaming service has announced that it will launch music videos on its app in the US and Canada. A specific date has not been confirmed, and it is not yet known whether this feature will be available to both premium and ad-tier users. The company began testing the update in beta, releasing music videos in 98 markets last year.
Following Ek's departure, Spotify appointed Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström as co-CEOs effective January, and recently partnered with the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) to allow its members to enter into direct licensing agreements with Spotify to expand audiovisual rights in the US. Spotify says this will lead to increased royalty payments to independent music publishers and songwriters.
“This new partnership with the NMPA will increase revenue for songwriters and independent publishers who are the heart of the industry,” Norström said of the move.
“We are pleased that this deal gives indie publishers the opportunity to enter into direct deals with Spotify for audiovisual streaming features on the platform alongside the recently announced larger publishing companies,” shared David Israelite, President and CEO of the National Music Publishers Association.
Given Spotify's current image issues, the focus on indie artists comes across as a blatant attempt by the company to stop departed artists and bands and prevent any other independent artists from being boycotted.
The mass exodus of artists follows Eck's €600 million (almost C$1 billion) investment (through his venture capital firm Prima Materia) in Helsing, a Munich-based defense technology startup that uses AI to improve weapons systems and inform military decision-making.
