The mystery of Spotify’s disappearing songs: What we lose when artists erase their music
Every seven-inch single an act released used to become a permanent part of their legacy. Streaming has changed all that
Spotify
The JNLRs tell us young people love radio. Seriously?
If the results for 15- to 34-year-olds do not make sense, then what price the rest of the listenership survey?
Spotify down for thousands of users globally, Downdetector shows
Music streaming platform denies it fell victim to a security breach
The eyes have it: Michelle Obama’s new video podcast is part of a fast-growing trend
In My Opinion will be released in both video and audio formats as subscribers increasingly want to watch as well as listen to podcasts
Man Utd’s trophy stadium plans could be a winner - but how will they finance it?
‘Wembley of the North’ funding structure likely to be influenced by credit markets, government money...and, of course, results on the pitch
Spotify says it paid musicians $10bn in royalties in 2024
Money is paid to rightsholders, rather than directly to artists, and is based on their percentage of total streams over the year
Spotify says it paid $10bn in royalties last year amid artist criticism
Company has long drawn ire from musicians who say streaming model does not remunerate them enough
Spotify records first-ever annual profit as subscriptions surge
Total active monthly users increased to 675 million
If you find music on Spotify increasingly bland, it might be the ghosts
When so many of us are listening to music made to order by pseudonymous human musicians on an algorithmic production line, will we even notice when AI takes over?
Podcasts of 2024: 10 of the best shows from the past year, from Keep It Tight to Who Trolled Amber?
The sinking of the Belgrano in the Falklands War, the true story of the Free Willy orca and a conspiracy theory surrounding Avril Lavigne also feature
The Music Quiz: Which Irish island is part of the title of Bretonese musician Yann Tiersen’s new album?
Plus: How many Spotify streams did Taylor Swift accrue this year?
Spotify Wrapped triumph another bauble in Taylor Swift’s glittering year
No surprises as the singer tops the streamer’s global charts after a savvy release strategy for her April album
You are one of six types of people – and your Spotify Unwrapped results will reveal which one
Your Spotify Unwrapped for 2024 is due: Best to fess up to the Sabrina Carpenter
Anthrax’s Charlie Benante: ‘I was always a big U2 fan. They just got better and better’
Drummer Benante discusses how the music industry rips off bands, rumours of a new Anthrax album and his love for U2
Sean Combs’s legal woes are growing. So are his streaming numbers
The popularity of ‘Diddy’ has been steady or even increased on Spotify and Apple Music
Will Spotify users who pay nothing for the service always have that pleasure?
The music industry isn’t the biggest fan of the platform’s ad-supported tier. Might the labels push for a change?
Beyond the Pale headliners Jungle: ‘Spotify are ripping us off – same with Apple Music, same with Amazon’
After years of flying under the radar, the British soul-funk-electro-dance collective are riding on a wave of international success
With one stupid video, Apple gave us a neat metaphor for Silicon Valley’s cultural vandalism
If the makers of its new ad were trying to come up with a neat metaphor for Silicon Valley’s destructive presence in the culture industry, they could hardly have come up with anything better
Wall Street recovery drives rise in global shares ahead of earnings reports
Euronext Dublin up just over 1% at close of business on ‘strong day’ for the market, traders say
The Irish Times view on Taylor Swift: Pop’s last superstar?
Her new album arrived on Friday and is currently being listened to by millions across the world
Big sister energy: How Taylor Swift built a billion-dollar musical empire
US singer is now on the Forbes list of the world’s richest people. Will that be enough to convince her sceptics that she’s a force to be reckoned with?
Will Big Tech agree to play by Europe’s new digital rules?
Large online platforms now have to comply with new EU regulations on competition. Too little too late, say some
Why does nobody hate rotten, rancid, sanctimonious, brain-rotting music any more?
Hugh Linehan: When it comes to Taylor Swift, for example, only the tinfoil-hat-wearers of the US extreme right have a bad word to say about her
Tech companies axe 34,000 jobs since start of year in pivot to AI
Microsoft, eBay and PayPal have each cut thousands of jobs since the start of the year
Super Bowl turns into Swift Bowl as Taylor’s fans adopt Kansas City Chiefs
Planet Business: Tech earnings takeaways, McDonald’s Middle East troubles and a former pop star at the Pop Con launch
Irish radio advertising revenues grow 4% to €164m
Radio outperformed the Irish ad market in 2023, figures from Radiocentre Ireland show
Is this the worst of times for critics’ end-of-year lists?
Hugh Linehan: The dialogue between commercial success and theories of artistic quality has been broken in the era of data hogging
Spotify to slash almost a fifth of headcount in cost-cutting effort
Streaming service says cuts will impact about 1,500 people
Spotify’s new deal for artists is a cruel and shallow money trench. There’s also a negative side
Unless musicians organise and build powerful union structures, they will remain at sea
Spotify’s zero-royalty plan tells musicians their work is worthless
Laura Slattery: Proposed minimum annual threshold of 1,000 plays before a track generates any payment is beyond dismal
Inside Irish radio: how an upbeat market is vying to stay cheery
Amid ‘cracking opportunities’ and post-pandemic resilience, stations are optimistic they can keep listeners in the age of the smart speaker
Time to press ‘pause’ on your streaming habit?
‘Vampire subscriptions’ to the likes of Netflix and Disney+ can suck the cash out of unwary consumers' accounts
Finally, Spotify increases its prices
You will not hear too many people complain about an extra €1 on the streamer’s individual premium plan
Spotify hit by cost of unwinding aggressive podcast push
Streamer plans to hike prices in several countries as it slumps to loss
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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