Digital and Mobile
YouTube Reports Revenue Up 32%, Paid Music & Premium Subscribers Top 30M
CFO Ruth Porat acknowledged the increase in advertiser spend for Alphabet’s Search and YouTube groups in a statement. Alphabet does not break out YouTube’s non-advertising revenue, which comes from subscriptions and other entertainment transactions, like movie rentals. Those revenues are reported as part of the “Google other revenues” line item, which contributed $5.5 billion during the period. Alphabet began disclosing YouTube revenue in February of this year when it announced that the world’s largest ad-supported video platform had brought in $15 billion in advertising in 2019. The company also shared updated subscriber figures for its music and premium services, now topping 30 million paying customers and 35 including those on free trials. A version of this...
iHeartMedia to Acquire Voxnest, Its Latest Bet on Podcasting
Like Spotify’s two-pronged approach to podcasting, a mix of acquisitions and original content, iHeartMedia has actively improved its stature in the format. Among the U.S. audience, as of September, iHeartMedia narrowly ranked second behind NPR, 26.05 million to 25.98 million, according to podcast analytics company Podtrac. iHeartMedia produces such popular podcasts as Stuff You Should Know, Crime Stories With Nancy Grace, Paper Ghosts and Dead Ass With Khadeen and Devale Ellis. iHeartMedia certainly needs a boost in 2020. Digital advertising accounted for about one-fifth of iHeartMedia’s second quarter revenue, from April to June. Broadcast radio sales, half of total revenues, fell 56.5% compared to the same period last year from $561.1 million to $244 million. But podcasting revenue grew ...
The Kid LAROI Tunes up For Spotify’s RADAR Program
Also, Spotify will get behind a mini-documentary on the youngster, set to premiere next month. In recent months, the Kid (real name Charlton Howard) has matured into a fully-grown international chart star. In the U.S., his debut F*ck Love opened at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with 40,000 combined units (including 33,000 in SEA units and 7,000 sales). F*ck Love bowed at No. 12 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, just one place behind the debut of two-time Grammy-winning U.S. hip-hop star Logic’s final album, No Pressure. In his homeland, LAROI impacted both main ARIA charts as his debut mixtape started at No. 3 on the albums survey, behind recordings by Taylor Swift and Cub Sport. A protégé of the late Juice WRLD, the 17-year-old bagged three nominations heading into the 20...
Korean Supermodel Irene Kim Launches Capsule Collaboration Project With TikTok
The combination of TikTok’s playful world and Irene’s vibrant aesthetics are said to encourage individuality and carry the important message of spreading positivity, especially during 2020’s difficult times. The #GoodFriendChallenge was created to capture the spirit of friendship and invite users to co-create with friends and share viral-worthy moments. The challenge has so far seen more than 65 major TikTok creators take part, as well as K-pop stars, models and influencers like Eric Nam, Red Velvet’s Seulgi, Jessica Jung, CLC’s Sorn, Holland V, Heize, Nayoung Kim, Hojung Lee, and Lia Kim. The challenge has garnered more than 37.9 million views and 10,000 videos since its launch. The 15-second track, titled “Good Vibes,” was composed by R&B star Jooyoung, $un and Mins...
All Music Industry Initiatives to Help Get Out the Vote This Election Season (Updating)
On Nov. 3, U.S. voters will decide if President Donald Trump gets four more years in office or send Democratic ticket Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House. Ahead of what has been said to be the most important election in at least a generation, non-partisan voter registration organizations including HeadCount and Voto Latino, in partnership with labels and artists, have launched music-driven initiatives that incentivize eligible voters – especially young ones – to get registered and vote. Even labels and digital streaming platforms have rolled out campaigns to encourage both employees and artists to vote this election. And venues across the country will serve as polling sites for early voting and on Election Day. From Spotify’s “Play Your Part” to HeadCount’...
Trump Backs Proposed Deal to Keep TikTok Operating In U.S.
President Donald Trump said Saturday he’s given his “blessing” to a proposed deal that would see the popular video-sharing app TikTok partner with Oracle and Walmart and form a U.S. company. Trump has targeted Chinese-owned TikTok for national security and data privacy concerns in the latest flashpoint in the rising tensions between Washington and Beijing. The president’s support for a deal comes just a day after the Commerce Department announced restrictions that if put in place could eventually make it nearly impossible for TikTok’s legions of younger fans to use the app. Trump said if completed the deal would create a new company likely to be based in Texas. “I have given the deal my blessing,” he said. “If they get it done, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s OK too.” Trump said the ne...
Following TikTok Deal, Judge Agrees to Delay U.S. Restrictions on WeChat
A judge has approved a request from a group of U.S. WeChat users to delay looming federal government restrictions that could effectively make the popular app nearly impossible to use. In a ruling dated Saturday, Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler in California said the government’s actions would affect users’ First Amendment rights, as an effective ban on the app would remove their platform for communication. WeChat is a messaging-focused app popular with many Chinese-speaking Americans that serves as a lifeline to friends, family, customers and business contacts in China. It’s owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent. The group of WeChat users requested an injunction after the U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it would bar WeChat from U.S. app stores and keep it from accessing essential interne...
Apple Unveils All-In-One Subscription Bundle
Apple will bundle some of its subscription services together for discount. Customers who want to buy subscriptions to Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade and iCloud storage will soon be able to do so for a combined price that starts at $15 per month. The company has unveiled Apple One, a series of bundles of its various services. Plans range in monthly price from $15 to $30 depending on how many people are accessing the bundle and what offerings are included. The Apple One individual plan will cost $15 per month and includes Music, TV+, Arcade and 50GB of iCloud storage. The family plan, which includes access for up to six people, features the same mix of services and more cloud storage for $20 per month. The premiere plan, which also includes access for up to six people, adds News+ and n...
YouTube Launches TikTok Competitor in India
YouTube Shorts allows users to record and upload 15-second videos straight from their mobile phones. YouTube is entering the race to usurp TikTok’s dominance in the short-form video space with YouTube Shorts, a new tool that will allow users to record and upload 15-second videos straight from their mobile phones. This week, YouTube will launch an early beta of Shorts in India, which in late June banned TikTok and dozens of other Chinese-owned apps, citing security concerns. Since the ban, the popularity of TikTok competitor Triller exploded in India, surging to No. 1 on Apple’s App Store in the country. In its early beta launch in India, Shorts will boast a number of creation tools similar to those on TikTok and its competitors, including a multi-segment camera allowing users t...
TikTok Sale: ByteDance Partners With Oracle
ByteDance has selected Oracle as its partner for a deal to keep TikTok operating in the U.S., a source familiar with the talks confirms to The Hollywood Reporter. The decision comes as ByteDance has rejected a bid by Microsoft that earlier this summer was seen as the likely option for the company as it looked to avoid a shutdown of the popular social media app amid increased tensions between the U.S. and China. Microsoft confirmed that its bid had been rejected in a statement on its corporate blog on Sunday night. “We are confident our proposal would have been good for TikTok’s users, while protecting national security interests,” the company wrote. “To do this, we would have made significant changes to ensure the service met the highest standards for security, priv...
Executive Turntable: WMG Names Head of Investor Relations, FUGA Makes Key Leadership Hires
Warner Music Group has hired Kareem Chin as senior vp head of investor relations effective immediately. Chin arrives at WMG from iHeartMedia, where he served in the same role. Chin, whose appointment follows WMG’s recent IPO, will lead the company’s investor relations efforts and work closely with the company’s finance and corporate communications teams. He will also oversee key events, including quarterly earnings calls and attendance at investor conferences. At iHeartMedia, which he joined as it was emerging from bankruptcy, Chin developed and built out the company’s investor relations function as it explored listing options and later made its debut on the Nasdaq exchange. Prior to that, he was vp investor relations at Viacom, a role that followed over a decade in investment banking. Mus...
Department of Justice Argues TikTok Employee Can’t Stop Trump’s ByteDance Ban
The Department of Justice argues a TikTok employee’s fear that the executive order banning transactions with Beijing-based parent ByteDance will keep him from getting paid isn’t enough to warrant a temporary restraining order that would keep the Department of Commerce from enforcing it. President Donald Trump on Aug. 6 issued an order that would bar “any transaction by any person” with ByteDance or any of its subsidiaries. TikTok on Aug. 24 sued, arguing its due process and first amendment rights were being violated. The same day, a technical program manager named Patrick Ryan sued Trump and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross Jr. arguing that the vaguely worded ban on transactions between U.S. persons and ByteDance could mean that he can’t get paid. Earlie...
