Universal Music Group and Spotify have reached a multiyear distribution agreement that is said to improve payment to artists and authors. The new terms address concerns over a controversial Spotify music-audiobooks royalty bundling policy alleged to have reduced songwriter royalties in order to pay audiobook rightsholders. The policy resulted in a Federal Trade Commission complaint filed by the National Music Publishers Association in June. “Artists, songwriters and consumers will benefit from new and evolving offers, new paid subscription tiers, bundling of music and non-music content, and a richer audio and visual content catalog,” the companies jointly announced. Continue reading Spotify Tackles Controversial Royalty Bundling with UMG Deal

Flipagram is a mobile storytelling app that allows users to create short slideshows (or “Flipagrams”) by stitching together video content, photos and music. The company has made a significant step towards becoming one of the first such apps to incorporate modern music in a major way by signing licensing deals with top record labels and landing an additional $70 million in funding. According to CEO Farhad Mohit, Flipagram has attracted 33 million active monthly users in its first year. Continue reading Flipagram Inks Music Deals, Raises $70M in Round B Funding