{"id":23323,"date":"2018-05-11T12:49:52","date_gmt":"2018-05-11T16:49:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/?p=23323"},"modified":"2018-08-09T17:04:25","modified_gmt":"2018-08-09T21:04:25","slug":"news-roundup-shake-streaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.audiofemme.com\/news-roundup-shake-streaming\/","title":{"rendered":"NEWS ROUNDUP: A Shake Up in Streaming & More"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Tidal press conference, 2015. Courtesy of Time.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

A Shake Up in Streaming & More<\/h2>\n

By Jasmine Williams<\/h3>\n

A Reckoning?<\/h3>\n

Last week #MuteRKelly<\/a> gained speed as Time\u2019s Up\u2019s women of color added their support and yesterday the movement got a boost from a Spotify. While the streaming giant did not cut all ties with Kelly, Spotify did announce that they will remove the alleged sexual abuser from all playlists and other suggested conduct so he will no longer be actively promoted on the platform although his discography will still remain and be searchable. The move comes as the result of Spotify\u2019s new rule pertaining to artists accused of misconduct or of having songs with objectionable lyrics. Spotify tapped consultants from the Southern Poverty Law Center, The Anti-Defamation League, GLAAD, and other advocacy groups to create their \u201chate content and hateful conduct\u201d policy<\/a> which addresses \u201chate speech\u201d in music and states that \u201cwhen an artist or creator does something that is especially harmful or hateful (for example, violence against children and sexual violence), it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator.\u201d In response to Spotify\u2019s action, R. Kelly\u2019s team accused the company of engaging in an \u201cattempted public lynching.\u201d His PR team\u2019s use of the historically-loaded phrase in defense of the \u201cI Believe I Can Fly\u201d singer has sparked a separate controversy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Spotify\u2019s new policy is making waves in the industry and has many wondering what other musicians will be affected. Perhaps Chris Brown and Young Lo? Let the censorship debate begin!<\/p>\n

In other pay-for-play streaming news, Tidal has been accused<\/a> <\/b>of faking millions of plays in an effort to make it look like Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s Lemonade<\/i> and Kanye West\u2019s Life of Pablo<\/i> were streamed more than they actually were. Norwegian paper, Dagens N\u00e6rengsliv<\/i> obtained a hard drive with Tidal data reports that showed many users streaming the albums a suspiciously large number of times in one day.<\/p>\n

Based on the obtained information, each of Tidal\u2019s claimed three million subscribers would have had to play West\u2019s Life of Pablo<\/i> eighty-three times. Knowles and West both have business stakes in Tidal. N\u00e6rengsliv contacted one Beyonc\u00e9 fan who was in Tidal\u2019s records as having streamed Lemonade <\/i>fifteen times in one day. She verified their suspicions of fabricated plays, saying \u201cI love Beyonc\u00e9 \u2014 but 11 hours? No.\u201d<\/p>\n

In traditional radio, it is illegal to pay DJs and promotors to play certain songs but streaming platforms still exist in a legal grey area – labels and artists can purchase slots on playlists. Perhaps the accusations against Tidal will lead to a change in the way all streaming services conduct business. Watch out Discover Weekly – they\u2019re coming for you!<\/p>\n

In a separate report, Tidal has also been accused of inflating their number of subscribers.<\/p>\n

That New New<\/h3>\n

Arctic Monkeys<\/a> head up the big releases of the week with their new\u00a0studio album. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino <\/i>is the British band\u2019s first full-length in five years. Arctic Monkeys refrained from dropping any singles ahead of the album\u2019s release so the sound is completely new to fans.<\/p>\n