For Apple, hitting middle age means a strategy primarily focused on monetizing its existing customers. It makes sense, but one wonders what happens next.
More on the Switch, Apple Music and the HomePod, Songwriter Royalties Increase
More on the Nintendo Switch, and how Apple Music is more strategic than I appreciated. Then, Spotify hits another obstacle — is the streaming service an acquisition target?
Snapchat’s Redesign, Spiegel’s New (Old) Vision, Tencent and Spotify
Snap has a more cogent vision than the one it presented in its S-1; the problem is it might be too late. Tencent, meanwhile, fresh off its Snap investment has picked up a piece of Spotify.
Alexa and Operating Systems, Privacy, and Integration; Spotify Follow-up
Three Alexa stories point towards Amazon’s drive — and challenges — in building the operating system of the home. Then, Spotify doesn’t create fake music, it just gives consumers what they want.
Music Versus Publishing, Spotify’s Increasing Power
News publishers may want to emulate the music industry, but the only similarities that matter work in favor of the aggregators, not suppliers. Spotify is the perfect example.
Podcasts, Analytics, and Centralization
The answer to podcast monetization is not analytics: it it true centralization, and it seems unlikely that Apple has it in them.
SpaceX Reuses a Rocket; The Music Industry: Winning and Whining; Spotify, Universal Agree to New Deal
SpaceX reused a rocket for the first time: it’s an incredible accomplishment. Then, the record labels are winning but can’t stop whining; their short-sightedness is exemplified by the newest deal with Spotify.
DistroKid, The “Publisher’s Right”, Shopify Results
Distrokid is small, but it’s a powerful example of the how distribution is not a value-add, the implications of which European publishers have yet to learn. It’s a lesson that doesn’t just apply to media, either.
The Great Unbundling
It’s trivial to say that the Internet changed media; what is more interesting is unpacking how different types of media were affected, and why — and what might happen to TV.
Softbank Buys ARM; Taylor, Kanye, Kim, and Twitter
Softbank is buying ARM, which is interesting in its implications for both companies, but probably not that big of a deal for the industry. Then, what the latest Taylor Swift-Kanye West episode says about Twitter.