Tech
Spotify Is Considering Raising U.S. Subscription Prices, CEO Daniel Ek Says, Following Apple and YouTube – Variety
For years, there has been one quick solution to at least partially remedy the low royalty payments most musicians receive from streaming services: Raise subscription prices.
In the past several years, streaming has revived a music industry that had seen its revenue literally cut in half due to illegal downloading and plummeting CD sales. Yet the the U.S. subscription price, which was set at $9.99 per month at the dawn of the streaming age more than two decades ago to mirror the cost of a Blockbuster video-rental subscription, implausibly had not budged until recent weeks. In fact, the ground war for market share had become so grueling that streamers were competing in a race to the bottom, via dozens of different plans — including ad-supported, a.k.a. free models, student and family plans, bundling and more — all of which added up to less money for musicians and songwriters.
“It makes no sense,” Milana Lewis, CEO of the distribution and payments platform Stem, told Variety earlier this year. . “The price of everything else on earth is going up, and they all keep finding new ways to make subscriptions cheaper.” Surveys have shown that users are willing to pay more.
But that is finally changing. On Monday, Apple Music raised its subscription price to $10.99 per month for individuals, with the family plan jumping two dollars to $16.99/month, among other plan increases. YouTube is raising the price of its U.S. Premium Family plan from $17.99 to $22.99 monthly. Deezer, which is a smaller player in the U.S. but the fourth or fifth largest globally (depending on whether one counts China-only Tencent) has raised its prices internationally.
During Spotify’s third-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek said the company is considering one as well.
“When our competitors are raising their prices, that is really good for us,” he said, noting that the company has raised prices more than 40 times in markets around the world.
Raising the subscription price in the U.S., the world’s largest music market by far, “is one of the things we would like to do and it’s something we will [discuss] with our label partners. I feel good about this upcoming year, and what it means about pricing for our service,” he said, without providing further details.
Tech
Nothing customer data leaked after apparent breach – MobileSyrup
The personal information of some Nothing customers has hit the web.
As discovered by Android Authority, a file on a text file-sharing website contains a bunch of Nothing Community profiles. While some of the data is here public information, like usernames, comments and join dates, private information, namely emails, are also visible.
Digging into it further, Android Authority says it couldn’t find any evidence of passwords being leaked. It also notes that the data appears to be from 2022 and affects roughly 2,250 Nothing Community profiles, including some for community managers.
Of course, despite Android Authority‘s investigation, there’s always the chance that other info could have been leaked. Therefore, you might want to keep an eye on your info for any strange activity on top of changing your password.
Android Authority says it’s still awaiting comment from Nothing.
Source: Android Authority
Tech
BikeRadar Podcast | Sea Otter 2024 mountain bike round-up | BikeRadar – BikeRadar
In this episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, George Scott and Jack Luke look back over the best MTB tech they sniffed out at Sea Otter 2024.
Neko Mulally’s bonded DH frame is discussed, alongside the much anticipated Maxxis Aspen ST tyres, which have been teased by professional riders over the past couple of years.
George and Jack also share their thoughts on Atherton’s new S-Range alloy bikes, with the S.170 making its trade show debut after being released in February.
We’ve also put together an article on all the new and oh-so-shiny MTB tech from the show, so be sure to check that out.
How to subscribe to the BikeRadar Podcast
The BikeRadar Podcast takes you to the heart of the issues that matter for bike riders, whether you’re a roadie, mountain biker, gravel rider or commuter.
From the latest tech news, reviews and debates, to interviews with the biggest and most interesting personalities in cycling, the podcast is your direct line into the BikeRadar team.
To make sure you don’t miss a future episode, you can subscribe via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Tech
Apple's FineWoven cases rumored to get one final release – AppleInsider
Apple has probably stopped production of its poorly-received FineWoven cases for the iPhone, but a new report from the same herald of its death says there is one last set of seasonal colorways coming.
Now according to leaker Kosutami, who first reported the cancellation, there could still be one more push for the FineWoven cases.
Pressed on the rumor, Kosutami emphasizes later in the same thread that if this is correct, it will be for only one more season. It’s now almost eight months since the launch of the iPhone 15 range, so it’s unlikely that there is to be a new mid-cycle color of the iPhone, but perhaps there can yet be new colors for the FineWoven cases.
Consequently, this rumor can at best be said to be possible, especially if Apple had already committed resources to the new colors. However, since FineWoven has proven to be startlingly poor at stain resistance or even just durability, it’s more believable that it is gone for good than it is that FineWoven will get a last hoorah.
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