The unstoppable rise of podcasts: How an industry was reborn December 16, 2018 It seems nothing can stop the rise of podcasts. On-demand listening has become the sine qua non of the commuter; the lifeblood of dinner party conversation. Popular podcasters attract millions of listeners, and advertisers are starting to reap the rewards. And yet podcasts are not a new phenomenon. They predate Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, and [...]
Chinese streaming giant Tencent Music raises $1.1bn in IPO December 12, 2018 Chinese tech giant Tencent will raise roughly $1.1bn (£877m) in the US initial public offering (IPO) of its music streaming division. Tencent Music priced its shares at $13 each, at the low end of its $13-$15 range, and will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange today. The share price puts Tencent Music’s value [...]
Own, loan, or Drover: How the subscription economy is shaking up the car industry December 7, 2018 Felix Leuschner looks far too young to have founded three successful businesses. This German-born entrepreneur was just 23 when he launched what became Europe’s largest marketplace for gaming goods, where players could trade virtual products. After selling that company just nine months later, he moved to London and started a fast-fashion website called Stylistpick, collaborating with [...]
Monzo needs a dose of Spotify boldness to go from UK unicorn to Silicon Valley titan November 15, 2018 The end of October saw startup bank Monzo confirmed as the latest British unicorn, hitting a valuation of $1.2bn three years after launching. This isn’t London’s first unicorn by any means, with Deliveroo and Funding Circle leading the way. But so far none have come close to the achieving the global domination or $100bn valuations [...]
The Conservatives must not be afraid to stand up for free markets November 12, 2018 Today’s younger voters were born after the Berlin Wall had fallen and the battle of ideas over economics and the role of the state had been won for a generation. Since then, the world has changed. The Labour party has fallen under the control of people who do not believe in markets, free enterprise, or business. [...]
Break the chain: Spotify backers fund estate agent Nested November 11, 2018 An estate agent that helps homeowners buy their next property chain-free has received £120m from the backers of Spotify, Betfair and Revolut. Nested gives homeowners a cash advance of up to 94 per cent of their property’s value, allowing them to buy a new home before completing a sale. The rest of the value is [...]
Stage dive: Spotify opens down after disappointing subscriber outlook November 1, 2018 Spotify may post its first ever profit this year as the company wiped out a major part of its loss in its third quarter of trading. But promising results did not translate into success on the stock market as the streaming service dropped on the back of its subscriber predictions. The figures Paying users flocked [...]
The comeback kid: HMV tops Amazon in UK physical sales October 29, 2018 British entertainment retailer HMV has staged a comeback in the face of Amazon’s increased dominance to become the largest physical music retailer in the UK. In the 12 weeks to 23 September, HMV experienced market share growth for the second consecutive quarter to a total of 28 per cent, according to data published today by [...]
Spotify heads to the Street for third quarter earnings after stock slump October 28, 2018 Music streaming service Spotify is expected to report a slight rise in revenues when it publishes its third quarterly earnings on Thursday, after having dropped below its initial listing price amid a wider stock slump in the sector. Consensus estimates collated by S&P Global Market Intelligence have anticipated revenue of €1.34bn (£1.2bn) for the three [...]
London firm to launch Spotify-style partner services with Universal Music Group September 24, 2018 London-listed music technology firm 7digital will today reveal a partnership with Universal Music Group, the record label behind artists such as Taylor Swift, Elton John and Lady Gaga, to create new bespoke music partner services attributed to individual artists. The deal will see 7digital power online stores for artists through which fans can buy access [...]