Spotify's acquisition last week of the music licensing start-up Loudr helps the streaming service to better manage its costs so that it can focus on attracting new subscribers for its premium service, said a digital media investment banker who helped Loudr close the deal.
Loudr's services are intended to make it easier for content creators and digital music services to identify, track, and pay royalties to music publishers more efficiently. Royalties are, of course, part of Spotify's recurring costs.
"It makes sense for Spotify, which is the largest music streaming service in terms of paid users, to take control of this important piece," said Sun Jen Yung, a partner and the head of digital media at Nfluence Partners.
Loudr makes the complex process of paying royalties easier through automation, she said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar.
This week, Spotify announced it will update its mobile app soon in an effort to make it easier to use.
"To the extent that they can attract more users, that can hopefully help them upgrade to a premium service," said Yung.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/inside-spotifys-acquisition-of-loudr).
Google has agreed to pay $700 million and make several other concessions to settle allegations that it had been stifling competition against its Android app store — the same issue that went to trial in another case that could result in even bigger changes.
Nicki Minaj just reached a milestone that no other woman in rap has reached.
Apple announced that starting this week, it will stop selling some versions of the Apple watch in the U.S.
Southwest Airlines will pay a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million settlement to resolve a federal investigation into a debacle in December 2022 when the airline canceled thousands of flights and stranded more than 2 million travelers over the holidays.
The House of Representatives recently passed a bill aimed at increasing transparency in healthcare.
If you have a flexible spending account, here's some short information for you so you don't leave money on the table.
With high healthcare costs, bills can quickly add up. In some cases, it is possible to negotiate your medical bills. Barak Richman, law professor at George Washington University, joined Cheddar News to discuss the easiest way to talk to medical debt companies about what's owed.
Millions of people have selected insurance plans for 2024 but sometimes navigating them can be tricky time consuming and expensive. Paula Pant, host of 'Afford Anything' podcast, joined Cheddar News to break down what's needed to know about their insurance plans.
The European Union is investigating Elon Musk's X over alleged illicit content and disinformation on its platform. Cheddar News breaks it all down and discusses what it could mean for users.
Adobe and Figma called off their $20 million merger, Southwest Airlines gets fined, Nippon Steel is buying U.S. Steel and oil and gas prices surge after a pause in shipments.
