Podcast · 63 episodes

The Price of Music

by Music Ally · English

The Price of Music: your essential weekly music biz explainer – with Stuart Dredge and Joe Sparrow. Become a Price of Music Superfan and get extra content every week – at patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic Follow Stuart on X - @stuartdredge Follow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpod For sponsorship email - joe@musically.com The Price of Music is a Music Ally production: https://musically.com/ joe@musically.com

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Viagogo gets feisty over new accusations; How much are Oasis tickets selling for?; UK anti-touting laws?; Sylvan Esso reluctantly back on Spotify; and more extreme weather show cancellationsThe episode of The Price of Music covers: extreme-weather cancellations of major US/UK live events (including an Ed Sheeran show at Gillette Stadium) and the broader climate-emergency angle; UK…30 Sep 2026 · 44 min

Making sense of the Ed Sheeran situation; The million-pound fake vinyl factory; Will there be a new Oasis album?; AI pioneer speaks to TPOM; and The Ace Of Shatner!The Price of Music episode covers (1) Ed Sheeran’s US stadium tour controversy after Macklemore was removed for Palestine/Gaza comments; (2) a UK counterfeit vinyl factory raid; (3) whether Oasis…23 Sep 2026 · 1 h 5 min

Beyoncé's $900 record box (records not included); Macklemore, Ed Sheeran and politics on-stage; The giant streaming platform you've never heard of; The UK 'homegrown' artist chart; and more!Music-industry business news and controversies: China’s “Soda/Shishui Music” streaming growth; festival “artistic code” policies on political/protest stage statements; Suno AI music model v6 and…16 Sep 2026 · 41 min

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Artists sue Suno! Soft rock! Virtual snarky record-shop clerks! A 16-year old 'song of the summer'! And... chicken ice cream?The Price of Music episode covers: India’s streaming boom (218.3B audio/video streams in H1, mostly free: 80% ad-supported on YouTube), AI music legal fights (Suno sued by four US artists/songwriters…9 Sep 2026 · 41 min · 16 chapters

Grand Theft Cliff; Are festivals being cancelled because of the climate crisis?; Gina's Pet Bangers!; SoundCloud sells WAVs and much moreThe episode covers four music-industry stories: (1) Stability AI’s $76m funding round for Stable Audio, with all three major labels and Sean Parker (Napster founder) as investors; it argues this…2 Sep 2026 · 42 min · 13 chapters

Should Netflix offer music streaming too? Are YouTube view counts meaningless now? Is music blogging back (inside Spotify?) Which song would you remix? Christian Metal vs KPop Demon Hunters!TikTok’s Europe/LatAm/Africa/UK revenue, UMG licensing remixes via Hook, why pop artists do London residencies (Ariana Grande) and the fan-travel emissions tradeoff, Spotify “playlist notes” (user…26 Aug 2026 · 42 min · 10 chapters

Artists pressure Andy Burnham over oil; Grammys removes foot from mouth; More popstar football sponsors; and why aren't Berlin clubbers drinking as much?(1) recorded music growth, with Media Research forecasting $121bn globally by 2033 (from $74.3bn in 2025), and subscriber shifts toward China/India; (2) Grammys reversing plans for a “Best Asian Pop”…19 Aug 2026 · 45 min · 18 chapters

Is the music streaming boom over? Is an AI-song about to become a real hit? Which lower league Welsh football club would YOUR favourite artist sponsor? And much more...The episode debates whether streaming growth is slowing, and how music companies are responding.12 Aug 2026 · 46 min · 18 chapters

Music streaming fraud – how does it work, who's making millions, and why does it need so much AI music?Streaming fraud and why AI-generated music is enabling it, including how bot farms work, scale economics, and platform countermeasures.5 Aug 2026 · 40 min · 14 chapters

Andy Burnham gives UK grassroots venues hope; Spotify takes on YouTube; Emo is big in Mexico; Suno user data hacked; and... K-POP SHARKS!AI’s impact on audience interest; Suno’s alleged data breach and training-source hints; Spotify’s new daily full-length music video chart; UK policy to cut business rates for grassroots venues;…29 Jul 2026 · 37 min · 11 chapters

Over 50% of new songs uploaded are now AI-made(!); Lorde bashes Meta and Spotify; Why is Keith Richards in Roblox?; Is the Michael Jackson movie Bad or a Thriller?Music industry news roundup focused on AI music flooding streaming, labeling proposals, Suno training allegations, a new fan-funded digital album app (Loom), Lorde’s critiques of Meta/Ray-Ban and…22 Jul 2026 · 39 min · 15 chapters

Making records out of recycled plastic bottles for Coldplay and LordeSonopress/Bertelsmann’s “EcoRecord” vinyl made via PET injection molding from recycled plastic bottles, aiming for major energy and carbon reductions while matching traditional vinyl sound/quality.15 Jul 2026 · 44 min · 16 chapters

StubHub UK fined for ticket pricing; Artists' AI training pressure; Suno gives artists money; James Blake vs journalists; Artists' open letter for Fossil Fuel Treaty.(1) StubHub UK fined £900,000 by the UK Competition and Markets Authority for illegal “drip pricing” (fees added late in checkout). CMA also ordered refunds to ~50,000 customers (~£10 each).1 Jul 2026 · 43 min · 12 chapters

Music prediction markets: a half-billion dollar business based on guessing what will happen in music...Music prediction markets—apps where users stake money on yes/no music outcomes, treating them like contracts rather than “gambling,” and how this is becoming a fast-growing, data-driven layer atop…24 Jun 2026 · 39 min · 14 chapters

The Happy Mondays want to sell you a giant pill; World Cup songs: reviewed; Lionel Richie's phrases trademarked; YouTube's AI clause; Tupac is back (again); plus much more...Music-industry news roundup focused on AI music (World Cup “unofficial anthems” on Deezer; YouTube/Google AI training lawsuit), music rights and voice protection (Lionel Richie trademarks), and…17 Jun 2026 · 38 min · 15 chapters

The UK's fan-led live music revolution: saving grassroots venues & fixing ticket rip-off pricing – with Lord Kevin Brennan and Shain ShapiroThe UK’s fan-led live and electronic music review and how to protect fans, fix ticket pricing “rip-offs,” and save grassroots venues.10 Jun 2026 · 51 min · 19 chapters

Boards of Canada beef with, erm, The White House; Turning text message drama into songs; Universal says "no" to $55bn; Stream League lets you play Fantasy A&R; Last•fm goes indie; and more!The Price of Music episode covers: (1) Universal Music Group rejecting a Pershing Square hedge-fund bid of €55bn (vs UMG’s ~€35.4bn market cap), after Bellore Group objected; UMG says the offer…3 Jun 2026 · 34 min · 12 chapters

Ozzy Osbourne is... back?; Spotify's new tickets-for-fans feature; Does recycled vinyl sound good?; Drake's hit trio of albums; and Badger Badger Badger Badger...Drake’s three-album release and whether it signals a comeback or a flop; Spotify’s “Reserved” tickets feature and a new AI tool for licensed covers/remixes; Ed Sheeran leaving Warner/Asylum and what…27 May 2026 · 42 min · 17 chapters

Bangaranga post-Eurovision; Zara Larsson’s virtual pyjamas; Steve’s big announcement; How many songs have you heard on Spotify?; Plus: World Cup Muppets!The episode of The Price of Music covers: Stuart’s Spotify “big number” (41,307 songs since Oct 20, 2008), UK ticket-touting crackdown status (not in the King’s Speech, but a draft bill appears in…20 May 2026 · 32 min · 10 chapters

Los Campesinos! share US tour costs; Blue Dot Fever; 37% of UK grassroots venues in danger; AI label has AI band making AI music for AI fans; Drink beer, support artists!; and much more...(1) Suno’s AI music firm valuation rising to $5bn after a funding round, with claims that ~15% of raised funds could go to “data” licensing deals to train models and potentially settle label lawsuits.13 May 2026 · 34 min · 12 chapters

William Shatner's metal album; The Jimi Hendrix High Court Experience; Recycled vinyl; The UK's ban on touting/scalping is on pause; Big Spotify numbers; and more...Music-industry business and rights news plus pop-culture stories: Spotify’s subscriber growth and AI verification badges; the BMG-Concord merger; a Jimi Hendrix Experience estates court loss over…6 May 2026 · 34 min · 13 chapters

Which pub was Olivia Rodrigo drinking Guinness in? Can AIs run a record label? Taylor Swift trademarks her speaking voice; AND... Heavy metal dinosaurs.AI music flooding streaming services; Spotify fitness expansion; UK grassroots music funding via a £1 ticket levy; Taylor Swift’s trademark strategy against deepfakes; Olivia Rodrigo’s Guinness pub…29 Apr 2026 · 34 min · 15 chapters

Live Nation loses in court; Strong Opinions On Geese (of course); Live royalty argy-bargy; and live music reform in the UK...(1) BTS’s new album hitting 739.1 million streams in its first week (Luminate), with the US as the biggest streaming market and Brazil/Mexico next; (2) a US court loss for Live Nation, where a jury…22 Apr 2026 · 36 min · 15 chapters

Radiohead's secret bunker; the Kanye/Wireless fallout; and how is the world's oldest record shop preparing for Record Store Day 2026? We chat to owner Ashli Todd to find out...The episode covers three music-industry stories: (1) a financial “big number” showing Latin American music topping $1 billion for US labels in a single year, driven by artists like Bad Bunny and…15 Apr 2026 · 40 min · 17 chapters