Podcast · 63 episodes
The Price of Music, page 2
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
All episodes, page 2
Is merch getting unaffordable?; Bands cancelling gigs due to low ticket sales; Are we in a "Pop Slump"?; Music in space; Do you have irrational hate for a specific artist?; and Celine Dion is back?!Pershing Square (Bill Ackman’s hedge fund) making a $63.5B bid to buy Universal Music Group, arguing UMG is undervalued and seeking changes to CEO Lucian Grainge’s compensation; a Chartmetric report…8 Apr 2026 · 33 min · 12 chapters
Twigs Vs Twigs! Just how big is country music in the UK now?; Timbaland's new artist is unreal; Digging for deep cuts; and how much is AI Slop worth?Music industry news and business—Sam Fender’s charity donation; Timberland’s AI virtual artist deal; Spotify’s “artist profile protection” against fake releases; the “Twigs vs Twigs” trademark…1 Apr 2026 · 29 min · 11 chapters
Radiohead's twenty-show limit; Spotify lets you tweak its algorithm; Steve's SXSW debrief; BTS' mega-livestream; and... Salt-n-Pepa!Music industry finance and business news: BTS’s Netflix live-stream scale and deals; Radiohead’s new “20 shows per year” touring limit; IFPI recorded-music growth (streaming subscribers, vinyl); UK…25 Mar 2026 · 30 min · 12 chapters
Asking fans to help wind the cables: Picture Parlour on what it's really like to be a touring indie band in 2026Katherine and Ella from the indie band Picture Parlour18 Mar 2026 · 42 min · 19 chapters
Radiohead and Kesha are furious; Artists are struggling to tour; Football cosies up to music; and buying a slice of your favourite artistRadiohead and Kesha are furious; Artists are struggling to tour; Football cosies up to music; and buying a slice of your favourite artist11 Mar 2026 · 35 min · 14 chapters
Phonk: the biggest genre you've (probably) not heard of; Only 20% of the 2025 UK Top 100 were performed by UK artists; What is 'radio plugging'?; and your ashes in an urn that's also a speaker...the biggest genre you've (probably) not heard of; Only 20% of the 2025 UK Top 100 were performed by UK artists; What is 'radio plugging'?; and your ashes in an urn that's also a speaker...4 Mar 2026 · 38 min · 15 chapters
Bigger than Ed Sheeran – have you heard of Mrs Green Apple? Why are so many old bands in the album charts? (And so few in the singles chart?) Plus: The Wiggles!Bigger than Ed Sheeran – have you heard of Mrs Green Apple? Why are so many old bands in the album charts? (And so few in the singles chart?) Plus: The Wiggles!25 Feb 2026 · 37 min · 18 chapters
“Managers do a lot more than they used to...” – super-manager Niamh Byrne on Gorillaz, how the role of manager is changing, and moreIn this episode, Steve Lamacq interviews Niamh Byrne, an experienced music manager and co-founder of Eleven Management, to discuss the evolving role of music managers, their challenges, and the music…18 Feb 2026 · 20 min · 10 chapters
Why did Taylor Swift snub YouTube? Did Bad Bunny's Superbowl show boost his streaming numbers? Do teenagers want to go to gigs any more?Why did Taylor Swift snub YouTube? Did Bad Bunny's Superbowl show boost his streaming numbers? Do teenagers want to go to gigs any more?11 Feb 2026 · 36 min · 18 chapters
Have world tours stopped doing the "tour" part?; Apple Music had 2bn(!) fraudulent streams in 2025; Spotify pays out $11bn; and Bonnie Tyler speaks out!Have world tours stopped doing the "tour" part?; Apple Music had 2bn(!) fraudulent streams in 2025; Spotify pays out $11bn; and Bonnie Tyler speaks out!4 Feb 2026 · 30 min · 12 chapters
The battle to keep one of the UK's great grassroots venues alive, buying the venue with the help of the community, and the many challenges small venues face in 2026 – with Ricky Bates of The JoinersThe Battle to Keep One of the UK's Great Grassroots Venues Alive28 Jan 2026 · 39 min · 18 chapters
Over 50 million songs got zero streams in 2025 – and other eye-popping data on music streamingSteve Lamacq and Stuart Dredge21 Jan 2026 · 38 min · 12 chapters
Elon Musk versus the music industry; AI slop vs human artists - who gets paid?; How can YOU make and sell vinyl records?; and all hail the London Metal LadiesElon Musk/X vs music publishers over unpaid royalties; UK music market update (BPI/ERA) including vinyl growth; Universal Music’s CEO memo on AI “slop” and royalty pools; Sun Records’ 1952-priced…14 Jan 2026 · 36 min · 14 chapters
Looking ahead to 2026: Live music's pivotal year; More reunion tours; How influential is the UK record industry now?; And Oasis: Knebworth in 2026 – or 2027?A forward-looking 2026 preview of the music industry, focusing on AI licensing and streaming policy, the live-music economy (especially UK grassroots venues), major reunion tours, and the UK record…7 Jan 2026 · 37 min · 18 chapters
The Price of Music Christmas Quiz 2025!A 2025 year-end “Price of Music” Christmas pop-culture quiz with seven themed rounds (music news trivia, listener questions, music-industry band-name questions, a celebrity pub-quiz question, and…17 Dec 2025 · 39 min · 14 chapters
Los Campesinos! share their streaming money data (and it's... sobering); Could a new budget policy be "the death knell for small venues"?; And what are Steve & Stu's Spotify Wrapped 'listening ages'?Streaming royalties and live-music policy in the UK, plus AI music impersonation and workplace safety for young music workers.10 Dec 2025 · 46 min · 16 chapters
Spotify Wrapped is here (and why is it a big deal?); Why aren't there any matinee gigs?; Olivia Dean takes on Ticketmaster; and Jorja Smith takes on AI clones(1) Spotify Wrapped 2025 as a major streaming marketing moment, plus backlash about repetitive “top streamed” stats and Spotify’s broader controversies.3 Dec 2025 · 38 min · 11 chapters
Exploding toilet cancels gig - but will the band and fans get their money back?; Is Spotify putting up prices again?; and yet more Baby Shark newsThe episode of The Price of Music covers: (1) AI music economics and label licensing, starting with Suno’s $250M funding and $2.45B valuation amid major-label lawsuits; it claims 2028 revenue of $1B…26 Nov 2025 · 30 min · 9 chapters
Why don't venues advertise set times for gigs?; Ticket resale prices capped in the UK; Megadeth brew beer; *How many* people are already listening to "All I Want For Christmas Is You"?; & much more...Spotify testing three Premium subscription tiers (Light/Standard/Platinum) in India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and UAE; UK Labour’s ticket-resale crackdown capping resales at the…19 Nov 2025 · 35 min · 14 chapters
Why have The 1975 deleted a song? Can YOU tell the difference between AI music & real music (Answer: no.); An answer to why Fleetwood Mac are *still* popular; And music made £8bn for the UK in 2024…Spotify’s growth (713m monthly listeners; 281m paid users; 582m euro operating profit), the UK Music Report showing music’s £8bn record contribution to the economy and exports £4.8bn but with slowing…12 Nov 2025 · 34 min · 11 chapters
Major label Universal to make AI-music service with Udio; How did Billie Eilish annoy Billionaires?; Spotify under fire over controversial ICE ads; Why are there no rap tracks in the US Top 40?Universal Music settled its AI-music lawsuit with Udio and plans a new AI creation/streaming service next year trained only on properly licensed music; labels/artists are to be paid for training and…5 Nov 2025 · 31 min · 12 chapters
Fans First: Lord Kevin Brennan on fixing live music from the ground up - Bonus EpisodeLord Kevin Brennan leads a fan-led UK government review of live and electronic music, aiming to put fans at the heart of policy and improve grassroots venue survival.31 Oct 2025 · 39 min · 16 chapters
Steve & Stu answer listener's questions: Why do ticket prices vary so much at the same venue? Why are some songwriter credits missing on streaming platforms (and do they still get paid)?Steve Lamack and Stuart Dredge answer two listener questions. Topic 1: why songwriter credits are missing on Spotify and whether royalties still get paid.29 Oct 2025 · 27 min · 7 chapters
Spotify will launch an AI-music service... but what might it be – and will artists get paid? MTV shuts its music video channels; The Irish basic income for musicians; and Stu sings Baby Shark (again)Music industry news and policy—Spotify’s vague “artist-first” AI music partnership and whether artists will be paid; MTV ending its remaining music-video channels; Ireland making an artists’ basic…22 Oct 2025 · 32 min · 11 chapters