Warner is the first major label to adopt SoundCloud’s fan-powered royalties model

SoundCloud has found a powerful partner for its unusual royalty system that ensures lesser-known artists and indie acts are getting the money they deserve. The service has signed a global licensing agreement with Warner Music Group, making the company the first record label to adopt its Fan-Powered Royalties model. Some of the record label’s most popular acts are Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Cher, Gorillaz, Hayley Kiyoko, Kelly Clarkson and Lizzo. However, it’s most likely the artists who aren’t quite as well-known who would benefit the most from the scheme.

This deal ensures every artist across the label’s roster gets paid based on users’ listening habits. Most streaming services’ pro-rata model puts their ad earnings and their customers’ subscription payments in one big pot used to pay artists based on their share of total plays across the service. SoundCloud’s system, however, sends listeners’ subscription money directly to the artists they’re listening to. 

The service launched the new model in 2021 and implemented it for performers using SoundCloud Premier, Repost and Repost Select. Back then, it said artists could collect as much as five times their previous royalties under the scheme. Company President Eliah Seton said in a statement: “Warner Music Group is known for developing some of today’s biggest superstars and helping them build long-term careers by investing in technologies and models which grow and support their fan communities. This makes them an ideal partner for SoundCloud… [The company] is known for our community of music-loving fans and this partnership aligns with our commitment to a fan-powered, artist-centric business.”

When SoundCloud introduced the fan-powered royalties model, critics noted that it might potentially be expensive to operate and, while it looks good on paper, it may not work well in practice. Warner signing the deal adds weight to the royalties scheme, though, and other major labels might be more inclined to follow suit.

Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ will hit Disney+ on August 3rd

Lightyear didn’t hit the box office heights Disney hoped for, despite it being the first Pixar movie to debut exclusively in theaters in over two years. You won’t have to wait too much longer to stream the movie at home, though. It’s coming to Disney+ on August 3rd, 47 days after it landed in theaters.

While it’s technically a Toy Story spinoff, it has a meta element to it. The action figure in the Toy Story movies is supposedly based on Lightyear, an in-universe film characters like Andy seemingly watched (making this a quasi-prequel). This time around, Buzz is in human form and is voiced by Chris Evans. He’s an astronaut who, along with his crew and commander, gets stuck on a strange planet and needs to find a way home. The cast also includes Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, James Brolin and Uzo Aduba.

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ cements its first season with a strong finale

The following article contains really significant spoilers for ‘A Quality of Mercy.’We’re living in the age of the prequel, with studios exploiting every scrap of existing material where there’s an audience already in place to enjoy it. But the low-han…

Disney+ will stream a live musical special from Epcot hosted by Idina Menzel

Disney+ is continuing its experiment with live events, this time with a special from one of its own theme parks. The platform will livestream Harmonious Live!, a musical special that will be hosted by Idina Menzel and performed at the Epcot theme park in Walt Disney World, reportedVariety. The live orchestra performance will feature a repertoire of songs from a number of classical Disney films, including Moana, Aladdin, Coco, The Lion King, Mulan and others.

The choice to air Harmonious Live! will no doubt please Disney fans of all ages, especially those who haven’t been back to a theme park in a while. After a nearly two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Disney resumed live entertainment at its theme parks again this year. And unlike live shows performed at the park, fans will be able to watch re-watch Harmonious Live! on the Disney+ platform at any time they like.

Disney+ subscribers can expect even more live offerings this year. The upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars will air on the platform, likely in September 2022. Meanwhile, Harmonious Live! will air on June 21 at 6 p.m. PT/9 ET in the US and Canada. You can watch a preview below.

Netflix and Mo’Nique settle lawsuit over alleged discrimination

Netflix has settled a lawsuit from comedian and actor Mo’Nique that accused the company of racial and gender bias. Both parties this week moved to dismiss the suit, which was filed in 2019. “The matter has been amicably resolved,” a representative for Mo’Nique told The Hollywood Reporter.

The two sides started talks over a comedy special in 2017, but Mo’Nique claimed the company low-balled her with an opening offer of $500,000 for a one-hour show to which Netflix would own the rights. The Oscar-winning performer called for a boycott of Netflix and said the offer was discriminatory, given the eight-figure deals some other comics (such as Chris Rock and Amy Schumer) reportedly received for their Netflix specials.

Netflix walked away from the discussions after Mo’Nique’s assertions. “Once Mo’Nique engaged in protected conduct by protesting the discriminatory offer, Netflix shut down any further negotiations and refused to negotiate in good-faith consistent with its standard practices,” the suit stated. Netflix argued there were no legal grounds to support the claim that a company declining to negotiate in good faith equates to discrimination or retaliation.

However, the judge presiding over the case determined in 2020 that Mo’Nique may have had a point. “Mo’Nique plausibly alleges that, after she spoke out and called her initial offer discriminatory, Netflix retaliated against her by shutting down its standard practice of negotiating in good faith that typically results in increased monetary compensation beyond the ‘opening offer’ and denying her increased compensation as a result,” Judge Andre Birotte Jr. wrote in a ruling that rejected an attempt by Netflix to dismiss the case.

Engadget has contacted Netflix for comment.