The Price of Music

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works – and this week Steve and Stu grapple with Harry Styles, Bonnie Tyler and Bruno Mars...Don't forget - you can become a Superfan of the podcast for free – and access an extra 20 mins of show each week!Stu's big number is $11bn - and that’s ⁠how much Spotify paid out to the music industry in 2025⁠. But will that be enough to get its critics off its back?Apple Music ⁠identified up to 2 billion fraudulent streams on its service in 2025 alone⁠. But did it pay any money out for them?Music is now ⁠a third of all the time people spend watching YouTube⁠. But is that good news?UK venues complained bitterly about proposed changes to business rates tax which would increase ticket prices and force small venues to close: now the government has announced some changes…Remember when we talked about Bonnie Tyler’s Spotify royalties in a show last year? ⁠Both Bonnie and Spotify have chipped in with a follow-up to that story⁠…Harry Styles’ "world tour" is ⁠only playing in seven cities⁠. Is this a new model for superstar touring?Bruno Mars’ latest concert ⁠attracted 12.8 million people⁠! But what's the twist?⁠No one wanted a global chart for AI-generated music⁠ - but here it is anyway!And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our ⁠⁠⁠Patreon Superfans⁠⁠⁠, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:Steve and Stu reflect on last week's excellent interview with Ricky from Southampton Joiners - and the pressures on venues; and the changes in touring routes.... and also the dubious reality for young gig-goers: who's putting gigs on for them – and do they even want gigs?Football’s January transfer window has just closed in most of the big countries, which made us think: what if there was an equivalent for bands...If you’ve been wondering what Liza Minnelli, Art Garfunkel and the Pope think about AI music… it’s your lucky week!===================================As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!Email us: ⁠⁠thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠See you next week!Steve and Stuart======TPOM online: http://tpom.uk/Support The Price of Music on Patreon:⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodFor sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠joe@musically.com

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works – and this week, Stu’s Big Number is also the Big Story – and here are some mind-boggling facts to bewilder your friends with: There are now 253 million tracks available on streaming sites… and 55.3 million songs were not played even once in 2025(And, over 100 million songs have been played less than 100 times)Over 50 million songs - 20% of all the music available on streaming – were uploaded in 2025106,000 songs were uploaded each day - that’s 7,000 hours of music or 10,000 albums per dayNaturally, this gave Steve and Stu a lot to talk about, including:On many platforms, artists don’t get paid until their song gets over 1000 streams – is this fair?Nearly half of those daily song uploads might, data suggests, be AI-generated – and this means more noise for real artists to fight through to be heard.How much does it cost a company like Spotify to host all this music? (And what about the carbon footprint?)Should the platforms pay money out when AI-generated songs are played?If there were 50m+ new tracks last year, doesn’t that mean there will be even more this year - and who wants this AI slop?Also this week: the UK’s Music Venue Trust released it’s annual report which revealed, amongst the data, that the profit margins for its member venues are razor thin – under 3%. The state of play for grassroots venues is still precarious – Steve digs deep into the data. Plus – music platform Bandcamp has banned all AI-generated music from its platform.And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our ⁠⁠Patreon Superfans⁠⁠, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:A question for you, dear listener: have you ever missed the last bus or train home after a gig? Did you end up sleeping in a bus shelter? Let us know! thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com(Steve remembers spending a lot of time trying to nap at Liverpool Street station having missed the last train home… and which superstar band was “so bad” that Stu got accidentally drunk and fell asleep on the train on the way home?)Steve’s Shameless Plug – after months of praise, he finally got Little Grandad into the famous BBC Maida Vale studios for a live session [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ps7b]Which big towns and cities are starting to be left off touring schedules in the UK? (people in Coventry, Stoke and Milton Keynes may wish to avert your ears)And what happens to artists and music fans if quality emerging artists are not able to go and perform in cities (very slightly) off the beaten track?Some of the biggest songs on YouTube are… nursery rhymes. One Wheels on the Bus video got over 2 BILLION streams in 2025, and Bah Bah Black Sheep is the 15th biggest video of ALL TIME.And finally… a company called Alan’s Factory Outlet has a fascinating/hyperbolic piece of indie band data.As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!Email us: ⁠⁠thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠See you next week!Steve and Stuart======TPOM online: http://tpom.uk/Support The Price of Music on Patreon:⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodFor sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠joe@musically.com

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. And it’s a bumper episode as Steve and Stu take a look ahead into 2026: what will the big stories be in the coming year? Here are their predictions:It’s a year of change for the UK record industry, and where the UK stands in terms of influence in a global context – including acts like Sleep Token who have broken through in the USA.And there’s been a lot of layoffs at UK major labels – why might that be good for indie artists? (BTW - get a free trial of our extra content, The Lock In, right here! ⁠https://www.patreon.com/12218634/join⁠)AI inevitably will be playing a major role (again) – but what are the potentially erosive impacts now that it’s an established technology, what difficult decisions might the streaming platforms need to make, and how might it be used by indie music-makers?Live music will reach a pivotal point this year: the mega stadium shows will continue – but will people keep paying mega ticket prices? And what about the smaller venues who are under more pressure than ever?And will Oasis play Knebworth in 2026 – or 2027? The rumour mill is aggregated by Steve.Those reunion tours will keep coming – but can the bands keep doing it; and what happens when they find they can’t sell any more tickets?And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our ⁠Patreon Superfans⁠, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:Are bigger gigs becoming like Premier League Football - where tickets (and everything else at the show) are expensive, gigs are once-yearly events, and people with less cash are being priced out?And what do people want from smaller, cheaper gigs these days anyway? Steve has been jostling shoulders with The Kids to find out.In TPOM fandom news: Steve has already seen Little Grandad in 2026! Stu squeezes in the first Black Crowes mention of the year!Stu tries to create an AI version of a Dry Cleaning song – how did he do it and what did it sound like? And what if a human band took his song, developed it, and performed it live?As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠See you next week!Steve and Stuart======Support The Price of Music on Patreon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠⁠Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodFor sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠⁠joe@musically.com

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. In this week’s episode of The Price of Music, Steve and Stu get stuck into a late-year flurry of big news:"This could be the death knell for small venues" – enormous increases in business rates are coming for UK venues – Steve has a lot to say about how a seemingly-innocuous business rates policy point in the recent UK budget may prove to have a devastating effect;UK band Los Campesinos! have laid bare their streaming royalties – by publishing some numbers for their 2024 album ‘All Hell’ – and it's fascinating (and sobering) info;The UK government has launched an urgent major inquiry into how the country's live industry works – but why, and what are they trying to find out?How safe is the music industry to work in for young people?Stu's big number is 200 million – and there's a good chance you're one of them;More evidence that the music biz might not be ready to truly deal with AI-music;Christmas is coming, so for the heritage-rock-music fan in your life, what stocking-fillers are Mick Jagger and The Kinks selling?And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:In Spotify Wrapped, Stuart’s ‘listening age’ was a sprightly 20... so why is that?And what is Steve's 'listening age'?Which of Steve and Stu are most anxious about next week's TPOM Christmas Quiz?A veteran DJ thinks that phones are ruining dancefloors. His solution... is hardly less dystopian.In Stu's quest to make up for insulting the whole of Australia (see last week's show...) he has news of something positive Olivia Dean is doing down under.As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!Email us: ⁠⁠thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠See you next week!Steve and Stuart======Support The Price of Music on Patreon:⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodFor sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠joe@musically.com

Get more TPOM in the post-show "lock-in" – try it for FREE!: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/c/thepriceofmusic/membership⁠====Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. In this week’s episode of The Price of Music, Steve and Stu unwrap the week's music biz goings-on:An exploding toilet caused a gig cancellation – but what now for the band, fans and the venue?Stu’s Big Number is $2.45bn - it’s big, but why might it feel scary to artists and labels?Spotify might also put their prices by a dollar in the US - who will welcome this (and who won’t?)Three AI music-making companies have struck deals with major labels - but who and why?The UK ticket levy to help smaller grassroots venues is taking off – so what's next? Stu's been chatting to an MP to find out.TPOM’s continued role as your Primary Baby Shark News Resource continues as Stu explains how many millions of dollars it made last year (it was a lot).And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stu prop themselves at the bar to chat about:Steve once flew several thousand miles to watch a band, only for them to quit after a mere three songs. But which now-massive band was it?Who are Steve and Stu's artists of the year? (Including Wet Leg and Self Esteem)What was the annual Reader's Poll like behind the scenes at the NME for Steve?More unusual gig cancellation stories - including pigeons pooping on Kings of Leon, Neil Young’s sandwiches, and moreWhat’s the city of Manchester doing to support local venues and promoters?As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!Email us: ⁠⁠thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠See you next week!Steve and Stuart======Support The Price of Music on Patreon:⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodFor sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠joe@musically.com

Have you heard the now-legendary post-show "lock-in" section, just for our ⁠Patreon Superfans⁠? Try it for FREE!: https://www.patreon.com/c/thepriceofmusic/membership=======Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. In this week’s episode of The Price of Music, our dynamic duo Steve and Stu grapple with the following:Stu’s Big Number is 713 million – and you are quite possibly one of them. But what is it?Can YOU tell the difference between human-made music and AI-generated music? A study suggests: almost certainly not.The 1975 have deleted a song from their last album on streaming services... because frontman Matty Healy didn’t like it any more. (And are artists, as Steve says, often bad judges of whether their songs are actually any good?)Music contributed a record £8 billion to the UK economy last year... but why is there still a reason to be concerned?Last week Steve said he couldn’t understand why Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ is still popular … well, it turns out someone literally wrote the book that answers the question.A quick update on the music biz deals with AI companies and what they mean for musicians;Music Venue Properties, which saves UK grassroots venues from closing, has bought two more venues;A vinyl record made using… coal dust?Thundercat’s remix of Diana Ross’ ‘Upside Down’ can be listened to via – oh yes – a ‘bone-conduction lollipop’.And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stuart prop themselves at the bar to chat about:97% of people can't tell AI music from human music. Stu is going to put Steve to the test by playing an AI song about… rock bands in Camden.The Grammy Awards nominations have been announced - including one for… Milli Vanilli?More on the ‘live show value for money’ debate… featuring Radiohead!All-seater shows in small venues – Steve’s got a puzzler for Stu about Southampton Joiners...As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!Email us: ⁠⁠thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠See you next week!Steve and Stuart======Support The Price of Music on Patreon:⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodFor sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠joe@musically.com

Bonus episode! Steve is joined by Lord Kevin Brennan, the ex-MP – and now member of the UK's House of Lords – who is also a musician, and has been described as “a writer of songs and a righter of wrongs.”He talks to Steve about his leadership of the UK parliament’s new fan-led review of live and electronic music, with the aim of improving the sustainability of grassroots live and electronic music to safeguard the success of the wider UK music industry.. You can take part in this review right now – just go to https://committees.parliament.uk/work/9161The initiative seeks to place fans’ voices at the centre of decisions about ticketing, venues, accessibility, and transport, similar to football’s fan-led reform from a few years ago. Lord Brennan stresses that live music depends on fair treatment of fans and transparency over ticket pricing, fees, and resale practices. Lord Brennan argues for a “fans’ charter” to ensure shared values across the live sector, from small venues to major promoters. Drawing from his experience in Parliament and his previous inquiry into music streaming, he also explains how policy can protect grassroots venues, improve access and late-night transport, and encourage community ownership models. He also exclusively reveals the future plans for his cross-party, all-MP band with the pun-tastic name of... “MP4”.As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!Email us: ⁠⁠⁠thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠See you next week!Steve and Stuart======Support The Price of Music on Patreon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic⁠⁠⁠Follow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodFor sponsorship opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠⁠joe@musically.com