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Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

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Re: Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

#451

Post by kerbalspacepro »

komali2 wrote: post #47

I'm not quite clear on why people are choosing spotify over google play music - to me the google option is superior in UI and offerings (including ad-free youtube). Am I missing something? Is it just one runs better on iPhones or is more hip (like why people choose snapchat over instagram or something)?

Assuming that a Google Music PO reads this thread:

--Spotify's ML features are way way way way way way better than Googles --Everybody else uses Spotify, which means I can share it

The latter is obviously the thing Google won't win, so shouldn't try

Re: Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

#452

Post by SirLJ »

verelo wrote: post #445
SirLJ wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where did you buy? Did you sell already? The price is going down pretty much since the open...

~$160 - I’ll sit on these for years, the price here is likely irrelevant to the long term.

I hope you are right and good luck!

Re: Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

#453

Post by zouhair »

_zachs wrote: post #168
synaesthesisx wrote: post #27

I do love Spotify as a product, however I don't think it will scale the same way Netflix does. Spotify is at the mercy of major record labels, and as their books become more transparent the record labels will squeeze every dollar they can for licensing. That is, unless they find a way to upend the record industry entirely. Spotify has a unique position with their amazing discovery/recommendations engine- they could p…

Starting their own label is exactly what they need to do to remain competitive. It's exactly what Netflix ended up doing and I think it's turning out pretty well for them. I wouldn't be surprised if Spotify tried poaching higher-level strategy people from Netflix.

Can you imagine if most new artists start signing with this supposed new label. If it happens Spotify will be a monopoly soon enough and artists will be in a way worse state than they are now.

Making a TV series or a movie is not the same as making Music. Artists sign with a label and they are more or less stuck with them.

Re: Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

#454

Post by zouhair »

cwaffler wrote: post #438
_zachs wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Starting their own label is exactly what they need to do to remain competitive. It's exactly what Netflix ended up doing and I think it's turning out pretty well for them. I wouldn't be surprised if Spotify tried poaching higher-level strategy people from Netflix.

If they start a label, I would hope that it doesn't try to compete with smaller record labels. It should compete with the big dogs and help out smaller ones similar to bandcamp. Idea: bandcamp + spotify...

If they start a label, the smaller labels will be the first one to feel the heat. Spotify would need to swallow them all to garner power so it can fight the bigger fish.

If Spotify start a label and is successful with it, the Music industry will most likely end up worse state than it is now.

Re: Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

#455

Post by astura »

ericwood wrote: post #157
astura wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How's that different from, say, the logistics of grocery stores? Yet Wegmans isn't considered a "tech company."

Most grocery stores use off-the-shelf tech for this sort of thing; our business model made a lot of that not feasible and there was a decision made early on to build it ourselves, if anything because the tech we developed could have its own value down the line. If Wegman's was writing software like this (maybe they do! I have no idea) then I'd happily consider them a tech company. But like I said, it's a silly thing…

I used Wegmans as an example specifically because Wegmans is known for doing a lot of their own R&D to improve their operations. I don't know if they write some of their own software, but it wouldn't surprise me if they do.

Re: Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

#456

Post by lambda_lover »

gehsty wrote: post #422
simias wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not convinced. You don't consume music the way you consume TV shows and movies, it's often a more "passive" activity where you start a playlist in the background while you do other things. You can do that with movie/TV shows of course but a movie will last you ~two hours while a TV show can literally last you days or weeks at a time without input if you really like having The Office in the background while you do…

I think Spotify's model would need to be slightly different to Netflix, I think they would still need to allow their artists music onto other platforms. The need for them to be a record label is not for exclusivity, it is so they can operate as an equal partner. At the moment their entire business is based on negotiating deals with record labels, all Spotify can offer is revenue, so they will be squeezed and squeezed…

Interesting thought. I've been very anti Spotify-as-a-label, but this is a really neat way of looking at it that I hadn't considered before. What if Spotify becomes a (small) label that's very artist-friendly? Then they can offer non-streaming distribution of their artists as a bargaining chip for existing labels.

My only issue here is that I'm not sure if existing labels will begrudge a new competitor on the block (and then try to kill Spotify). It doesn't seem to me like Spotify being a fellow label gives them much more that the existing labels would want, but maybe I'm just not thinking of it.

According to my memory and a little research [1], the record labels have some stock stake in Spotify. Personally I think this is Spotify's best bet: if the labels can derive stock gains from helping Spotify (plus licensing fees), they have skin in the game so they won't try to sabotage Spotify. I'm of the opinion that instead of trying to produce music (and fight the record labels), Spotify is better off getting into a complimentary position: make it easier for fans to find out about concert, purchase tickets at fair prices, and buy t-shirts. All stuff that Spotify can probably do better than the record labels, and which won't cut into label profits.

[1] http://www.swedishwire.com/jobs/680-record-labels-part-owner...

Re: Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

#457

Post by lev99 »

simias wrote: post #191
_zachs wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Starting their own label is exactly what they need to do to remain competitive. It's exactly what Netflix ended up doing and I think it's turning out pretty well for them. I wouldn't be surprised if Spotify tried poaching higher-level strategy people from Netflix.

I'm not convinced. You don't consume music the way you consume TV shows and movies, it's often a more "passive" activity where you start a playlist in the background while you do other things. You can do that with movie/TV shows of course but a movie will last you ~two hours while a TV show can literally last you days or weeks at a time without input if you really like having The Office in the background while you do…

> If like me you like composing playlists instead of playing one full album at a time then not having the vast majority of your music available on a single service is a huge deal breaker.

I have this problem with Spotify. About 80% of the music I like is on Spotify. Private label, soundcloud, older forgotten bands, and foreign music is often missing.

Re: Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

#458

Post by astura »

jadeklerk wrote: post #345
astura wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My thoughts are after almost a decade of growth, the popular opinion (right or wrong) is we are due for a market correction. I think that these companies want to cash out at the top of the curve.

A decade of growth....?? Where were you in 2008?

I said almost a decade

Take a look at the 10 year S&P 500 chart:

http://www.macrotrends.net/2488/sp500-10-year-daily-chart

It bottomed out in early March 2009. The period from March 2009 to right now can roughly be described as "growth." We describe it as "growth" because the overall movement is upwards. 9 years and 1 month is "almost a decade" because a decade is 10 years and 9 is pretty close to 10.

Re: Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

#459

Post by f4rker »

mancerayder wrote: post #332

Maybe they have enough capital now to adjust the Discover Weekly algorithm, which provides a weekly recipe of 30 songs that have no basis in what I listened to or have in my playlists. I do get to discover Millennial sleepily-singing voices to a disco beat and a 'laid back' riff that promises to stay in the background (thanks to a faux garagey sound). Is that what Indy means? For pre-selected music that I listen to f…

Spotify playlist are shockingly bad for a big company with so much data.

"Relaxing classical"

3nd song has fast piano

Well done guys.

Re: Spotify opens on NYSE, valuing company at almost $30B

#460

Post by f4rker »

oUrfsWY wrote: post #306

I doubt the current $150/share is sustainable given the waste, fraud, abuse, and royalties. I'm forecasting a wave of layoffs before next quarter's earnings. I'll concede the product is good and the UX is nailed. There just isn't enough innovation or growth to support the need for 5000 employees. Those of you who were users of the product 5+ years ago. How much has really changed? None of the recent acquisitions have…

>There just isn't enough innovation or growth to support the need for 5000 employees. Those of you who were users of the product 5+ years ago. How much has really changed?

Almost not at all.

Except now they force Social Justice Playlist on me

AMPLIFY WOMEN! BLACK HISTORY! WE STAND WITH THE BANNED!

Like this is what I want from my MUSIC app.

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