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The Price of Music: your essential weekly music biz explainer – with Steve Lamacq and Stuart Dredge.
Become a Price of Music Superfan and get extra content every week – at patreon.com/ThePriceofMusic
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For sponsorship email - joe@musically.com
The Price of Music is a Music Ally production:
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92 Episodes
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Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. In this week’s The Price of Music:Steve takes over Big Number duties to reveal how many weeks ‘ABBA Gold’ has been in the UK’s album chartThe Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Light’ hits 5bn Spotify streams – but what is he raising $1bn for?Why has Spotify reintroduced messaging inside its app, and would Steve or Stuart use it?Apple Music’s radio stations are expanding beyond their parent serviceSad TikTokers have given Radiohead a new chart hit in the US with an old songBandcamp is enlisting DJs and journalists to curate $13-a-month clubs for music and community.More shade for The Smiths’ tracklisting skills.Plus music speakers made out of rocket-fuel tanks, which we almost certainly can’t afford.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:Why Stuart never liked The Smiths – and Steve’s recommendation of the perfect song to explain thatHow Steve and family arrived three hours early to queue for a Conan Grey gig – and still found hundreds of people ahead of themThe tale of Stuart accidentally queuing for a selfie with Grumpy Cat in the days of Peak YouTube Cat VideosAs ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any questions you might have about how the music biz works!Email us: thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com
If you want an easy guide to the music biz and how it all works – here we are! In this week's The Price of Music:Stuart’s Big Number involves Coldplay, a lot of sold-out Wembley stadium gigs, and the band raising money for grass roots venuesHas Steve actually “gone deaf for a living?”Chinese streaming platforms have a “Super VIP” subscription that costs 5x as much (and 15m people are paying for it…)Ticketing re-selling platform StubHub: how does it work, how many tickets are being sold by users, and what on earth is “speculative ticketing”?Bandcamp processes $3.5m of sales on the most recent Bandcamp Friday, where all money goes to artistsThe soundtrack from animated pop group Netflix film K-Pop Demon Hunters has now had billions (and billions… and billions) of streams in just a few months(Also: 25% of US kids say that K-Pop is their favourite music genre)More badly-tracklisted albums! • Due to high demand: more of Stu’s thoughts on Taylor Swift (her approach to buying back her recordings, not her music, honest)And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stuart loosen their ties, lean against the bar a bit more, and chat about:Why Liam Gallagher has been banned from throwing his tambourine into the crowdWhich 80s pop-soul singer did Steve write the tour programme for?Olivia Rodrigo's $38 tour book – how much would you pay for your favourite artist’s book?How much will fans pay for unreleased demos and live tracks? • And how much stuff like that does Radiohead have in their (allegedly giant) bunker of songs?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, email - joe@musically.com
1Steve and Stu have questions – so many questions. Fortunately they also have answers! In this episode:Stuart's Big Number is 217.5 million... and what does it have to do with a B-side by US indie rock icons Pavement?Steve wants to know which albums have the songs sequenced in the "wrong" order? (And which Blur album does he have a controversial tracklisting opinion about?)Spotify's prices go up (again) – and who is happy about it and why?How easy is it to get a #1 album now – and did indie band The K's do it by selling CDs?Live-show promoters Live Nation have made "stonking" profits – and have sold 130m tickets. And it's because stadium shows are incredibly popular at the moment – but why?Napster are being sued by Sony Music... so have Stuart and Steve accidentally travelled back to the year 2000, or is something else happening?Donating a kidney for a sold-out festival ticket;Stuart waits up all night for the Taylor Swift album announcement – or is it a pre-pre-pre-announcement announcement?And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stuart chat about:The time when the man in front of Steve in the guestlist queue claimed that he was Steve Lamacq;(And the time when Steve claimed he was someone else to get into a Bob Mould gig);Steve’s top tip for legitimately getting into a sold-out gig;The time Stuart accidentally ended up at a minor reality TV star’s birthday party;Stuart CONFESSES ALL about his ILLEGAL Napster use in 1999 (and how he downloaded the pop songs he felt too ashamed to buy in the shops);How Stuart was once gifted - and then lost - a $2000 bottle of tequila.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, email - joe@musically.com
This week, Steve and Stuart find out that they both went to see Oasis last week, but try not to spend the whole show talking about it; and instead get stuck into all this:Beyoncé’s tour is the most successful country tour of all time; Steve and Stu both go to watch Oasis - but what did they think?;Stu’s Big Number: Spotify wants One. Billion. Subscribers; Tomorrowland festival gets 74 million viewers on Tiktok; Hayley Williams lets fans who buy her hair dye listen to her songs first;and Cardi B has “a full-on cheese experience” with “drippy cheese” (Stuart’s words, not Cardi B’s)And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stu chat about:Steve and Stu check out the Oasis merch (official and unofficial); They compare their experiences of seeing Oasis at Wembley - and which member of Oasis looked “a bit glum”?;How much do ticket holders spend in total when they go and see Oasis?They find a few more interesting points in Spotify’s earnings call – what does the company say about AI and music?Steve recounts when his label released Elastica’s debut album and what happens when no-one can agree on the track listing (They also further explore the world of “drippy cheese”)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, email - joe@musically.com
Steve and Stuart rummage through the TPOM inbox and pull out some brand new listeners' questions to answer (send yours into us here: thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.com) – Does the money from a stream get split evenly?Do artists get paid if a festival is cancelled?How do music-making AIs get trained?What is Spotify's Discovery Mode?PLUS: they go over the UK government's reforms for artists.And in the special post-show lock-in section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stu chat about:Is the music industry really ready for the AI revolution or is it about to be caught on the hop?How many author pseudonyms has Steve used over the years?Which fan club was Stu in, and why did someone burp at him down a telephone as a result?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.com======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, email - joe@musically.com
In this week's show, Steve and Stuart get to grips with government legislation and bands turning down big bucks:Stu’s Big Number: after some gentle ribbing from Steve on last week's (small) Big Number, Stu returns with a whopper: 2.5 trillion - but what is it?Will Drake face Kendrick Lamar in the witness box?Steve takes a 13-point "personality test" to see if he's a music SuperfanBreaking news from the UK governmental inquiry into streaming payments to artists and songwriters;Los Campesinos! turn down a $60,000 offer from Airbnb to use their music in an advert – but why?...and how does music sync – where songs get put into TV ads and movies, etc – work anyway?What's the connection between Taylor Swift and Five Finger Death Punch?And in the special post-show section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stu get classical and chat about:Which fanclub Steve was a member of as a 14-year-old;Steve visits the First night of the PromsIs classical music expensive – or actually cheap in the era of £250 tickets?Are too many heritage bands touring now? Will people stop buying tickets?What's the average price of a gig ticket now, anyway?In the era of no physical tickets, are selfies at the show the new "keeping the ticket stub"?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, email - joe@musically.com
In this week's show, Steve and Stuart cover a lot of ground, including:Stu’s Big Number: it seems small (1000), but that’s how many days Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” has topped the Apple Music chartHow do songwriters actually earn their money – a new report reveals the truth (part of which is that a lot of them are struggling)Which well-known bands are also performing as cover bands to make cash?Why Spotify are under investigation in Turkey – and what does it have to do with golden toilets?How fictional (but not AI!) bands from a Netflix K-Pop animation are getting lots of listeners on streaming platformsAnd much, much more (including Ozzy Osbourne’s chimpanzee collaboration)And in the special post-show section just for our Patreon Superfans, Steve and Stu chat about:Steve’s latest new band tip,Unusual merch (including poorly-timed mug purchases, and expensive AA batteries),Steve’s Noel Gallagher spoon-in-a-champagne-bottle anecdote origin story,The duo pitch for podcast sponsorship from the Milk Marketing Board,Dad-dancing at gigs, and more…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
Steve and Stuart are back in the new and - oh yes - improved The Price of Music!In this episode:The Velvet Sundown are a fully-AI-generated band that have over a million listeners on Spotify – is this a tipping point – and should human artists worry?Oasis are back – so how much money did each show make (and how much of it is VAT?The band Deerhoof have pulled their music from Spotify in protest at co-founder Daniel Ek's investments into a weapons startupThe proposed takeover of indie conglomerate Downtown Music by Universal Music is starting to get tetchy...Steve wonders: who owns your songs if your record label goes bust?and more!As ever, we welcome your feedback, emails and – in particular – any niggling questions you might have about how the music biz works that Steve and Stuart can answer.Email us: thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comSteve 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, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
The Price of Music is returning on Wednesday 9th July 2025– and each week we’ll be exploring some of the big music stories of the past seven days. Steve and Stuart will be finding out where the money’s going and attempting to explain how the industry works.We'll bring you the headline figures, the hot topics of the week; and discussing what it all means for us as music fans.So whether it's record deals or streaming royalties; ticket prices or technology, we’ll be helping to demystify what goes on behind the scenes and what makes the music industry tick.We will also be answering your questions and interviewing key music biz people, from artists to A&R scouts; from managers to moguls.
Steve and Stuart look at Spotify's response to Kate Nash’s latest comments about streaming royalties, and discuss the news that Warner Music is in the final stages of testing its superfan app, with heavy involvement from Ed Sheeran.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
Steve and Stuart find out why AI music startup Suno is in hot water again, and discuss the news that South African artists have doubled their Spotify payouts over the last three years.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
Steve and Stuart discuss the news that PPL, the UK's music licensing company, has posted the highest annual revenues in its 90-year history, and find out why England captain Harry Kane has invested in a ticketing firm.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
Steve and Stuart discuss the news that the US has hit 100 million paid music subscriptions, and find out why Mariah Carey has been cleared of copyright infringement in a case over her 1994 Christmas staple, All I Want for Christmas Is You.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
Steve and Stuart take a look at the money behind SXSW in Austin, Texas, and discuss a new report on the music economy of Gloucestershire.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
Stuart speaks to Matt Griffiths, chief executive of the charity dedicated to helping marginalised young people, Youth Music.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
Steve and Stuart dissect the various comments from artists at the BRITs 2025 about grassroots music venues, youth-music education, and the government's AI policies, and find out why Snoop Dogg has sparked a disagreement with Spotify.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
Steve and Stuart find out why over 1,000 artists are backing a 'silent' AI protest album, and discuss thew news that Casey Lowery is funding the production of his debut album through a Kickstarter campaign.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
Steve and Stuart discuss the news that Spotify is considering introducing a new superfan tier, and analyse the reasons why Sony generated $2.7bn from recorded music and publishing in the last three months of 2024.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe price of music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
Steve and Stuart find out why several people have received an email from Ticketmaster cancelling their Oasis tickets and accusing them of being bots, and discuss the news that The Black Crowes have relaunched their Crowe-Mafia club for superfans.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
Steve and Stuart discuss James Blake lifting the lid on the music industry, and find out why The Libertines are performing as holograms.Send in your questions for Stuart and Steve on thepriceofmusicpodcast@gmail.comFollow Steve on X - @steve_lamacqFollow Stuart on X - @stuartdredgeFollow The Price of Music on X - @PriceofMusicpodSupport The Price of Music on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/ThePriceofMusicFor sponsorship, email - joe@musically.comThe Price of Music is a Music Ally production:https://musically.com
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Great listen guys. A minor correction though. Steve is right to say VAT makes up more of the price of a ticket here than elsewhere. He isn't right in saying that VAT makes up 20% of the total price though. VAT of 20% is added to the net amount, so in the example of a ticket that costs £150 altogether, £25 of it would be VAT. To work back from the total you divide by 1.2 rather than multiply by 0.8.
Interesting to pull back the curtain on the lesser known side of the music industry.