We are going to have to wait until 2024 for the next season of House of the Dragon and I'm ashamed that I know more about World War I than I do about the show. If anyone has fresh HOTD Pods to recommend, please let me know.
In the real world, Apple is hiking its subscription prices, Taylor Swift is one of the last real music stars, and there are other things happening.
The price of Apple's subscription is going up.
9to5Mac reported yesterday that Apple is increasing the prices of its plans. It is the first time that Apple has raised its prices for these services in the US, and it makes perfect sense.
It seems like the video side is done. Disney Plus will get more expensive in December due to a price hike by the streamer. The Apple TV Plus is in a better position than it was three years ago. It has scored commercial and critical hits with Ted Lasso, Severance, and For All Mankind, as well as taking home the Academy Award for Best Picture this year. The cost of the streamer has gone up.
The audio side isn't easy to understand. Apple blamed the recent increase in licensing fees on it. Apple Music and its competitors will have to pay 15.35 percent of music revenue to writers and publishers, a 0.25 percent increase over the current rate and more than the old rate. The price of Apple's service is now more expensive than that of Amazon Music and Spotify, both of which have been around for a long time. Unlike with video streamers, you can access the same music no matter which service you use.
Audio streamers have to work harder to distinguish themselves. High-quality audio is offered by Apple Music and Amazon Music, while Hifi is only offered by Platinum plan subscribers. Apple Podcasts is separate from Apple Music and both Amazon and Spotify offer exclusive content.
The extra $1 per month I get for having access to the music library is worth it for me. I am not surprised that Apple will raise the price of its products. It seems like it will happen between inflation and licensing fees.
What to watch for in the earnings today.
The earnings will be posted after the market closes today. I will be looking at some of the things.
Last week, a user spotted a notification from the streamer that said it was now home to more than five million shows. The company loves tout the size of its library as a sign of success, even though it hasn't confirmed that number yet. If it is true, that would be a huge jump from the second quarter figure of 4.2 million. Expect a lot of celebration of the most successful original talk show to date, the one hosted by the prince. There is no reason to think that the service won't exceed expectations again. Steve Cahall, an analyst at Wells Fargo, said in a note that he still expects premium subscriptions to hit 195 million, even though he is reducing his estimate for free users. The company would add 6 million paying subscribers if the Wall Street consensus is correct. Advertising still makes up less than one-seventh of the total business, so a decline in ad revenue may not have a big impact. This is the place where podcasting ends. The company wants to be less reliant on music in order to contribute more in ad revenue. The survey included several different versions of a Platinum plan, but the one that grabbed the most attention would cost $19.99 per month. The plan would also include limited ads on podcasts, library tools, and audio insights. If it is mentioned on the investor call at 4:30PM, I will listen. There won't be much to say about audiobooks, which were only on the app for a month. They might give a few tidbits on what to expect.
Taylor Swift has the biggest debut of any artist in the last five years.
I listened to the song "Anti-Hero" all weekend. It was rare for an artist to sell 1 million albums in a week before streaming. Midnights had 1.2 million equivalent album units in its first three days. Taylor Swift's album, Reputation, was the last one to rack up such numbers.
The Hot Pod Summit is next week.
Next week we are going to see a lot of you in LA. There are still tickets available for On Air LA Annex. The full lineup for On Air Fest was announced this week, which included a live taping of Object of Sound with Hrishikesh Hirway.
Today is all for that. Next week, see you
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