TikTok Play Dirty, Gaga Over Gaga & Big Qobuz News.

Happy Thursday SongsBrewers! (we know we are a day early!).

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The Buzz from Qobuz 

Qobuz, the audiophile choice of music streaming service, has rolled out some impressive features this month that improve the user experience. Long appreciated by the music-obsessed for its high-fidelity sound, niche catalog, and in-depth album reviews.

Qobuz is stepping up with updates that make it even more appealing to serious listeners and collectors alike.

Here’s What’s New on Qobuz: 

• DSD/DXD Audio Formats: Qobuz now offers over 22,500 tracks in Direct Stream Digital (DSD) and Digital eXtreme Definition (DXD), two formats that capture sound quality at its finest. Most of these tracks are in DSD, and they’re now searchable, allowing you to experience music with studio-level fidelity. 

• Studio Student Plan: Catering to young audiophiles, Qobuz has introduced a student subscription with a 60% discount for those aged 18-25. This new tier makes premium audio quality more accessible for the next generation of listeners. 

• Revamped Library and UI: Qobuz heard the feedback—finding your favorite music should be seamless. The platform has redesigned its UI, merging the Offline Library with MyQobuz to streamline navigation. The enhanced, intuitive library is a welcome upgrade for long-time users and newcomers alike. 

And it’s not just about new features—Qobuz is also expanding its reach and entering the Japanese market. Japan’s music industry, the second-largest globally, remains one of the few where physical formats like CDs still dominate, making up 50% of revenue.

However, the streaming market is steadily growing, and now Qobuz is poised to bring fresh competition and choice to Japanese listeners. 

Check out Qobuz; move up to 600 songs for free today.

FreeYourMusic recently conducted a study (not affiliated with Qobuz), and here’s what users had to say: 

Gaga over the Lady 

Lady Gaga, aka “MOTHER,” recently released a new single: Disease. From the moment she dropped the news of its impending arrival, her fans—and even a few celeb fans—were all in, making the launch nothing short of electric.

Comments poured in, asking (begging) for the music video with just as much enthusiasm. And within 8 hours of posting, it has racked up 1,377,666 views on YouTube.

At the time of writing, Disease has racked up 8,829,744 streams in just days (Kworb), already showing early success. There’s still some distance before it reaches the streaming highs of Poker Face, which averages 1.2 million streams daily, but Disease is cruising toward the top spot at high speed.

And when Gaga drops a single, an album usually follows pretty quickly. This one looks set to be a late February 2025 release. Fans, brace yourselves – because once again, Gaga is offering up something new.

The release of Disease is hot off the back of the huge Die With A Smile Hit she had with Bruno Mars. Gathering a massive 225 million views on YouTube and 11,280,350 daily streams on Spotify (Kworb).  

TikTok Takes On Merlin

The deal between TikTok and Merlin will end on the 31st of October. Let’s get you up to speed, though. Key players:  

• Merlin is a digital music licensing partner for distributors, rights holders, and independent record labels.  

• TikTok, the mammoth super-star making social media platform.  

In a surprising move, TikTok has chosen not to renegotiate its licensing deal with Merlin, the independent music powerhouse. Instead, TikTok is approaching individual members within Merlin's roster, sidestepping the organization altogether. 

Merlin is far from a small player in the industry. Representing major names like Mushroom Music, Downtown Music, and Reservoir Media, they’ve long been a force for indie music rights. TikTok’s decision to go around such an influential collective raises questions about the future of indie music representation on the platform and how these key players will respond. 

In a statement to Music Business Worldwide, a TikTok spokesperson explained,

Merlin recently issued a letter to its members, voicing concern over TikTok’s reluctance to renew their licensing agreement. According to Merlin, letting the deal lapse could fragment its membership and cut payouts, especially for those without the negotiating power that Merlin provides. This shift, they argue, threatens the collective bargaining power that smaller rights holders rely on for fair compensation. 

The broader picture is troubling. By moving toward individual negotiations, TikTok risks diminishing the value of independent music, bypassing the unified strength Merlin has long offered. This approach could make it more challenging for indie artists and labels to secure fair terms, chipping away at the representation that’s protected independent music’s place in the streaming landscape. 

This isn’t TikTok’s first run-in with music industry giants. Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony have previously pulled their catalogs. Stripping millions of videos of their music.

Whether these issues stem from ongoing challenges in aligning with music rights holders or reveal a deeper disregard, TikTok’s actions could jeopardize one of the core elements that makes their platform so engaging. 

Extra tools:

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