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  • July 2016
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Spotify

By: Anita Elberse and Alexandre de Pfyffer
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:19
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Abstract

In November 2014, Spotify's chief content officer Ken Parks learns that record label Big Machine Records has requested the immediate removal of superstar artist Taylor Swift's entire catalogue from Spotify's music streaming service. Is it time for Spotify to reconsider the policies that seem to have prompted Swift's catalogue takedown—and specifically the company's insistence that artists offer the same assortment across countries and not target only premium tiers? Will the takedown request lead to other artists considering a defection from the service, and if so, what can Spotify's executives do to prevent others from leaving? And, as it is only a matter of time before the news will be common knowledge among both music-industry insiders and fans, how should Spotify respond in the public domain?

Keywords

Entertainment; Marketing; Superstar; Music; Entertainment Marketing; Media; Digital Technology; Creative Industries; Product Portfolio Management; General Management; Management; Strategy; Internet and the Web; Open Source Distribution; Creativity; Music Entertainment; Product Marketing; Music Industry

Citation

Elberse, Anita, and Alexandre de Pfyffer. "Spotify." Harvard Business School Case 516-046, July 2016.
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About The Author

Anita Elberse

Marketing
→More Publications

Related Work

    • April 2017
    • Faculty Research

    Spotify

    By: Anita Elberse
Related Work
  • Spotify By: Anita Elberse
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