The Price of Music

Here it is! The long awaited, much feared Great Price of Music Christmas Quiz 2025 – which sees Steve pitted against Stu in a battle for the ages, as both vie to be crowned QUIZ CHAMP 2025.Our daring duo face questions about the show, band names, and each other – as well as especially tricky questions submitted by our Patreon Superfans, plus one question from a Very Special Indie Guest Star. Spoiler alert: it was a fiendishly tricky quiz, and a very close-run race.Look, the best thing to do is to hit play and just listen (Superfans get an extra 30 mins in the Lock-In, where Steve and Stu answer their questions about favourite gigs, best new bands, frozen toilets and much more.)We will be back after Christmas in the first full week of January. But until then, grab a glass of sherry and a mince pie and enjoy the sound of your two favourite music biz commentators squirming in the face of of some tricky trivia.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.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 opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠joe@musically.com

Delve into the sobering reality of streaming royalties as Los Campesinos! share their financial data. Discover how impending budget changes may sound the death knell for small UK venues struggling with increased business rates. Explore the urgent inquiry into the UK live music industry and the challenges young artists face. Plus, ponder the impact of AI-generated music on careers and listen in as hosts reveal their surprising Spotify Wrapped 'listening ages'. It's a ride through the joys and struggles of the music biz!

Spotify Wrapped is making waves this year, capturing the spotlight on social media. Why do bands avoid afternoon gigs? The hosts dive into that listener question. Olivia Dean takes a stand against Ticketmaster, raising eyebrows along the way. Jorja Smith finds herself in hot water over AI vocal duplicates. Indie labels have splashed £134 million, but where's the cash going? Plus, Oasis is back with pop-up merch stores for the holidays. The hosts revel in music industry gossip and debates that keep the conversation lively!

A gig cancellation due to an exploding toilet raises questions about refunds for the band and fans. The podcast explores Spotify's potential price increase in the U.S. and its implications for artists. AI's growing role in music is discussed, with major labels striking deals with tech companies. Stuart shares insights from his interview regarding a new levy to support grassroots venues in the UK. Meanwhile, the financial success of Baby Shark continues to surprise, showcasing its lasting impact on the music industry.

In a lively discussion, the hosts explore why venues often withhold concert set times and the implications for fans. They dive into the UK government's cap on ticket resale prices and debate its potential effectiveness. Mariah Carey's holiday classic is already dominating streaming stats, raising questions about seasonal music trends. Meanwhile, Megadeth ventures into brewing with their own beer line. Plus, Tidal introduces a new upload feature for indie artists, and one DJ stages a unique protest by playing only 'number two' hits on the radio.

Explore the intriguing decision by The 1975 to delete a song from streaming platforms. Discover how a study shows listeners struggle to differentiate between AI-generated music and human-made tracks. Dive into the secrets behind Fleetwood Mac's enduring popularity and the remarkable £8 billion contribution music made to the UK economy in a single year. Plus, learn about a vinyl record made from coal dust and the unique promotion of Thundercat’s remix using a bone-conduction lollipop.

This week, a fascinating financial twist reveals Billie Eilish's $11.5 million donations tied to her tour. Universal collaborates with Udio to launch a licensed AI music service, stirring debates about royalties. Meanwhile, Spotify faces backlash over controversial ICE ads. The music scene sees a historic shift with no rap tracks in the US Top 40, prompting speculation about industry changes. Plus, a UK startup introduces a unique tech to protect artists from AI scraping. Dive into the music biz’s latest dynamics!

Bonus episode! Steve is joined by Lord Kevin Brennan, the ex-MP – and now member of the UK's House of Lords – who is also a musician, and has been described as “a writer of songs and a righter of wrongs.”He talks to Steve about his leadership of the UK parliament’s new fan-led review of live and electronic music, with the aim of improving the sustainability of grassroots live and electronic music to safeguard the success of the wider UK music industry.. You can take part in this review right now – just go to https://committees.parliament.uk/work/9161The initiative seeks to place fans’ voices at the centre of decisions about ticketing, venues, accessibility, and transport, similar to football’s fan-led reform from a few years ago. Lord Brennan stresses that live music depends on fair treatment of fans and transparency over ticket pricing, fees, and resale practices. Lord Brennan argues for a “fans’ charter” to ensure shared values across the live sector, from small venues to major promoters. Drawing from his experience in Parliament and his previous inquiry into music streaming, he also explains how policy can protect grassroots venues, improve access and late-night transport, and encourage community ownership models. He also exclusively reveals the future plans for his cross-party, all-MP band with the pun-tastic name of... “MP4”.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 opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠⁠joe@musically.com

Steve and Stu dive into intriguing listener questions about the music industry. They explore why ticket prices can differ significantly at the same venue, revealing factors like demand and production costs. A real-world comparison between Maximo Park and Suede highlights this disparity. The duo also tackles the issue of missing songwriter credits on streaming platforms, discussing how gaps in metadata affect payments. Plus, they hint at an exciting upcoming bonus interview with a member of the House of Lords focused on grassroots music sustainability.

Your weekly guide to the music biz and how it all works. In this week’s episode of The Price of Music, Steve and Stu crunch the numbers and figure out...Exactly how much does a Mercury prizewinner’s streams really go up after a win?Spotify is going to make a licensed AI music something – but what is it going to be? And will artists get paid?Is TPOM now a Baby Shark fan-podcast? Steve politely requests that Stu stops singing a mooted Peppa Pig/Baby Shark collaboration.In Australia, people are listening to less music by Australian artists (and it’s the same in the UK too) … so what are they listening to instead? And what can be done to increase fans’ local listening?MTV is shutting down its last music channels – so are we witnessing the death of the music video?What about Ireland’s idea of a basic minimum income for musicians?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:Festival Goose Poo Vacuuming!What did Steve chat about with Damon Albarn in the 100 Club last week (and what drink did he order?)Steve has some exclusive hints about the forthcoming John Niven-penned Britpop musical!More on the UK’s Mercury Music prize - and the growing gap between the pop-single megastars at the top and the more niche album-oriented artists at the bottom.What are the benefits of Neil Young being grumpy (or bold and individualist, depending on your perspective)?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 opportunities, please email - ⁠⁠joe@musically.com