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Couldn’t get enough of Sunshine by Post Malone or Old Town Road by Lil Nas X last year? You weren’t the only one. Music streams in the US on services like YouTube, Spotify and Amazon Music topped 1 trillion for the first time in 2019, according to Nielsen Music’s annual report. 

Old Town Road was the top-streamed on-demand song in 2019, with 2.5 billion total streams, according to Nielsen. Post Malone also had a big year, with the top-streamed album as well as 1.5 billion streams for his hit song Sunflower. Other popular streaming artists of 2019 were Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Lizzo, according to Nielsen.

YouTube was the top-used music streaming service globally, according to Nielsen, with Spotify in second in most markets. The report also noted that popular apps like TikTok helped “usher in a new wave of viral hits,” in the US.

The data emphasizes the rapid rise of music streaming, which in just a few years has overtaken digital downloads as the music industry’s main business model. It’s also led to a shift in consumers’ relationship with music. Rather than buying music outright, we’re increasingly paying monthly fees for all-you-can-access tunes on services like Spotify or Apple Music, or listening for free by sitting through advertising on sites like YouTube.

Nielsen Music’s report covers music consumption for the 12-month period from Jan. 4, 2019 through Jan. 2, 2020. 


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Originally published Jan. 10, 7:14 a.m. PT.Update, 7:41 a.m.: Adds more details from the Nielsen Music report.

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Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said Tuesday at the Fortune Tech Brainstorm conference in Aspen, Colo., that the company is thinking about offering more than on-demand private drivers. That’s why Uber has dabbled this year in delivering on-demand roses, helicopters, and ice cream trucks.

Uber is an app for both iPhone and Android smartphones that enables users to request a ride anywhere at any time. Once users enter a location and pickup time, a private driver is sent to retrieve them and the user’s credit card on file is charged. But Uber’s future might steer in a new direction.

“What we’re doing right now is we’re in the experimentation phase,” he said. “Could it be that next summer we just do a summer of ice cream? Sure. It’s very simple.”

Kalanick was alluding to the slew of promotional deliveries Uber did this year — roses on Valentine’s Day, helicopters to the Hamptons on Fourth of July, and, most recently, one day ofice cream trucks on demand.

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It’s akin to the “give me what I want and give it to me now” lifestyle that people are drawn to these days, Kalanick said. He said the Uber platform makes it possible, emphasizing his point by saying how easy it was for Uber to do a pop-up launch in Aspen on Tuesday.

“It’s a very simple platform. I called my general manager in Denver yesterday when I got into Aspen. He was able to get it up by this morning,” he said.

That doesn’t mean the on-demand formula works every time though, he said. For example, the company tried promotional on-demand Texas barbecue orders in Austin, Texas, but found out that on-demand barbecue doesn’t taste so great if it takes more than an hour to deliver.

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Never let it be said that I was the voice of reason or anything, but when TV channels have on-screen logos, I really feel the need to vent some serious rage in their general direction. This is common practice on satellite, cable and Freeview channels and it’s another one of those diseases we’ve caught from the Americans.

In the US, it’s pretty common to advertise the next show, upcoming movie, eco advice or any number of other things on-screen while you’re trying to watch a TV show. Here are some stills to give you an idea what I’m on about. Sorry NBC, but from what I can see, you and Fox are the worst for this.

Don’t watch the show we’ve paid to produce, read these dumb captions instead

Give us more of your money by going to see a movie. K thx

As advertising revenues for TV channels drop, companies are going to have to resort to more and more unusual means to get the money they need to survive. Sooner or later, the UK regulator/industry poodle Ofcom will inevitably allow in-programme product placement and in-programme banner ads. Cue distraction and annoyance.

I wish I could say that it was only the commercial companies that did this, but sadly, the BBC also feels the need to tell us what’s on next while we’re still watching the previous programme.

The whole thing winds me up. I hate on-screen logos, banners and other junk. Get it off my screen please, or I’ll be very cross. And you won’t like me when I’m angry.

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