Deezer and Universal announce ‘ambitious’ streaming model – with bigger rewards for artists
Universal Music Group (UMG) and independent streaming platform Deezer have announced the “most ambitious change” to the economics of streaming since its creation, with the launch of a new model promising higher royalties for artists.
The collaboration between UMG, the world’s largest record company, and French streaming platform Deezer means artists will be paid double if users actively search for their music, rather than listening to it when a song auto-plays.
And performers deemed to be “professional artists” – those who generate at least 1,000 streams a month from a minimum of 500 listeners – will also receive double that of non-professionals.
The amount of money paid to music acts through streaming has been a huge issue in the industry in recent years.
Stars – including Nile Rodgers, Noel Gallagher, Lily Allen, Gary Barlow, Paul McCartney and Robert Plant – have all criticised the current model used by streamers.
A UK inquiry also concluded in 2021 that musicians and songwriters receive “pitiful returns”.
Taylor Swift famously boycotted Spotify for a period from 2014, saying at the time that “music should not be free”.
While Deezer is a relatively small platform compared with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, Deezer and UMG’s new model could have a significant impact should its rivals follow suit.
Deezer’s headquarters in Paris, France
Change is ‘ambitious’ and ‘necessary’
“This is the most ambitious change to the economic model since the creation of music streaming and a change that will support the creation of high-quality content in the years to come,” said Jeronimo Folgueira, chief executive of Deezer.
“We are now embracing a necessary change, to better reflect the value of each piece of content and eliminate all wrong incentives, to protect and support artists.”
Other changes include the replacement of “non-artist noise content” which makes up about 2% of streams on the platform – including background sounds such as rain or birds tweeting – with Deezer’s own content, which will not receive royalties.
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The company has also promised to continue work to tackle fraud and protect royalties.
The model will launch in France at the end of 2023 before it is widened out.
“The goal of the artist-centric model is to mitigate dynamics that risk drowning music in a sea of noise and to ensure we are better supporting and rewarding artists at all stages of their careers, whether they have 1,000 fans or 100 thousand or 100 million,” said UMG’s Michael Nash, adding that music by artists “that attracts and engages fans will receive weighting that better recognises its value”.
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Cara Delevingne reveals how Topshop inspired her fashion sense – as brand relaunches in London
Fashion brand Topshop celebrated its relaunch with its first catwalk in seven years.
The company’s website promised everyone was invited as models strutted down a runway on Trafalgar Square in front of noughties fashion icons Cara Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah and the London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
The label has been operating on the online fashion platform ASOS after ceasing to operate as a standalone business in 2020.
Topshop held a catwalk in Trafalgar Square. Pic: PA
A model on the catwalk
Its previous owner, Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia group, collapsed into administration and all of Topshop’s physical stores – including the Oxford Circus flagship in London’s West End – closed soon after.
Delevingne told Sky News she was “totally blown away” by the relaunch event.
“It was like nostalgia mixed with something eclectic but also something brand new,” she said.
“For me, it really brings back a time of exploration of my own fashion sense because I think for me at Topshop I got to discover so much.”
The model, who is working on a capsule collection for next year, has already unveiled a choice edit in this year’s show and said her relationship with Topshop precedes her fame.
She said: “I would go in and my friends would be like ‘you would look good in that’ and I would go ‘no, that’s not really me’, and then you’d try it on and be like ‘oh maybe I can explore more’.
“They really have everything for everyone, and I feel like they brought that back.”
The runway showcased highlights from its Autumn-Winter 2025 collection, as well as an early preview of pieces set to drop later this season, including showstopper gowns, the classic white tee, and an aloe vera-coloured faux fur coat that surely should not have been on display – to prevent just about everyone rushing to buy it.
Topshop’s relaunch was staged at Trafalgar Square
Models in front of the National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square. Pic: PA
Reclaiming the high street
But sharp tailoring and statement outerwear suggest the brand is ready to reclaim the high street.
Must-have denim pieces completed the womenswear line-up while the Topman collection screamed modern utility by blending refined formal wear with sharp new silhouettes.
Casual pieces are grounded by authentic denim in deep indigos, which stood out on Trafalgar Square’s magnificent stone steps.
Topshop’s relaunch comes as the high street continues to struggle and as the UK operation of Chinese fashion giant Shein announced pre-tax profits of £38.3m for the year, up some £14m from 2023.
‘Top end of the market’
Moses Rashid, global marketing director at Topshop/Topman said they are competing in a different space.
Topshop has been operating on the online fashion platform ASOS after ceasing to operate as a standalone business in 2020
“We’re at the top end of the market. We’re about elevation. We pride ourselves on the quality of the product,” he said.
Those products are being designed in north London, and managing director Michelle Wilson said the aim is to stay that way.
“We are a British brand, we want to be a positive force for fashion. We want to bring London to the world. It’s fundamental to who we are as a brand, our style is very much London-driven.”
The majority Danish-owned company has suggested it will slow fashion down by opening physical stores where customers can touch the products, browse collections and try things on, though the flagship on Oxford Circus is unlikely to return because a Swedish fast furniture brand has since occupied the space.
Designer Wayne Hemingway has previously collaborated with Topshop and said the relaunch must be more than nostalgia.
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“They can’t rely on their old customers because their old customers have now got kids of their own to spend their money on, and they’ve got mortgages and all of those things of what being an adult means.
“They’ve got to have designers, marketeers, people who understand – who are on the pulse – who understood, number one, what was a success back then, and also a young generation of people who are there saying, ‘this is what our generation needs’, and who are bright and can help deliver that. They can’t rely on the past.”
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