Video is the new (old) battleground for streaming services in 2026: a space, unlike audio, where they can safely negotiate exclusives with big artists.
Spotify’s latest partnership is with K-Pop group Le Sserafim, following the recent concert it hosted for them in Seoul. Video of the performance is now available exclusively on the service, along with footage of a fan Q&A.
The news came as Bloomberg reported that Spotify has been approaching music festivals about the rights for livestreaming their performances. That’s a market where YouTube (with Coachella) and Amazon Music (with Stagecoach and Primavera Sound) and TikTok (with Tomorrowland) are already active.
Talking of YouTube, and video, it has announced another exclusive music partnership this week, but this time for a film rather than a performance: Madonna’s ‘Confessions II’.
This is the 14-minute film designed as a “visual companion” to six tracks from her upcoming album, which was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last week. Now it’s exclusively available on Madonna’s YouTube channel, notching up more than 1m views in the 17 hours (at the time of writing) since its release.
