Mediagazer: Spotify has paid music industry $2B to date, $1B since last year; has 12.5M paying subscribers; top artists to exceed $6M/year in payments (Spotify Blog)

7:55 AM ET, November 12, 2014

Top News:

FCC's Tom Wheeler signals split with Obama on net neutrality: “I am an independent agency” — The FCC weighs breaking with Obama over the future of the Internet — Hours after President Obama called for the Federal Communications Commission to pass tougher regulations …

Discussion: ZDNet, The Hill, Engadget, The Verge and Gizmodo

Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:

Comcast agrees with Obama on net neutrality, except for the legal bit — You have to admire the chutzpah: a day after President Obama jolted the telecom industry with a bold announcement on net neutrality, Comcast declared that it agrees with him. — Comcast agrees with Obama on net neutrality …

Discussion: New York Times, Techdirt, New York Times, @jonlovett, @tcarmody and Vox

David L. Cohen / Comcast Voices:

Being for net neutrality and against Title II is completely consistent — Surprise! We Agree with the President's Principles on Net Neutrality: Reiterating Our Strong Support for the Open Internet — Yesterday, the President outlined his plan for a free and open Internet.

Discussion: @gizmodo, @shaliniwsj, @buzzfeedben, @nxthompson, @chillmage, @rakeshlobster, @isaach, @willmcavoyacn, @tomgara, @jmcduling, Ars Technica, Gizmodo, TIME and The Hill

Wall Street Journal:
Investors in Cable Deal Fret Over Talk of Broadband Regulation

Discussion: @chillmage, Talking Biz News and Gigaom

Clifford Coonan / Hollywood Reporter:

Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi invests $300M in Baidu's online video site, iQiyi — China's Xiaomi to Invest $300 Million in Baidu's Online Site iQiyi — Xiaomi has also partnered with Youku Tudou to jointly invest in the production and distribution of online video content and movies

Discussion: TechCrunch, ZDNet, WantChinaTimes.com, China Money Network and AsiaOne

Reuters:

Xiaomi to buy stake in Youku Tudou as part of online video push — (Reuters) - Xiaomi Technology Co Ltd [XTC.UL] will acquire a stake in Chinese video streaming firm Youku Tudou Inc (YOKU.N), cementing ties between China's leading smartphone maker and one of the most popular content providers in the video-hungry country.

Discussion: Youko, Bloomberg and Variety

Reuters:

Top Yahoo shareholders, unhappy with Marissa Mayer, make direct plea to AOL CEO Tim Armstrong to explore merger — Exclusive: Some unhappy Yahoo investors asking AOL for rescue — (Reuters) - At least two top-10 Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) shareholders are so unhappy with Chief Executive Marissa …

Brian Womack / Bloomberg:
Yahoo to Buy Video-Ad Service BrightRoll for $640 Million

Discussion: Yahoo, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Talking Biz News, MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, AdAge, Mashable, Mercury News, Beet.TV, @rbilton, Adweek, MediaPost, Guardian, Broadcasting & Cable, The Drum, Tech Trader Daily, The Next Web, Business Insider and Variety

Stuart Dredge / Guardian:

Bandcamp to help musicians launch their own subscription services — Artists will be able to set their own price, release exclusive songs and send messages to their keenest fans — Bandcamp launched in 2008 as a way for musicians to run their own online stores selling their music …

Discussion: HITC, @dada_drummer, Billboard, @davidegreenwald, Music Ally, @tehshrike, Tone Deaf, The Verge, hypebot and Medium

Bloomberg:

Will Ferrell's Funny Or Die Said to Consider Sale — Funny or Die, the comedy website founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy, hired a financial adviser to evaluate options including a possible sale, people with knowledge of the matter said. — The site is working …

Discussion: The Wrap, @rafat, AdAge, Business Insider, Variety and Hollywood Reporter

Susan E. McGregor / Nieman Lab:

Mesh networks and offline wireless tools could help news orgs to deliver news without the web — Can mesh networks and offline wireless move from protest tools to news? — In the rush to get from here to there, not many travelers in Boston's South Station are likely to notice …

Ben Sisario / New York Times:

Chief Defends Spotify After Snub by Taylor Swift — Spotify is the future. Spotify is the enemy. Spotify doesn't pay enough. Spotify is music's best bet for revenue growth. — Since it arrived in the United States from Sweden in 2011, Spotify has been cast as both hero and villain …

Discussion: @pkafka, TechCrunch, USA Today, App Advice, VatorNews, @hilaryr, CNET, Quartz, @carr2n, RAIN News and Business Insider

Spotify Blog:
Spotify has paid music industry $2B to date, $1B since last year; has 12.5M paying subscribers; top artists to exceed $6M/year in payments

Discussion: TechCrunch, Plagiarism Today, Re/code, VentureBeat, Gizmodo, The Wrap, Businessweek, Techdirt, Electronista, Fast Company, The Next Web, Gigaom, BBC, blogs.ft.com and Mashable

Guardian:

BBC is considering a commercial subsidiary that could include flagship show Panorama — Panorama could be split from BBC in shakeup — Flagship show and parts of current affairs could be moved out of corporation into commercial subsidiary — The BBC is considering moving flagship show Panorama …

Discussion: @davidjhendy and broadcastnow.co.uk

Robert Cookson / Financial Times:

YouTube signs with indie labels through rights agency Merlin, setting the stage for a subscription streaming service — YouTube has struck a deal to license music from the thousands of independent record labels represented by the rights agency Merlin, setting the stage for the launch of its long-awaited subscription service.

Discussion: Gizmodo, The Verge, Engadget, Mashable, Tech Trader Daily and Gigaom

Ricardo Bilton / Digiday:

The many different ways publishers define ‘clickbait’ — Clickbait for publishers is a bit like some people's definitions of pornography: It's hard to define, but people know it when they see it. Put another way, if you ask 10 people what clickbait means, chances are you're going to get 10 different answers.

Discussion: @niemanlab, @jayrosen_nyu, @bydanielvictor, @jwherrman, @karalee and The Atlantic Online

Hillel Italie / Associated Press:

Jonah Lehrer working on book about digital life … NEW YORK (AP) — Jonah Lehrer, the best-selling author whose career was derailed after he acknowledged fabricating Bob Dylan quotes, is collaborating on a book about virtual life. — Portfolio announced Tuesday that it had acquired …

Discussion: Guardian, Gawker, New York Magazine, bookforum.com, Politico and FishbowlNY