’Tis the season to be jolly… if you’re Mariah Carey’s accountant! But as in previous years, music streaming services are gearing up to celebrate Christmas with a battle royale of exclusive music.
Spotify confirmed its Christmas cover-versions plans yesterday, joining Apple Music and Amazon Music. Spotify is launching a ‘Spotify Singles: Holiday Collection’ with artists including Kurt Vile, Tom Grennan, Kalush Orchestra and Kenia OS.
Apple Music, meanwhile, has bagged the likes of Ellie Goulding, Ozuna and Alexis Ffrench for its ‘Carols Covered 2022’ playlist – with an accompanying classical version.
Amazon Music may take this year’s festive biscuit for big names, having secured Lizzo, Kane Brown, Sam Ryder and Stormzy for its Christmas tracklist. This battle isn’t just about commissioning artists: it’s about curation, and the services’ ability to serve up their own original content (well, covers, but you know what we mean) to listeners seeking – or indeed asking Alexa or Siri for – “Christmas music” in December.
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