Apple Music and the Sony-owned Ministry of Sound label have struck an exclusive playlist deal that will effectively shut out Spotify, a rep for Apple confirmed to Variety. News of the deal, which was first reported by Music Business Worldwide, will see exclusive Ministry of Sound-branded playlists being posted on Apple Music beginning Thursday (Oct. 4).
The label currently has multiple popular playlists on Spotify, including “Dance Nation,” “R&B Mixtape” and “Ibiza Anthems. A source told Variety that those playlists will be removed from Spotify and other non-Apple streaming services in the coming days.
The Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio. On Aug. 10, 2016, it was announced that Ministry of Sound’s A&R and compilations recorded music business had been acquired by Sony Music.
Rights to all recordings under the Ministry of Sound name are now held by Sony, with the remaining Ministry of Sound businesses retained within the original group. Ministry of Sound is an independent record label split into two divisions: Artist & Repertoire and Compilations.
