Image by Thorsten Frenzel from Pixabay
ControversyMusic Industry

One prediction-market company is doing something with music streams

We have every reason to be concerned about the rise of apps/websites where you can bet on literally anything. You’ve probably heard about the “betting on war” controversy as well as all the ways these bets can be manipulated by insiders.

Kalshi is one of the major players in this space. It now offers “Drake. Taylor Swift. Justin Bieber. Bad Bunny. Trade weekly streams on your favorite artists. Available now.”

What?

You can now bet on things like:

  • Who will be the featured artists on Drake’s upcoming Iceman album? When will Iceman be released?
  • Who will be the number one artist on Spotify this month? This year?
  • Who will headline Lollapalooza 2027?
  • Who will headline Coachella 2027?
  • Who will announce a new tour this year?

If you haven’t seen John Oliver’s report on the subject, I highly recommend you do it now.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 42194 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross