Quick Hits: Big numbers for Dirty John. Labels get into podcasts.
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Checking in on The LA Times’ Dirty John. Labels join the podcast game. Continue Reading
Warner Music updates: Topsify founder leaves, public policy exec joins
Warner Music Group announced two personnel developments. First, Kieron Donoghue is leaving the label. Second, Warner has hired Mark Baker as vice president of public policy and government affairs. Continue Reading
Songwriters move closer toward proposing blanket mechanical licensing law
Several organizations within the music industry are making an effort to create a blanket mechanical license for digital music services. David Israelite, president and CEO of the National Music Publishers Association, introduced the latest push at the monthly meeting of the Association of Independent Music Publishers. The proposed law would streamline the process of collecting mechanical royalties as well as revising the rate-setting process. Continue Reading
Indie music is on the rise and benefits from streaming
Independent record labels have a 38.4% share on the industry based on rights ownership, producing global revenue of $6 billion in 2016. That’s the top-line finding from the Worldwide Independent Network’s annual report on the financial state for indie music. Mark Mulligan of MIDiA Research authored the report, based on a survey of 660 labels and distributors. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio: Interactive radio in Vancouver and in the UK; and broken cell sites in Puerto Rico
by James Cridland
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Adventures in interactive radio, and the debates around FM radio in smartphones rages on. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Free music; monetizing podcasts; podcaster listening habits
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Where to find free music downloads; advice for how to monetize your podcasts; podcasters may listen less to other podcasts. Continue Reading
Spotify launches emerging artists program
Spotify has introduced a new platform for helping promote emerging artists called RISE. Performers selected for RISE will receive preferential, mixed-media playlist placement, and editorial programming within Spotify. The music company will also support the artists with special live events and television ads. Continue Reading
Samsung opening up its voice assistant to all connected devices
Samsung announced that it is upgrading its Bixby voice assistant platform and adding support for more connected devices. Bixby debuted last year, but was only available on Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone line. Now it will be made open to developers of any other smart devices. Continue Reading
Billboard charts to distinguish between free and paid streams starting in 2018
Billboard announced that will adjust how it weights streaming equivalents for its charts. Under the current system, Billboard only distinguishes between streams from on-demand platforms and streams from programmed services, with more weight given to the on-demand plays. Beginning in 2018, Billboard will begin weighting paid streams more heavily than free listening streams. Continue Reading
TuneCore artists reach collective revenue of $1 billion
TuneCore announced that its artists have collectively earned more than $1 billion in collective revenue from downloads and streaming. The company offers artist services and music publishing administration, helping to collect the royalties from digital platforms including iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. Continue Reading
Unequaled knowledge presentations at RAIN Summit Europe
The sixth annual RAIN Summit Europe, November 7 at the British Museum in London, will feature an unprecedented level of knowledge, research, and insight into the value of digital audio. Click for agenda details. Continue Reading
Spreaker joins the Alexa voice skill bandwagon
Spreaker has launched its first foray into Amazon Alexa skills. The company’s entire catalog of English-language podcasts can now be accessed by voice commands on Alexa-enabled devices. That catalog includes Spreaker-hosted programs, and many popular podcasts hosted elsewhere, such as the TED Radio Hour. Continue Reading