Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:
The leaders of BBC Radio 1 and 2 sat down for a joint interview with Music Week. The pair was generally calm about the competition from streaming services. “People still, ultimately, want the companionship and humour and expertise of a presenter,” said Radio 2’s Lewis Carnie. “It’s all very well having endless playlists but, actually, you really want something else on top of that, something that makes you feel part of something.” Radio 1’s Ben Cooper assured the publication that “The death of radio has been greatly exaggerated.”
New Pandora President and CEO Roger Lynch also gave an interview to Billboard. He gave a light look into his approach to working with music rights holders, especially now that Sirius XM holds several seats on the company’s board. He also said car access is “a significant growth opportunity” and acknowledged that the on-demand subscription space is getting very crowded.
For all the tough talk Taylor Swift has pointed toward Spotify over the years, the pop princess appears to have fully softened her stance toward the streaming service. Swift has made a guest playlist for Spotify of her favorite songs. Songs Taylor Loves is mostly pop tracks from across the mainstream-to-indie spectrum.