Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:
26 podcasts you should be listening to: Libby Nelson of Vox.com reviews and recommends an essential podcast list, for the most part avoiding the blockbusters everyone already knows about.
NPR’s podcast strategy: Public radio generally, and NPR specifically, have produced many top podcasts. Over-the-air promotion is key to building the online audience. This Poynter article reveals the underlying strategy.
BMG partners with Alibaba: China has proven an interesting and sometimes confusing market for music companies, but BMG is one of the brands making a concerted push into the country. Under a new partnership, the Alibaba Digital Entertainment business unit will promote BMG’s writers and artists on its streaming apps. Dora Yi, chief investment officer of BMG China, called it “a game-changing deal” for BMG.
Beatport launches an app: Beatport has expanded its brand from a music store to a streaming service. Now, that streaming is also available on mobile devices thanks to a new app. It’s available for both iOS and Android devices.
Tinder for music: Startups like to play the comparison game, riffing on the latest hit for their pitch ideas. The latest is Choosic, which has been dubbed “Tinder for music.” The app presents a stream of different songs and listeners can swipe to the right if they like the track or to the left if they don’t.