Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:
Tidal on Harman speakers: This year’s big CES show pointed to wireless home speakers as a major source of interest for both the tech and music industries. The latest pairing is Tidal, which is working with Harman to bring its CD-quality streaming to your whole home. The hi-fi streaming service is already available on several Harman products.
Spotify’s Sorting Hat: Spotify’s Insights blog is a frequent source of fascinating music data. The latest creation there is what the streaming service has dubbed, in a nod to the popular Harry Potter universe, the New Release Sorting Hat. The tool is an effort to use involved algorithms to better classify new music that’s launched on Spotify. The streaming platform does some internal playlisting to sort through all the new releases, but if you’re only really into a’cappella, or tunes for sleeping, or happy hardcore, then this can help you find it.
Sony/ATV boss mobilizes Nashville over consent decrees: Martin Bandier, head of Sony/ATV, has long been an advocate of changes to songwriter royalty payments. His latest call to arms is in a letter to the Nashville-based singer/songwriters repped by his company to attend the upcoming National Music Publishers Association meeting to stay up to date on the Department of Justice’s consent decree review. Bandier’s full letter is online, and we have full coverage of the consent decree story and its potential results here on RAIN News.