Sony Music - RAIN News

Slip.stream music library platform raises $7.5M Series financing; Sony Music involved

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Brad Hill

Music library platform Slip.stream, which contains over 100,000 tracks and sound effects, has obtained $7.5-million in Series A financing led by Sony Music Entertainment, Third Prime, and Lightshed Ventures. Slip.stream joins an industry segment of music libraries in an addressable market of 22-million YouTube creators and 30-million independent creators who need audio assets for their creations. Continue Reading →

Guy Raz’s Tinkercast deals with Sony Music for new kid/family podcasts

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Brad Hill

Tinkercast, an outfit founded by renowned podcast producer Guy Raz (former host of TED Radio Hour), has reached an agreement with Sony Music to produce a slate of podcasts for kids and families. No details of future shows, but the existing podcast Wow In The World (328 episodes) is bundled into the deal. Continue Reading →

NOW That’s What I Call Music! gets free mobile streaming option in UK

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Anna Washenko

A streaming music app co-owned by Sony Music and Universal Music is adding a free tier. The labels operate NOW That’s What I Call Music! brand, which includes the NOW Music app for both iOS and Android mobile devices in the UK. The app now offers a free, ad-supported counterpart to its usual mid-tier subscription of £4.99 per month. Continue Reading →

Somethin’ Else, Sony launch their first original podcast

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Sony Music Entertainment made a big push for podcasting deals at the start of this year, and several are already launching new titles. The first show to come out of Sony’s partnership with Somethin’ Else is titled The Immaculate Deception. Continue Reading →

Sony Music Entertainment: Another podcast deal, arguably the biggest, reinforces Sony presence

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Brad Hill

Sony Music has forged a content development partnership with Somethin’ Else, an indie British podcast production company. The press release lists Sony’s contributions to be content expertise, marketing, and monetization. We don’t know whether Sony has taken an ownership stake in Somethin’ Else. We do know Sony is moving fast in podcasting. Continue Reading →

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Quick Hits: Sony and Spotify

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Brad Hill

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. First, Sony would consider its own streaming service one day. Second, Spotify celebrates its 10th birthday. Continue Reading →

Streaming growth drives spike in annual revenue at Sony Music

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Sony has reported its earnings for its fiscal year ending March 31, and streaming helped bolster growth for the company’s music division. Overall, Sony Music saw a 12% increase in revenue to $4.03 billion. Continue Reading →

Sony and Tencent team up for electronic music label

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Sony Music and Tencent Music have joined forces to launch a music label. Liquid State will focus on electronic and dance music artists both from Asia and across the globe. Continue Reading →

Universal led the labels with a third of 2016’s audio streams

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Anna Washenko

Universal Music Group leads the labels in volume of audio streams distributed in the U.S. during 2016, according to Music Business Worldwide. The major was responsible for 84.03 billion audio streams, about a third of the total market. Continue Reading →

Universal and Sony released their own mid-priced mobile music service in the UK

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Anna Washenko

Pricing options are turning into one of the more interesting trends in streaming music, and now labels are also getting in on the act. Universal and Sony have collaborated on a limited access music app called NOW Music+. Continue Reading →

Sony’s Q4 numbers and execs point to streaming surge

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Anna Washenko

Sony Music’s Q4 financial results broke out the numbers by format and revealed a big role for streaming. Digital secured a 43% portion of the company’s music income, with streaming at 24% outperforming download revenues at 19%. Continue Reading →

Missives from Midem: Streaming is a hot topic for the industry conference

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Anna Washenko

This weekend, some of the music industry’s biggest names gathered in Cannes for the Midem conference. Many of the talks and interviews this year addressed the business of streaming. Here are some highlights from leaders at Sony Music, SoundCloud, YouTube, Believe Digital, and Tidal. Continue Reading →