“The whole music subscription sector is intrinsically unprofitable.” That is the stark conclusion of a 150-page financial research report released by British company Generator Research. Unsustainably high cost of operation will prevent profitability, according to the report. Continue Reading
Dhingana, a major Indian music service which we reported as having about 3.5-million users in December, has closed to the public. The closure comes about a year and a half after Dhingana received $7-million in funding from a trio of venture companies. Continue Reading
Hundreds of readers voted in the inaugural RAIN Poll. We asked: “Pandora is the leading ‘Internet radio’ service. Is Pandora radio?” Click through for results, and comments. One thing is certain: the word “radio” has been changed. Continue Reading
Rdio updated its iOS mobile apps with two important features that exist already in the desktop experience. With U.S. listening migrating to mobile from the desktop, it is increasingly important for music apps to provide an unbroken feature set across all their installations. Continue Reading
RAIN Hotspots: The five most-read articles of the week. Pandora vs. ASCAP trial; how millennials listen; the inaugural RAIN Poll; spotify launches a radio-like hosted program; Pandora accepts open music submissions. Continue Reading
Research group NPD Group released a small set of survey data revealing what a sample group of smartphone users listen to on their phones. In a sample of 328 users, 71% reported listening to Pandora in the past week, and 15% listened to iTunes Radio … but, the deck is stacked. Continue Reading
National Public Radio has scored a distribution victory with an agreement to make the NPR listening app available to drivers of GM’s Internet-connected cars. The digital dashboards of those cars will offer to download the app and make it a featured selection. Continue Reading
Internet listening remained essentially flat in December over November, according to data released by Triton Digital in its Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. Top-line listening growth barely nudged total listening into new-high territory. Click through for analysis and charts. Continue Reading
Next week Pandora will reportedly add a new audience segment to its targeted ad products: political preference. The market-leading Internet radio service uses zip codes from user registrations, combined with historical voting data and musical choices. Continue Reading
Leading Internet radio platform Pandora seeks to reinvent radio and replace it. The brand is often referred to as Pandora Radio, implying that Pandora is the same as radio … but different. Is Pandora radio? Click through to vote your answer. Continue Reading
Paris-based international music subscription service Deezer will close its Australian office. Thomas Heymann, who ran that office, will leave the company. Heymann oversaw Deezer’s Australian launch in 2012. Deezer’s Australian service will continue, undisturbed by the structural change, managed from Paris. Continue Reading
Although not yet showing in the Google Play app store, it is widely reported that the unfortunately-named Google Play Music All Access subscription service, version 5.4, adds offline access to “radio” stations. Many users will probably think, “Finally!” Continue Reading