This week commemorates the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. But for a kid in those years, radio was more influential than the TV. RAIN editor Brad Hill reminisces, with audio examples of two legendary DJs. Continue Reading
David Porter founded 8tracks in 2007 and launched it the next year (on 8/8/08) with a loan against his 401k. The business took its first institutional funding round in October, 2011. We talked to him about mood-activity music discovery, which his service originated. Continue Reading
Last year SoundExchange paid out $590-million to labels and performers, an all-time high. Over 10 years, it has distributed about $2-billion. 2013 was SoundExchange’s 10-year anniversary. SoundExchange collects royalties from Internet, satellite, and cable radio. Continue Reading
The popular European music service Deezer has reportedly hired Tyler Goldman as head of its San Francisco office. The speculation is that Goldman will act as CEO of Deezer’s U.S. operation, whenever that much-awaited expansion happens. Continue Reading
Less than a month after signing a partnership deal with HARMAN to supply Aha Radio with targeted messaging technology, ad-tech company AdsWizz announced today a new deal with Live365, the Internet radio aggregator. Continue Reading
They did it. Two-hundred Australian commercial radio stations shut down their online streams in a dispute with record labels over additional license fees. The government refuses to intervene. The radio station lobbying group tries to whip up public support. Continue Reading
Most people regard the U.S. market as well-ploughed, deeply seeded territory populated with swarms of music services. Deezer CEO Axel Dauchez made a counter-intuitive remark in an interview at the MIDEM conference in Cannes, France. Continue Reading
Revenue for music apps grew 77% in 2013, year-over-year, according a the App Annie Index: 2013 Retrospective report. The report studied income derived from both free (with in-app upgrades) and paid apps. Pandora led the field. Continue Reading
As expected, Beats Music made its TV-ad debut with a Super Bowl commercial starring Ellen DeGeneres. It hit Beats’ consistent marketing angle of delivering music that is just right for each listener. How does Spotify’s marketing contrast? Continue Reading
Slacker has hired Nintendo exec Duncan Orrell-Jones to be CEO of the Internet radio company, replacing existing CEO Jim Cady, who will stay on the board of directors. The Slacker press release notes that the music service began in 2010, but we peg the company launch in 2007. Continue Reading
The five most-read posts of the past week. Apple ignores iTunes Radio; SoundCloud raises cash and competes with YouTube; guest columns by Kurt Hanson and Patrick Reynolds; Continue Reading