Beatport has built itself as a digital store for creators and fans of electronic music, but now parent company SFX Entertainment seems poised to add a streaming component. The Beatport website will reportedly have free, ad-supported, on-demand streaming starting early next year, sources told The Wall Street Journal. Continue Reading
Ad-repping firm AdLarge Media and on-demand audio platform AudioBoom have signed a partnership that gives AdLarge exclusive representation of AudioBoom advertising opportunities for its quickly growing U.S. audience, starting in the new year. We spoke to executives from both companies. Continue Reading
Deezer announced the appointment of Beth Murphy as its new chief marketing officer. She will lead the global brand in addition to guiding efforts in product marketing, product management, acquisition, engagement and customer service in the U.S. and worldwide. We asked her about the company’s plays for Stitcher and a full launch of its streaming service in the U.S. Continue Reading
Royalty recovery firm Audiam has raised a $1-million funding round from a diverse coalition of investors in the music industry. Audiam fills an unusual niche in the online music ecosystem, tracking down failed royalty payments, collecting them, and getting the money where it’s supposed to go. Continue Reading
Martinis in the morning are not an optimal lifestyle, but Martini in the Morning pours terrific listening for lovers of swing. The programming ranges freely across decades, from classic readings of the Great American Songbook to modern covers. Then there is “Sinatra at 6.” Continue Reading
John LoFrumento has announced his retirement as CEO of ASCAP., Billboard reported. He will depart the the performing rights organization as of Jan. 1 after 17 years at the helm. Most recently, his company has been involved in the discussions about collective licensing and digital rights. Continue Reading
A-list recording artist Ed Sheeran offered counterpoint to recent Spotify-bashing which has become something like a music industry sport. Backstage at the BBC Music Awards, Sheeran said his career wouldn’t be possible without Spotify. He also explains why he’s different from Taylor Swift. Continue Reading
Line, a social and messaging app based in Japan, has announced a new foray into streaming music. Thanks to a partnership with Sony Music and Avex Digital, the company will launch a service called Line Music. According to a brief news post on Line’s website, the three businesses are still working on the details of what Line Music will look like. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: The return of cassettes; the return of vinyl; Nielsen on marketing to millennial men; more on Merlin/Pandora. Continue Reading
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A six-minute blast of news you need to know in streaming music and online audio. This week: Slacker reboot; Shazam sharpens its sword; Grooveshark plans redemption; Warner Music makes money from streaming; Webcast metrics for September; SoundCloud’s fundraising; Spotify tracks your listening Continue Reading
Soundcloud joins the year-end rush of app updates with an adjustment to its IOS app (iPhone only; iPad promised for next year). Playlisting has been added. Playlisting has been a sorely missing feature on the iOS side since June, when the current ultra-simple app was launched. Continue Reading
Joining Shazam, Spotify, and others, Pandora today released its top 25 spins for 2014. In addition to the top 25, Pandora has built a top-80 stream — warning users: “This is not your typical Pandora listening experience.” Continue Reading