James Cridland Weekly Links is a column by the U.K.’s radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: A new DAB radio multiplex in the U.K., and a boatload of hand-picked great reading about radio and digital radio. Continue Reading
Jay-Z’s efforts to purchase streaming services Tidal and WiMP from Aspiro generated a bit of drama, but the hi-res streaming service is relaunching today with even more celebrity backing. Performers including Madonna, Kanye West, Deadmau5, and Beyonce took to social media to tout the platform with the #TIDALforALL hashtag. While the star power can certainly help raise the profile for business (it currently has just 17,000 paid subscribers), it’s unclear whether the service will be getting any changes to its features or design under the new management. Continue Reading
Sony has launched its new music service for PlayStation video game consoles, completing a previously announced integration of Spotify into the gaming console. The so-called PlayStation Music platform is a close collaboration between Sony and Spotify. Continue Reading
We spoke to Steve Goldstein, founder of the newest podcast company, Amplifi Media. Goldstein executed a friendly exit from Saga Communications, where he was EVP and Group Program Director for nearly 30 years. Amplifi is founded on content development, and exploring white space in the burgeoning podcast category. Continue Reading
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THIS WEEK: Beats Music leaks; new startup merges listening and broadcasting; new podcast company Amplifi Media; Android Auto hits the road; new AMP bill benefits music producers. Continue Reading
Yesterday we looked at the growing number of companies catering to the business needs of independent musicians. Another one appeared on the horizon today. Loudr’s niche is obtaining mechanical licenses for artists and labels that want to monetize song covers through online services. Its new platform for this service is called Loudr Licensing, and it is one of the only options that’s available to any artist interested in getting a mechanical license. Continue Reading
Several publishers have been vocal about their interest in splitting from the performing rights organizations ASCAP and BMI. Their goal is to exert more control over digital rights management, pushing for increased royalty rates from online streaming services for their songwriters. However, a group of professional organizations and guilds centered on songwriting has released an open letter to publishers asking them to reconsider. Continue Reading
Triton Digital announced an exclusive deal with Major League Baseball (MLB) to deliver and monetize streaming audio advertisements within MLB’s streaming apps. The agreement starts with the upcoming 2015 season. Continue Reading
Steve Goldstein, Executive Vice President of Saga Communications for nearly three decades, is exiting the company and has announced the formation of Amplifi Media, a new podcast network. Continue Reading
urRadio, a new streaming startup launched this morning, is based on technology that uniquely blends music discovery and broadcasting. “We’re changing how people listen to music,” the CEO told RAIN News. Continue Reading
Indie distribution company The Orchard announced that it has purchased RoyaltyShare, a royalty-processing service, and made a strategic investment in a second royalty processor, Korrect. Thanks to the combined elements of those businesses, The Orchard will be providing a standalone royalty processing service for independent record labels. Business management has been a pivotal topic for independent artists as more listening happens in the online space, especially with the popularity of streaming platforms. Continue Reading
Roger Lanctot is Associate Director of Strategy Analytics, and a thought leader in the connected-car space. In this guest article, he notes missing metrics for in-car radio listening. “It’s time for researchers to get behind the wheel and plumb the mysteries of in-vehicle listening.”
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