Test Drive: 360-degree videos from the Google Cultural Institute

Google announced new additions to its push to record great works in 360-degree video, this time focused on the fine arts. The tech giant has partnered with more than 60 performing arts groups around the world to create live, 360-degree experiences. I’ve seen a few experiments with this video tech before, and it has always seemed more interesting in theory than in practice to me. So I was curious to see what this meeting of high-tech and high culture could produce. Continue Reading

Dave Grimaldi to join IAB from Pandora to head DC lobbying efforts

Dave Grimaldi, currently Director of Public Affairs at Pandora, has been appointed Executive Vice President of Public Policy for the IAB, and head of that organization’s Washington, D.C. office. Grimaldi joined Pandora in April, 2014, and was on board through Pandora’s participation in the “Webcaster IV” process which ends this month. Continue Reading

App Annie’s Q3 report finds a global filter on the mobile music snapshot

App Annie has released a report on the top mobile music apps for the third quarter of 2015. Spotify topped the charts for worldwide active users, revenue, and downloads on both iOS and Android platforms. Several of the combined charts showed a heavy international bent, featuring apps based in South Korea and India rising through the ranks to land in the top 10. Continue Reading

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RESEARCH: Native digital media is “past a point of no return”

New research by Bain & Company determined that native digital media has reached a critical mass, and give some insights into how companies in entertainment, publishing, and services could begin to adapt. “Entertainment has passed a point of no return in its transition to native digital,” the report said. It pointed to five key points that businesses would need to address in order to see the most success and shared insightful data points to support this fast-moving trend. Continue Reading