Big news in a tiny package. Daniel Ek chose Twitter to announce that Spotify has reached a milestone: 30-million subscribers to Spotify Premium. The last time the company disclosed numbers, it was at 20 million paid subs in June 2015. That is dramatic growth for a nine-month period during which Apple Music was grabbing headlines. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Martin Kelner out from BBC; listening numbers and longevity for radio in the U.S. Also podcasts, ebooks, advertising, and much more. Continue Reading
Many mobile carriers have been trying to attract customers with the promise of data-free digital entertainment. T-Mobile’s Binge On feature launched with the idea of letting customers enjoy select streaming video platforms without dipping into their data plans. Last week, Binge On got a big boost with the addition of YouTube. Continue Reading
NPR has decided it won’t promote its podcasts or NPR One on air, and many critics are calling them out for what they describe as stupidity. Mark Ramsey argues that there is a larger picture to public radio’s gambit … and a larger audience to be considered. Continue Reading
Spotify announced that its streaming music service will be available in Indonesia later this month. Over the weekend, the music company posted to both Facebook and Twitter that it would be launching into the new market on March 30. Continue Reading
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Podcat is a refreshing X-Ray view that reveals the personalities in podcasts — who’s in and who’s not. Along the way, you’ll find some good shows you didn’t know about. Continue Reading
Indie music fan service Drip announced it was closing its doors last month, but the platform is not disappearing quite yet. Instead, the day before it was scheduled to shut down, Drip has been acquired by Kickstarter. Continue Reading
In the fast-moving field of online audio, with audiences shifting from yesterday’s trends to tomorrow’s, research is essential. Three research reports will highlight RAIN Summit West on April 17, in Las Vegas, among many other features. Continue Reading
Switzerland’s music market saw continued digital growth in 2015, even as the overall performance declined. Total revenue for the market last year was 81.8 million Swiss francs, down 3.5% from the previous year, according to the IFPI. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has rounded out the trifecta. The online audio platform signed a licensing deal with Sony Music Entertainment, bringing the third and final of the major labels on board with its service, according to Music Business Worldwide. Continue Reading
The National Music Publishers Association has signed an agreement with Spotify centered on songwriting royalties. The arrangement allows publishers to claim and receive royalties for certain compositions on the streaming platform where ownership details were not previously known. It also establishes a compensation fund and a path for finding rights holders who should receive royalties. Continue Reading
After years of development and months of teasers, Nielsen formally launched its streaming measurement service, branded Nielsen Digital Audio Ratings. Part of Nielsen’s broad Total Audience enterprise, which aspires to deliver comprehensive audience measurement of over-the-air and Internet television and radio, the new service offers analytics to Nielsen-subscribing radio stations that sell advertising across the digital divide. Continue Reading