SoundCloud has announced a new discovery feature called Suggested Tracks. This tool makes personalized recommendations based on your past listening activity, including likes and plays. It relies on an algorithm to refresh the recommendations. Continue Reading
Data means big business for the music industry, and it means especially big business today for Soundcharts. The Paris-based data aggregation company has secured a seed funding round of €320,000 ($360,000) that it will use to become “the indispensable tool for all industry professionals.” Continue Reading
The barrage of open letters haranguing YouTube and its purported value gap are coming fast and furious. The International Artist Organization has penned a missive to the European Commission, adding its voice to the calls for changes in how free online services manage use of copyrighted material. Continue Reading
Pew Research Center has released its State of the News Media report, a compilation of the extensive research into topics such as podcasting, audio, and public broadcasting. It offers a consolidated look at where the news media is headed. The fact sheets for podcasting and audio leaned heavily on data from Edison Research and Nielsen. Continue Reading
SoundCloud is incorporating new video ads on its mobile platforms in the U.S. The spots will play between tracks, but only when the phone screen is on and the SoundCloud app is in the foreground. The decision is an innovative one. Continue Reading
Rhapsody is the great uncle of on-demand music subscription services. Two months ago Mike Davis took over as CEO, quickly tightening the ship with a round of layoffs. Last week came the announcement that Rhapsody would become Napster across all territories, consolidating its brand. RAIN News dialed up a conversation with Mike Davis to discuss that decision, and talk about steering a music service through a complex competitive landscape. Continue Reading
Spending on streaming services in Canada has increased since last year, according to the latest Nielsen Music 360 report for that country. The spend allocation revealed that paid streaming’s share across all Canadians rose from 2% in 2015 to 4% this year. Teens and Millennials have also doubled their allocation toward streaming. Continue Reading
SFX Entertainment has ended its pre-Chapter 11 restructuring support agreement. The entertainment company will keep working with its ad hoc group of bondholders, but there is no hard timeline for it emerging from its financial woes. Continue Reading
A new open letter is circulating from the music industry attacking YouTube’s use of safe harbors under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This one is spearheaded by Irving Azoff, and it includes signatures from heavy hitters including Taylor Swift and U2. Continue Reading
The Australian Securities Exchange has rejected Guvera’s planned IPO, informing the streaming company that it would not accept its shares. The exchange’s statement did not disclose specific reasons for the refusal. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia today announced the launch of a private programmatic marketplace for digital radio in the company’s iHeartRadio service. iHeart says this is the first programmatic platform of its kind in the U.S. The platform is powered by ad-tech company AdsWizz. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: A discussion of why radio leaders shouldn’t necessarily be radio people; radio shows and covering tragedy; bluetooth radio distribution in India. Continue Reading