YouTube is exploring the addition of some social features which could help music owners get more value from the video platform. The feature set currently in development is known as Backstage. It’s a move to be more competitive with the likes of Facebook or Snapchat, but the music industry should also keep tabs on what the plan says about YouTube’s next directions. Continue Reading
ART19 announced a new hire for its podcast hosting and distribution network. Roddy Swearngin joins the company as executive vice president of content. Hes resume most recently includes director of digital for Levity Entertainment Group, where he founded Sideshow Network and helped manage production of more than 10,000 podcast episodes across 100 different shows. Continue Reading
Mood Media, a B2B digital music provider for retail stores and other public environments, has added a Social Mix feature to its Mood Mix Pro service, which brings more integration to in-store playlists. Businesses running Social Mix can allow customers or employees to see the live song lineup and influence what track plays next. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. Today’s duo is centered around exclusive album releases following the debut of Frank Ocean’s highly-anticipated new project released as an Apple Music exclusive. Continue Reading
Pandora has entered a partnership with Questlove, a renowned figure in hip-hop and a drummer for The Roots. He will curate and produce a new show called Questlove Supreme for the audio company. In addition to the new programming, Questlove is taking on the role of Strategic Advisor for Pandora and will act as the company’s first Artist Ambassador. Continue Reading
Spotify is reportedly engaged in a juggling act over its licensing deals with the major labels. According to The Wall Street Journal, the streaming service is running off short-term extensions of its agreements with all three of the major labels. As Spotify continues to move toward a potential IPO, getting all its ducks in a row for these complex legal questions is a must. Continue Reading
Webcast listening in June inched downward month-over-month, shaving about two percent of stream listening from May’s total across Triton Digital’s measured Webcast Metrics clients. The story was more vigorous in the year-over-year comparison. Click through for historical charts. Continue Reading
SoundCloud announced some updated figures for its online audio platform. The company’s library now exceeds 135 million unique tracks. There are also more than 1 million albums now on SoundCloud, thanks to the newly launched feature that lets members present their work in the traditional format instead of as a playlist of individual tracks. Continue Reading
MusicWatch investigated the role of playlists in listener habits and behaviors. The company compiled 500 online interviews with users of Spotify or Apple Music. According to the results, 90% of music streamers have listened to or created a playlist. Continue Reading
Texas A&M and DMR/Interactive have announced a new project called The Download on Podcasting. The campaign will examine the podcasting space during the 2016-2017 academic year, and will be released as a series over the coming year. Continue Reading
WideOrbit has announced that radio group Townsquare Media has commited to a suite of WideOrbit digital platform products across Townsquare’s array of 310 radio stations. Townsquare is the third-largest radio group in the U.S., operating in 66 markets. The deal completes a multiyear Townsquare effort to consolidate its digital operations. Continue Reading
Mixcloud announced that it has reached a milestone of 1 million curators. The online radio service collects uploads of radio shows, DJ mixes, and podcasts from that million-strong audience. Continue Reading