Tidal is facing allegations that it has inflated subscriber numbers. Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv claimed that it has obtained internal reports that show discrepancies in what Tidal has publicly stated about its audience. Continue Reading
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki penned a blog post wrapping up 2016 for the video platform. She summarized the many business developments YouTube embarked on last year and some plans for the current year. Continue Reading
Mobile analytics specialist App Annie has published its 2016 Retrospective. The report tracked another year of growth for the app industry, growth in worldwide downloads and time spent in app. Many other reports last year pointed to mobile as a key source of listeners for streaming music services, but this retrospective revealed that it can also be a big revenue driver. Continue Reading
MusicWatch sent RAIN News a pre-release note with results of its 2016 ‘Music Streaming Wars’ study, and found that Pandora was had the largest share of weekly music listening at 28%. YouTube took second place with a 27% share. Both of those figures include the audio companies’ free and paid tiers. Continue Reading
AdLarge has inked an exclusive ad sales agreement to represent the podcast Little Known Facts with Ilana Levine. The weekly show offers interviews with celebrities such as Laura Linney, Matthew Broderick, and Kristin Chenoweth. Continue Reading
German music association BVMI released its year-end report on the domestic industry. Germany’s music business grew 2.4% in 2016, a fourth year of upward progress. The key takeaway for last year was that streaming is holding a steady share in this country that has long favored physical formats. Continue Reading
UK music licensing groups PRS for Music and PPL have launched a joint license for the UK’s non-profit radio stations. The joint effort took effect on Jan. 1, 2017. Continue Reading
As power is transferred in Washington this week, the leading coalition of artists and labels lobbying against terrestrial radio’s exemption from music royalties is bringing its argument to the fore. In an open letter to the new 115th Congress, musicFIRST lays out its argument against the Local Radio Freedom Act, a non-binding resolution supported by hundreds of House and Senate members. The letter contains factual flaws. Open-market solutions establish a precedent that doesn’t involve lawmakers. Continue Reading
Slate-owned podcast network Panoply notified us of a few developments related to its Megaphone podcast content management platform. New high-profile publishers have joined Megaphone, and a new product called Megalink offers a user-friendly subscription process that also gives producers more intelligence about listeners. Continue Reading
For over 15 years, RAIN Summits have been the preeminent knowledge and networking events for the convergence of radio, digital audio, and online listening. In 2017, RAIN sharpens its conference mission to focus on the continual conversation between buyers and sellers of online audio advertising. Continue Reading
Tidal appears to be giving listeners an unusual new tool for adjusting their experience on the mobile app. “You can now edit the length and tempo of a track and save it to a playlist with the new Track Edit feature,” the update notes say. Continue Reading
Apple Music has made an addition to its live radio offerings. CBS Sports Radio will join the handful of live stations available only to paid Apple Music subscribers. Continue Reading