Tech luminary Ty Roberts exits UMG after one year

We learn from Billboard that Ty Roberts, Chief Technology Officer of Universal Music Group (UMG) has left the company after a little more than a year. Ty Roberts’ sideways career move from Gracenote to Universal was seen by many as a significant signal that the music industry could, to some extent, reinvent itself as a technology industry — or at least a tech-flriendly, tech-fluent one. Continue Reading

iHeartRadio adds slate of NPR podcasts

iHeartRadio and National Public Radio (NPR) are doing business. An announcement on the iHeart blog says that over 30 NPR podcasts are now available. We count 36 shows in the app today — mostly hit shows that any podcast directory would like to distribute to retain fans. Invisibilia, TED Radio Hour, Fresh Air, Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Politics, and other familiar titles are in there. Continue Reading

Podcast windowing comes to TuneIn with new First Play section

TuneIn is sending around a launch note for its First Play section, which contains exclusive early releases of episodes in new and established podcasts. First Play is an unadorned section within the TuneIn app, in which we found 11 participating podcasts. Networks that are in this plan include WNYC Studios, Gimlet Media, HowStuffWorks, Wondery, and Feral Audio. Continue Reading

AudioHQ teams with talkSPORT for U.S. distribution and sales

Digital audio sales company AudioHQ announced today an alliance with British sports media company talkSPORT to distribute Premier Leagues football (soccer) match radio coverage, and represent its ad inventory. The distribution will happen on the TuneIn platform — TuneIn has for several years built a broad catalog of radio sports coverage.  Continue Reading