The sixth annual RAIN Summit Europe, November 7 at the British Museum in London, will feature an unprecedented level of knowledge, research, and insight into the value of digital audio. Click for agenda details. Continue Reading
Spreaker has launched its first foray into Amazon Alexa skills. The company’s entire catalog of English-language podcasts can now be accessed by voice commands on Alexa-enabled devices. That catalog includes Spreaker-hosted programs, and many popular podcasts hosted elsewhere, such as the TED Radio Hour. Continue Reading
Spotify is rumored to be launching in Romania next month. A few local blogs have posted that the streaming platform will be arriving in the European market on November 28. Continue Reading
Deezer is continuing it partnership spree with another telecom deal. Russian mobile operator Beeline is the subject of the new agreement. Beeline is controlled by the Veon Group, and users of the platform will receive special offers and services from Deezer. Continue Reading
European leaders are hearing continued pressure to create stronger solutions in securing the safe harbor clause. The latest move centered on a number of groups that lobby on digital rights sending a letter to Parliament calling for the clause to be eliminated from the draft of the European Copyright Directive. Continue Reading
Content feed company Inoreader announced that it is integrating Audioburst’s API. This brings Audioburst’s curated “bursts” of audio programming into six of Inoreader’s RSS feeds: tech, entertainment, sports, U.S. news, world news, and business. The integration offers an audio counterpart to the company’s text news items. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: First reactions to Sonos One. iHeartMedia gets a dose of reality (TV). What’s the deal with iPhones and FM chips? Continue Reading
XAPPmedia announced a new platform for creating voice skills across multiple systems called One Voice AI. The service is now operating more than 450 voice apps, up from 119 at the company’s previous update in early September. At last month’s announcement, the company was mostly focused on supporting the Amazon Alexa system. One Voice AI offers expanded reach that includes Microsoft Cortana and Google Assistant. Continue Reading
Integr8 Research released a third blog post with research into the role of radio for today’s listeners. This installment reflected on radio’s long-standing position as a driver of new music discovery. Traditional broadcast did still post the highest discovery rates across many demographic groups, the lead was much narrower for a few key consumers. Continue Reading
Universal Music Group announced the creation of an accelerator engagement network designed to help the major label build ties with the next wave of music startups. Up to ten programs will participate in the first year of the project. UMG will provide industry expertise during the application process as well as mentorship to companies focused on digital music that are accepted into the accelerators. Continue Reading
Robb McDaniels is the new CEO for Beatport. McDaniels was the founder of music distribution services business INgrooves, but left in 2014. Beatport has been a convoluted saga for the past few years. Continue Reading
Deezer has entered a partnership with esports organization Fnatic. The team’s pro players will be able to use Deezer’s platform to share their listening habits and personal playlists with fans in real time. Continue Reading