Month: February 2021

Mechanical Licensing Collective receives $424M for unmatched royalties from streaming services

Posted on by Brad Hill

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) has received $424-million in royalties from Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Google, Pandora, and 15 other streaming entities from Aspiro to Xandrie. With funds in hand, the MLC starts its US government mandate to accurately distribute payments to songwriters, composers, and music publishers. Click for the list streaming services by dollar amount. Continue Reading →

Australian SCA launches LiSTNR news/music/podcast app, replacing PodcastOne branding

Posted on by Brad Hill

Southern Cross Austereo (SCA), the large commercial radio group in Australia, is making a splashy launch of LiSTNR, a new listening app that brings together the network’s radio content, news, music streaming channels (non-interactive), and podcasts. Click through for details. Continue Reading →

iHeartMedia acquires Triton Digital from Scripps

Posted on by Brad Hill

Behemoth audio company iHeartMedia will buy leading digital audio technology provider Triton Digital from media juggernaut E.W.Scripps, exactly 28 months after Scripps acquired Triton. The deal further fortifies iHeart’s imposing array of audio production and monetization platforms across radio, streaming, and podcasting, while closing out Scripps’ short-lived deep dive into digital audio. History and perspective. Continue Reading →

AdsWizz certified for “audibility” by IAB Tech Lab

Posted on by Brad Hill

AdsWizz, a leading global technology provider for digital audio advertising solutions, has been certified by the IAB Tech Lab as Open Measurement Software Development Kit (OM SDK) compliant. If that makes your eyes cross, think of it as “audibility.” This is the first time an audio ad-tech provider has had their SDK (Software Development Kit) certified for this compliance, enabling “audibility” verification of audio ads. The purpose of this standard is to give audio advertisers authentication that their ads are heard.  Continue Reading →

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Global buys into iHeartMedia — 8.8%

Posted on by Brad Hill

UK-centered media and technology company Global has activated its investment arm, Honeycomb Investments LTD, to acquire 8.8% of iHeartMedia, the largest American commercial radio group and top podcast publisher. Remembering that Liberty also owns a stake in iHM, we speculate a brewing battle of buyers, as listener reach and advertising pull are increasingly parts of a cross-category landscape. Continue Reading →