The IPFI and German music trade body BVMI won a victory in a legal case against a website that sold stream manipulation services. The organizations received an injuction against Followerschmiede.de. The site creates “plays” on digital service providers such as YouTube and Spotify that do not represent actual human listening. Continue Reading
Spotify has partnered with several different companies to offer deals and discounts over the years. Its most recent arrangement is with Chase. Eligible customers of select Chase credit cards can get a six-month free trial of Spotify Premium. Continue Reading
Westwood One shared results from a survey of podcast sellers, asking them about the current state of the market and infrastructure. The results provide a counterpoint to a survey of advertisers and agencies released last month. Both surveys revealed a spectrum of marks for existing podcast measurement tools. Continue Reading
Warner Music Group has gotten a reprieve in court. A federal judge in California declined to certify a class action lawsuit that claimed the label did not pay artists the correct share of digital streaming royalties. In addition, the label appears to be adjusting its IPO timeline. Continue Reading
ESPN announced some statistics about its audio efforts from the 2019 Share of Ear study by Edison Research. According to the research, ESPN Audio was responsible for 54% of all sports listening, up 23% from its share in 2018. Continue Reading
Canadian collections agency SOCAN announced last week that it set a new record in 2019. The group saw an estimated C$405.5 million in collections during the year, a total that was 8% higher than its previous record of C$375 million in 2018. Continue Reading
Podcasting app Pocket Casts got a new investor today. It now counts BBC Studios as a fundraising partner. Pocket Casts was acquired by public media quartet of NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life in May 2018. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia shared its financial results from the fourth quarter and full fiscal year of 2019. For all of 2019, revenue increased 2% to $3.68 billion. The company noted that its direct operating expenses grew in the year due to its acquisitions of Stuff Media and Jelli. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia already has a new partnership for turning its podcasts into books, and the latest development will offer the conglomerate more options for podcasts to become television shows. The company entered a multi-year first-look deal with UCP, a division of NBCUniversal Content Studios. Continue Reading
Germany’s recorded music revenue returned to growth in 2019, reversing a small decline from its results in 2018. During last year, trade body BVMI reported 8.2% growth for revenue of €1.623 billion ($1.82 billion) on retail basis. Continue Reading
Acast announced a launch in Mexico and a hire to guide its local efforts. The podcast compay is centering its operations at an office in Mexico City. It hired Sergio Domínguez as its managing director for the country. Continue Reading
Music video service Vevo has expanded into Australia and New Zealand. The company will run from a new sales office in Sydney, and will scale its domestic efforts with both commercial and distribution partnerships. Continue Reading