Amazon is continuing to mobilize for an expansion into India. The latest development is Amazon Prime Music extending its deal with Warner Music Group to offer the label’s catalog to listeners in that market. According to The Economic Times, this marks the sixth deal to expand the Prime Music library that will be available in India. Continue Reading
South By Southwest will return to Austin, Texas, next month. Several audio companies are looking to make their mark on the interdisciplinary conference. Pandora announced that it will host music performances at The Gatsby from March 13-15. Podcast platform Stitcher will also have a presence at SXSW. Continue Reading
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki spoke about at the Code Media conference, covering several hot-button topics for the video platform. She addressed the controversy around Logan Paul, expansion plans for YouTube Red, and Facebook’s move into video. Continue Reading
Apple HomePod is still making headlines as the newest contender in the smart speaker space. Loup Ventures conducted some insightful research comparing Siri on the HomePod with rival voice AI systems. Although Siri fell short, there are some quick ways for Apple to improve the score for its voice system. Continue Reading
Direct-to-fan platform Bandcamp has shared its 2017 year-in-review, with some solid statistics for independent performers. Bandcamp’s results show a markedly different path than the overall music industry, and the company had some sharp words reflecting on the status quo. Continue Reading
Multiple music and audio platforms are making aggressive starts to 2018. Spotify and Apple Music have recently shared plans to expand their user bases. Although the end goal of growth is similar for each of the platforms, their exact circumstances are quite distinct. Continue Reading
The RIAA has updated and re-released its U.S. sales database. The interactive charts show the trends in music sales by revenue and by volume broken out by year. The statistics include different formats ranging from 8-tracks and cassettes to on-demand subscription streaming. Continue Reading
The Q4 RAJAR results round out a year of strong digital radio performance in the UK. The quarterly data showed that 48.9 million adults, or 90% of the adult population listens to their station of choice each week. That figure has hovered around 90% since 2011. Listeners consume an average 21.3 hours of live radio each week. Continue Reading
Vox has released new details about its upcoming daily podcast. First, the show is officially titled Today, Explained. Host Sean Rameswaram will delve into the top news stories of the day when the series begins on Monday, February 22. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. Examining the overlap between playlists and music festivals. Sonos CEO talks business and competition on the Recode podcast. Continue Reading
B2B music company 7digital shared its year-end trading update with its projected financial results from 2017. The company expects its 2017 unaudited revenue to reach £17.3 million, up 52% from the previous year. “2017 was a year which marked a major transformation at 7digital,” CEO Simon Cole said. Continue Reading
Pod Save America is making the leap to television. The political podcast, started by four former aides to President Barack Obama, will create four hour-long television specials for HBO centered on the 2018 midterm elections. Continue Reading