Facebook introduced its new internal video platform, Watch, in August, and music brands are already hopping on the bandwagon. iHeartRadio is one of the early adopters, and has launched a show called “iHeartNow with Elvis Duran.” Duran is a DJ on iHeartRadio and will host interviews with musicians and celebrities. The show will have new episodes every afternoon. Continue Reading
A recent industry event examined the outlook for digital audio in the Middle East and North Africa. Music streaming company Anghami organized a Digital Audio Day alongside Triton Digital and DMS, the digital arm of Choueiri Group. A report shared at the event found that 69% of marketers in the region expect to increase their digital audio ad investment by up to 15% this year. Continue Reading
Shazam has filed its 2016 financial results, which included annual revenue of £40.3 million. “We are very pleased with our 2016 performance and we’re in great financial shape,” Executive Chairman Andrew Fisher said. Continue Reading
TargetSpot announced that it will be the exclusive digital audio ad network partner for MeTV Music, the streaming audio counterpart to television network MeTV. In this capacity, TargetSpot will be the third party digital audio sales network for all the streaming inventory on MeTV Music. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Two BBC Radio execs talk about broadcast and streaming. Pandora’s new CEO chats to Billboard. Taylor Swift is best buds with Spotify now. Continue Reading
Deezer has inked a deal to bring football content (soccer for us Americans) to its listeners in Australia. The company extended its partnership with UK radio network talkSPORT to provide Aussie Premium subscribers with games and related programming for the English Premier League. Continue Reading
September 30 has been dubbed International Podcast Day, a chance for people in the industry to raise awareness and promote the audio format. The day will feature all types of programming, from livestreamed talks to bar meetups. Continue Reading
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai issued a statement that pushed for Apple to activate FM chips in its phones. Although his missive focused on the laudable goal of public safety in emergencies, the pointed dig at Apple appears misguided. Apple iPhones haven’t contained FM chips for more than a year. Continue Reading
Anchor has raised a Series A funding round of $10 million. Google Ventures led the round for the podcasting company, with participation from Accel, The Chernin Group, Eniac Ventures, Homebrew, Atlantic Records CEO Craig Kallman and others. Anchor has now raised a total of $15 million. Continue Reading
Spotify has added another personalized playlist to its programming. This one is titled Your Time Capsule, and it says it will “take you back in time to your teenage years.” Music is a powerful tool when it comes to nostalgia, but does Spotify deliver? Here’s our take from the RAIN News team. Continue Reading
Apple Music has surpassed 30 million subscribers. That’s the top-line takeaway from Billboard’s recent conversation with the streaming service’s leadership. Jimmy Iovine, Zane Lowe, and Larry Jackson sat down with the publication to talk about their strategy for attracting even more paying listeners and expanding into all sorts of new exclusive content. Continue Reading
The primary focus of Amazon’s big event in Seattle yesterday may have been on the new home technology, but the company also announced that its Alexa voice control systems will be integrated into BMWs and select models of the Mini. BMW and Amazon had already worked on an Alexa skill for the use in the car, but yesterday’s news shows a deeper and more comprehensive application of what voice control can do in a vehicle. Continue Reading