Amazon is rolling out several new Alexa voice commands for using its music streaming platform on the Amazon Echo, according to Billboard. The additions include more than 500 activities that Amazon Music can now provide the soundtrack for through the smart home speaker device. Echo owners can also pair the activities with specific music genres such as pop, country, jazz, classic rock or classical. Continue Reading
Bridge Ratings has published new data for its Podcast Report that explores changes in listeners’ podcast consumption volume over time. The company looked at one survey from August 2016 and one from July 2017 and explored the frequency of changes in podcast consumption among respondents. Continue Reading
Apple’s Q3 2017 financial results contained some surprises, including on-year revenue spikes in several segments. The services division, which includes Apple Music subscriptions and other digital content, posted a record high revenue of about $7.27 billion. CEO Tim Cook said the results marked “an all-time quarterly record for services revenue.” Continue Reading
In just about any gathering of podcast professionals, the conversation is bound to turn toward discovery. How can discovery be improved? How can shows reach and retain new listeners? We’ve seen several ideas take shape around the podcast discovery concept, and today we’re looking at Listen Notes. Continue Reading
Facebook’s musical hiring spree is rolling merrily along. The social media company has posted several job openings in recent months, looking to fill positions in music-related duties from business development to negotiation. Continue Reading
RAJAR has published its Q2 2017 data about radio listening in the UK. The weekly radio population continues to stay steady, with 90.3% of the population tuning in each week. The figure did rise by about 500,000 adults over the second quarter of 2016, but it has hovered around 90% for several quarters. Continue Reading
Tencent appears to be spinning off several of its divisions, and music may be the next one up. Financial Times reported that Tencent has already filed plans to spin off an online publisher and the search engine, and experts have predicted that China Music could be the third subject. Continue Reading
PodcastOne announced that Dean Canter has joined its team as the new senior vice president, national sales. In this capacity, he will oversee all of the podcast network’s regional sales offices, develop strategic initiatives, and create new advertiser opportunities. Continue Reading
Radiotopia introduced a new podcast called Showcase that will solely feature limited-run content. It will act as an aggregator, airing audio content across a range of topics, styles, and perspectives; the only uniting element is that each narrative is a contained arc instead of an ongoing series. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired Jane Huxley as its new managing director for Australia and New Zealand. She will start in this position on Sept. 1. The MD role was most recently held by Kate Vale, who departed Spotify in May after a five-year tenure. The hire is extra noteworthy coming on the heels of Pandora’s ANZ shutdown. Continue Reading
Podcasting company Gimlet Media has raised $15 million in a new financing round. Stripes Group led the financial support for the business, which may now be valued at as much as $70 million. Continue Reading
The arbitration between the Radio Music License Committee and SESAC has yielded a new, lower licensing rate for participating stations. For the license period between Jan. 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2018, RMLC-Represented Stations will see a 60% discount applied to its SESAC license rate card. Continue Reading