iHeartRadio has officially launched its two new streaming audio services, rolling them out widely after a month of testing. The two services emerging from beta are iHeartRadio Plus and iHeartRadio All Access Powered By Napster. Both were introduced in December; RAIN News conducted a review of the new features. Continue Reading
Podtrac has issued its list of top podcast publishers for December 2016. The list, a monthly catalog of the top clients using Podtrac’s measurement systems, comes out each month. Total global unique streams and downloads for December were 186 million, a drop of 8% from the previous month. Continue Reading
Spotify and GroupM, which struck an alliance in November, have executed a study (Streaming State of Mind) into streaming media consumption, listener demographics, mobile listening, and ad spend. Part of Spotify’s effort to evangelize streaming audio to advertisers, this deep and expansive survey delivers interesting insights. Continue Reading
SESAC has been acquired by the Blackstone Group. The collection and licensing society bills itself as the only one in the U.S. handling public performance, mechanical, synchronization and other rights under a single umbrella. Financial details of the acquisition have not been revealed, but the deal is projected to close by the end of Q1 2017. Continue Reading
BuzzAngle Music issued an annual report about music consumption in 2016. Overall music consumption increased 4.9% over 2015, from 394.5 million album project units to 413.9 million project units. Streaming consumption skyrocketed up 82.6% to 250 billion streams for the year. Continue Reading
The British Phonographic Industry released its official 2016 annual report. Total music consumption for the year rose 1.5% to 123 million album equivalent sales. The past year saw 45 billion audio streams served to UK listeners. Continue Reading
As 2016 crawls to a close and 2017 emerges on the horizon, it’s time for that most time-honored of traditions: the year in review. Music companies of all stripes have released their assessments of top performers from the past twelve months. Here’s a collection of the high points from 2016. Continue Reading
Google is creating a podcast series for agencies in its Partner program. The shows will educate Partner participants in skills related to digital advertising, business, agency life, and Google products. Continue Reading
Mood Media has entered a partnership with Denon Electronics to make its Mood Mix available on the HEOS wireless multi-room sound system. This means that Mood Media’s commercially licensed streaming music service can be used more easily by businesses that own HEOS systems. Mood Mix is specifically designed for use as a soundtrack in retail environments. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: NPR boss talks podcasts and radio; digging in with Deezer; all about Apple Music. Continue Reading
Facebook has posted job openings centered on sound design, indicating that the social media company may have designs for more original music creation. The latest posting is for an in-house music composer, a role that requires at least 10 years of professional experience in the industry. Continue Reading
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released its annual report of ‘notorious markets,’ a listing of the areas posing the greatest risk to American creative industries. The report specifically details the recent trend of stream ripping as an issue focus. Continue Reading