Merlin, a digital rights agency for independent labels, has released the results of its 2016 member survey. Digital income supplied a majority of overall business for 62% of respondents, up from about half of the respondents last year. Streaming is a core element in that digital growth. Continue Reading
Beginning this year, the Recording Academy will be able to consider streaming-only albums for Grammy recognition. The organization’s previous rules required a physical or digital release to be eligible for the awards. Continue Reading
This year’s music news has been notable for debates and lawsuits about music licensing, rights ownership, and royalty payments. The underlying issue is a complex and inscrutable layering of music ownership. Because of the dense and dark music ownership tangle, digital services cannot always identify correct parties for payment when songs are streamed. An exceptionally broad coalition of institutions has announced an initiative to create a global solution. Continue Reading
TuneCore announced that its artists earned $42 million in Q1 2016, a 16% increase from the year-ago period. Streaming platforms posted steady growth in earnings in this quarterly update. Continue Reading
Rhapsody/Napster is planning to make some cuts to its team as part of restructuring efforts. Hypebot received an emailed statement from the company’s CEO Mike Davis confirming the layoffs. Continue Reading
In recent months, we’ve seen some hints and rumors that Amazon might spin out its Prime Music streaming platform from under the umbrella of its broader Prime subscription. Unnamed sources told Reuters that Amazon is preparing to unveil a separate streaming music service in late summer or early fall. Continue Reading
On Wednesday, we shared some of the pertinent data from the PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook. That assessment pointed to some general trends we can expect across 2016-2020 in music and Internet advertising. Today, we take a deeper dive into the numbers for the U.S. radio industry. Continue Reading
Russian streaming service Zvooq announced an investment of $5 million. The influx of funding came from local electronic retailer Ulmart. The streaming platform also inked a partnership with mobile phone operator Tele2. Continue Reading
Apple Music has added some sports content to its radio options. NBC Sports Radio can now be streamed in the tech company’s Music app on iOS and via iTunes on a laptop or desktop. Continue Reading
First quarter results for Strata’s regular Advertising Agency Survey revealed a growing focus on programmatic exchanges and increased interest in streaming audio platforms. “Digital publishers keep on getting better at providing more advertising opportunities to ad buyers,” Strata Director J.D. Miller said. Continue Reading
Daniel Ek has no plans to sell off Spotify to a larger tech company. That came from a Q&A with reporters in Stockholm. He cautioned that selling off European startups to U.S. tech enterprises was hoiding back the EU tech industry. Continue Reading
Como Audio has launched a Kickstarter campaign for two home audio players. Solo and Duetto are the new creations from the company, which is led by founder Tom DeVesto, whose past resume includes Cambridge Soundworks and Tivoli Audio. Continue Reading