The big tech companies usually wind up butting heads in their overlapping product categories. Amazon got out of the game first with the Echo, its portable, voice-activated speaker system. Now Google has joined the race with last week’s announcement of a rival product: Google Home. Continue Reading
A streaming-only album has landed on the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for the first time. The work is Chance the Rapper’s new project Coloring Book, which was released on May 13 as an Apple Music exclusive. Continue Reading
Spotify has altered the pricing structure for its family plan. Under the new pricing, a family plan includes up to six individual Premium accounts for $14.99. The feature set for the plan is unchanged. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Questioning the conglomerate approach; how voice controls are influencing music at home; album art endures. Continue Reading
WorldDAB announced the formation of a new group centered on cars. The Automotive User Experience Group will focus on improving the use of in-car DAB radios and understanding the effect of future trends with the technology. Continue Reading
The British Phonographic Industry is no stranger to the siege against YouTube, but it has launched another volley against the video platform. In its Music Market 2016 report, the BPI highlighted the revenue disparities delivered by subscription streaming and album sales, and by ad-supported freemium services. Continue Reading
Radio distribution experts PRX have launched a new company that aims to reimagine audio for mobile devices. The first goal for RadioPublic will be to create a listening app focused on discovery and engagement with a range of audio types, including spoken-word stories, news, information, journalism, and entertainment. Continue Reading
BuzzAngle Music, the new kid on the block for music charts, announced the launch of the latest version of its reporting and analytics service. The company, which bills itself as “music consumption analytics for the new era,” delivers daily reports measuring the performance for songs, artists, or albums. Continue Reading
The first quarter RAJAR data for 2016 revealed steady growth for radio listening in the UK, depending on the platform. All radio listening had an audience of 47.8 million adults, or 89.3% of the adult population. Digital radio audience has continued to grow slightly, from 56% in Q4 2015 to 57% in Q1 2016. Continue Reading
Electric Jukebox, which makes a set-top box for music, has commissioned a study from YouGov that explored how streaming may be missing out on the over-35 age demographic. The survey found that more over-35 respondents consider radio easier to use than streaming; only young millennials showed a strong preference for streaming over radio. Continue Reading
YouTube Red has launched in Australia. The paid, ad-free combination music and video subscription is now available to Aussie listeners for AU$11.99. Australia was announced as the second market for the platform back in February. Continue Reading
Kobalt debuted a new app for its publishing clients that offers a real-time view at revenue. For now, the app from the publisher and royalty collection service is only on iOS, with a planned launch for Android in the future. Continue Reading