ASCAP is hosting an advocacy day in Washington DC in support of legal protections for songwriters and publishers in a streaming music economy. One of the top priorities for the group is arguing for an update to its consent decree with the Department of Justice. Continue Reading
T-Mobile has introduced another round of services to its data-free Binge On plan, which now includes some musical video sources. Thanks to the latest development, video offerings from Spotify, Tidal, Google Play Music, and Radio Disney can all be viewed without counting against high-speed data plans. Continue Reading
8tracks moved closer to its Regulation A crowdfunded investment round today, when it opened the round to non-binding reservations. the company hopes to raise $10-million of the $33-million of interest that was expressed during months of testing. Continue Reading
YouTube has reportedly implemented a new approach to its digital supply chain that could help improve rights management. YouTube, the world’s largest distributor of music, has been criticized recently for its operating model which permits user uploads of tracks and albums, and responds in different ways to take-down requests from rights-holders. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired Francis Keeling as its new vice president, global head of licensing, effective June 1. Keeling joins the streaming service after a 14-year tenure at Universal Music Group. “Francis is one of the very best in the business,” said Stefan Blom, Spotify’s chief content officer. Continue Reading
Public radio WBAA in West Lafayette, Indiana, is discontinuing broadcasts of This American Life after the show entered into a deal with Pandora. In a brief blog post titled “Mission vs. Economics,” WBAA General Manager Mike Savage said that the decision to air This American Life on a paid subscription service was a key factor in the Indiana station’s decision. Continue Reading
SoundCloud Go received a French rollout this week, bringing the subscription tier to a new European market. The debut also brings ad-supported listening to that nation. SoundCloud’s advertising monetization is being exclusively managed by AdsWizz. Continue Reading
A coalition of performers staged an event dubbed Fair Play Fair Pay Day, gathering at Capitol Hill in support of proposed legislation that would charge royalty fees for sound recordings played on terrestrial radio. T-Bone Burnett, Rosanne Cash, and more than 40 other artists participated in the press conference. Speakers addressed both the topic of payment for radio airplay and safe harbors in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. Continue Reading
Universal Music Group posted its Q1 financials, which carried on the strong performance by streaming from its full-year 2015 report. Total revenue for the recorded music business edged up a fraction of a percent to €1.119 billion. Continue Reading
Apple Music is expected to get an overhaul to its user experience, and now the rumor is that there will be changes to the Connect social feature. According to 9to5Mac, Apple may lose its prominent place as a standalone tab in the new redesign. Continue Reading
We read and write a lot about the podcasting rennaissance, but now there’s further evidence that the audio format has in fact become de rigeur. The U.S. Energy Department launched a show called Direct Current on Monday. It tries to shed the inevitable aura of wonkiness. Continue Reading
7digital announced that Philippe Decottignies will assume the post of CTO. He held the same role at Snowite, which 7digital just acquired at the start of the year. Prior to joining Snowite, Decottignies also worked at Hewlett Packard, Access360, and Zala Telecoms. Continue Reading