Beatport announced that it is ending operation of its streaming service and mobile app. The official blog post said the change was an effort “to invest in what is most important to our business and our customers, rather than adding yet another choice to a sea of streaming services.” Continue Reading
Amazon’s video plans saw a new development with the launch of Video Direct, a new video posting platform that offers professional creators options for distribution and payment. The service is rolling out in the U.S., UK, Germany, Austria, and Japan. This move does target YouTube, but only the tier of its members who are using video as a core business. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: More records for Drake’s record; a rational take on Radiohead and Spotify; Spotify exec talks Apple Music impact. Continue Reading
On the Move tracks hires, promotions, and other notable personnel changes within the online audio industry. Today’s moves include big hires for Universal Music Group and Gaana. Also a new face is joining Spotify’s Asian operations. Continue Reading
The American Music Rights Association (AMRA), owned by music publisher Kobalt, which claims to be the largest independent music publisher in the world, reported increased earnings from both YouTube and Spotify in Q3 2015. During its first three months of administering Kobalt’s catalog in Europe, AMRA saw a 26% increase in Spotify earnings and a 34% increase in YouTube earnings for the publishing client. Continue Reading
France is the latest market to see the rollout of SoundCloud Go. The launch brings the extensive library of more than 125 million tracks to French listeners for a subscription cost of €9.99 on Android and €12.99 on iOS following a 30-day free trial. Continue Reading
The music industry critiques against YouTube have been joined by another influential voice. Irving Azoff, an artist manager and CEO/Chairman of Azoff MSG Entertainment, penned an open letter to the video platform with responses to YouTube’s recent blog post that aimed to address the current wave of artist and label concerns. Continue Reading
“Today, I’m happy to announce that on mobile alone YouTube now reaches more 18–49-year-olds than any network — broadcast or cable. In fact, we reach more 18–49-year-olds during primetime than the top 10 TV shows combined.”
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki made this announcement at an industry event targeting advertisers and agencies. Continue Reading
Spotify is planning to create 12 original video series. A few months after adding video clips to its mobile service, Spotify is introducing a roster of original shows, with episodes running just 15 minutes or less. This new content will initially roll out to the streaming service’s free and paid users in the U.S., the UK, Germany, and Sweden. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: A radio buy for Bauer; podcasting’s newest power player; NPR coming to Hollywood? Continue Reading
Apple Music has added a third subscription tier to its available options for listeners. It has unveiled a student membership that offers a 50% discount on the standard monthly rate. In the U.S., that means $4.99 a month. Continue Reading
Seems Drake is quite the tease. Even though he said in a Beats 1 interview that his new album Views would be exclusive to Apple Music for one week, fans on other platforms will have to wait a little longer. Continue Reading