Serial’s back with season two
Cue the listening binges: Serial is back on the digital airwaves. The first episode of season two for the popular investigative podcast launched today on its website, iTunes, and Pandora. Continue Reading
Author: Anna Washenko
BPI survey finds streaming may bolster CD sales
The British Phonographic Industry and the Entertainment Retailers Association have investigated the crossover between streaming music patrons and CD purchases. The UK organizations found that 66% of its survey respondents use streaming as a discovery tool, then buy physical copies of their favorite works. Continue Reading
Rhapsody closes year with 3.5 million subscribers
Rhapsody announced that its subscriber base increased by 45% over the past year. “Despite increasing competition, we continue to believe in the value of music and see our role as vital in creating experiences with music that users around the world will pay for,” said Ethan Rudin, Rhapsody’s CFO. Continue Reading
New family plan covers Google Play Music and YouTube Red
Google has rolled out a family plan to cover all of its music properties. The Google Play Music family plans cost $14.99 a month and allow up to six users on the account. The new price tier is rolling out in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and the U.S. Continue Reading
Test Drive: Spotify’s 2015 Year in Review
We love when Spotify finds cool ways to share data, and the end of the year is often when the streaming service shines. It delivered a Year In Music round-up that details any individual’s music choices from the last 12 months in a beautifully designed package. Continue Reading
Amazon Prime adds concert subscription add-on, hinting at a bigger streaming vision
Amazon Prime is the latest major company to add a concerts and live performance angle to its streaming service. It has made Qello Concerts available as an a la carte channel for its Prime members. Qello is an initial member of the Amazon Partners Streaming Program, which brings a la carte third-party video content to the platform. What might this signal about Amazon’s longer-term entertainment plans? Continue Reading
WNYC experiments with social-friendly “audiograms”
WNYC Studios is testing out Facebook as a distribution channel, publishing a new, full-length episode of its Here’s the Thing show to the podcast’s Facebook page. The 48-minute episode was uploaded as a native Facebook video since the social network doesn’t support direct audio uploads. WNYC is calling this odd hybrid an audiogram. Continue Reading
Spotify may test out windowing content
In a big potential strategy shift, Spotify is allegedly open to some artists temporarily restricting their music to its paid tier. Unnamed sources told The Wall Street Journal that Spotify will consider windowing content based on whether a listener pays for the service. An insider said Spotify would be trying this strategy as a test first to assess the impact it might have on usage and subscription membership. Continue Reading
Deezer joining Apple CarPlay
Deezer announced that its streaming service is now available on Apple CarPlay. The French company’s Premium+ and Elite subscribers can now use their subscription through the connected car system. This marks Deezer’s second big car tie-up in two months. Continue Reading
CÜR raises money for new social/music service
CÜR Media announced the completion of a $1.75 million financing round in support of its upcoming music service. The new platform is targeting the crossover between social and music, billing itself as “a social, mobile, and web streaming music application that is being designed to enable its users to go beyond the limitations of traditional music streaming services.” Continue Reading
Google Play Music debuts in South Africa
Google Play Music has launched in South Africa, marking the music platform’s first entry into Africa. The launch comes at an introductory price of 49.99 Rand ($3.50); normally the membership costs $9.99. Continue Reading
Guvera enters the U.S. music market
Guvera has announced an official launch into the U.S. The platform debuted yesterday with a launch party hosted at its production studio in Los Angeles. It has a global catalog of more than 26 million tracks and a current audience of more than 14 million listeners. Continue Reading