Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Millennials, social media, and big data; indie labels’ snapshot of digital music; online radio listening by age. Continue Reading
Amazon has expanded its Prime Music app on the Android operating system to include its new stations feature. The app now includes hundreds of Pandora-style lean-back listening channels without advertisements. Continue Reading
GEMA, a German collection society, announced that its 2014 global revenue was €893.6 million euros (about $950 million). Streaming revenue accounted for €44.8 million, up from €26.4 million in 2013, but GEMA came out with a strong statement against the current royalty split between rights holders, songwriters, and publishers. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has entered into a partnership with content identification service Zefr. The deal appears focused on monitoring what tracks get played and when. Although neither SoundCloud nor Zefr have disclosed much detail about the nature of their new partnership, it’s likely a step in SoundCloud’s push into monetizing its platform. Continue Reading
The Department of Justice has been engaged in a review of consent decrees for more than a year. These rules govern the blanket licenses that performing rights organizations negotiate on behalf of music publishers. Billboard has a piece on the changes the department is reported to be considering, according to its unnamed sources. Continue Reading
Pandora will be available on the Apple Watch from its debut on April 24. According to the press release, Pandora will offer intuitive interactions for listeners, even within the smartwatch’s space and size constraints. This participation with Apple’s latest mobile offering is part of Pandora’s mission to be a ubiquitous listening option. Continue Reading
Universal Music Group has entered into a partnership with Bradesco, a Brazilian bank. Bradesco Music will stream audio and video from Universal’s catalog and deliver music-related editorial through an application for both desktop computers and mobile devices. Continue Reading
Rdio has hired Iain Morris to serve as the company’s new vice president of global music publishing. In his new capacity, Morris will lead the negotiations with music publishers and collection societies. The newest exec joins the company from Warner/Chappell Music Publishing, where he was the head of digital for the EMEA region. Continue Reading
The flood of news for Tidal continues apace today. The latest update is that the hi-res streaming service helmed by Jay-Z has found a new stakeholder in Sprint and its parent company SoftBank. Unnamed sources told the New York Post that the minority stake is likely worth about $250 million. Continue Reading
ASCAP has appointed a new executive to its upper management. Alice Kim has joined the performing rights organization in the role of executive vice president, chief strategy and development officer. In this capacity, Kim will lead work on strategy, business development, product development, and administration services for the company. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. This week: the Orchard CEO speaks out after Sony Music acquisition; Poland expands DAB+; Radio ad revenue in India. Continue Reading
Twitch has been toying with legal musical options for its members to play in the background of their videos. It launched a beta Music category in January, with Canadian EDM label Monstercat kicking off the new venture with a 24/7 radio playlist channel. Another label has now joined this Twitch niche. Continue Reading