Brief news items and worthy reads around the Internet: Warner Music Group releases 2014 financials; a Pono Music review calls Neil Young’s service “a tall, refreshing drink of snake oil.” Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Most innovative companies in music; Onkyo announces expansion. Continue Reading
U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon has granted Sirius XM the right to appeal its New York lawsuit over royalties for pre-1972 recordings. McMahon wrote that she granted appeal permission because of “a critically important controlling question of law” and uncertainty about whether Sirius XM had fair use to make temporary copies of the music. She determined that the case “warrants a close look by a controlling court.” Continue Reading
Japan’s recorded music industry declined by about 4.5% last year to approximately 297.5 billion yen (€2.2 billion), according to initial data from the RIAJ. It’s the first time the nation’s music market has fallen under 300 billion yen since the… Continue Reading
Rdio has entered into a partnership that will integrate the on-demand streaming with live concert attendance. The company is working with AXS, a joint venture from AEG, to bring music to concert-goers. People who buy tickets through the AXS platform will be eligible for a free 30-day trial of Rdio Unlimited. Continue Reading
After announcing 2 million subscribers back in July, Rhapsody and Napster have grown to 2.5 million paid subscribers worldwide. Those members listen to more than 5 million hours of music a week. A large part of the growth came from the company’s U.S. deal with T-Mobile, which contributed a 67% spike in unRadio subscriptions over the holiday season. Continue Reading
Spain’s music industry association Promusicae revealed that the nation’s music market grew about 21% to more than €149.9 million last year. It was the first year since 2001 with an uptick in sales. A large portion of that growth came from streaming services, which contributed €47.2 million in revenue. Continue Reading
The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada announced its financial results for 2014, and revealed $299 million in revenue from domestic, international and private copying proceeds. The figure broke last year’s record high of $276 million. Within that total, the organization received $20 million in revenue from Internet streaming companies, up from $3.2 million in the previous year. Continue Reading
Deezer’s first foray into the U.S. market was a special Elite service offered for Sonos systems. Now that partnership is going global, with Elite access to become available for Sonos owners across Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Canada on March 19. Continue Reading
We saw WiFi speakers dominating the news at CES this year, and the trend shows no sights of abating. Not only are many of the big tech brands getting in on the action, but recently smaller startups have been leveraging crowdfunding to try out their own innovations in that product niche. Continue Reading
Sam Smith and Beck might have taken home the statuettes, but according to SoundHound, the big winners from the Grammys were Ed Sheeran and Jeff Lynne. Sheeran, who was up for several awards, performed “Thinking Out Loud” during the show. It was the most SoundHounded song of the event and also translated into the most purchases through the app. Continue Reading
In its quarterly conference call, Pandora revealed earnings for Q4 2014, and full-year 2014. audience growth was sharply up, due in part to holiday listening. The company fell short of its Q4 guidance, disappointing investors, who sent the stock shivering downward in a double-digit percentage slide. CEO Brian McAndrews expressed long-term confidence and declaimed 2015 “the year of conviction.” Continue Reading