Author: Anna Washenko

Sony denies potential sale of its publishing arm

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Amid the public relations nightmare of Sony getting hacked last month, sleuths found email correspondence among top brass discussing the potential sale of Sony/ATV. Since then, Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton stated in an interview with Bloomberg that the company is not considering a sale of the publishing arm. Sony/ATV’s Chairman and CEO Martin Bandier also issued a memo to his team reassuring them that the parent company was not selling off the division. Continue Reading →

Spanish music association launches unified chart to include streaming counts

Posted on by Anna Washenko

One of Spain’s music charts announced the launch of a new Top 100 Songs list that will incorporate streaming numbers as well as downloads and physical sales. PROMUSICAE (Productores de Música de España) will use the new joint chart to replace its weekly Top 50 Songs and Top 100 Streaming charts. Several charts organizations worldwide have made shifts to include data about streaming. Continue Reading →

Nielsen releases 2014 music report

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Now that we’ve set off on a fresh new year, we’re getting some interesting and insightful perspectives on everything that transpired in the music world during 2014. Data scientists have had the time to collect final numbers and finish analyses. On Jan. 2, we got a preliminary look at the work of Nielsen SoundScan team, which showed a general trend of increased streaming and decreased sales. Today, we have the 2014 Nielsen Music U.S. Report to expand on those first finds. Continue Reading →

Philips Spotify speakers offer multi-room streaming

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Philips announced the launch of multi-room speakers designed specifically to stream music from Spotify. The Philips Spotify speakers use Spotify Connect to control the music from within the Spotify app on a mobile device. Just press the Spotify button on any of the speakers and the stream should immediately transfer over. Continue Reading →

Deezer acquires Muve Music from AT&T/Cricket

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Deezer announced that it has bought Muve Music, a streaming service for phones only, from Cricket, a U.S. wireless carrier. Muve will be expanded to include Deezer’s song library and open up smart radio stations. Deezer will still be offering Muve to Cricket customers; the service will cost $6 for those who are signed up for a monthly cell phone plan of at least $35. Continue Reading →

Qualcomm announces rollout of AllPlay’s universal at-home streaming

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Qualcomm AllPlay is refreshing its existing product with a commercial rollout, the company announced at CES. Several new music partners, including SoundCloud and Tidal, will be supported on the wireless streaming service, joining iHeartRadio, Rhapsody/Napster, and SomaFM. Qualcomm is attempting to reduce home-listening silos with this open-source solution to remote streaming. Continue Reading →

LG to challenge Sonos with low prices for Music Flow speakers

Posted on by Anna Washenko

LG announced its foray into WiFi speakers with the Music Flow suite of products. The company will sell three speakers, three upgraded sound bars, and a portable, battery-powered speaker under this brand. The Music Flow speakers will support the new audio-only Google Cast software, which brings in several music services. LG also has product partnerships with iHeartRadio, Rhapsody, Spotify, and TuneIn. Continue Reading →