Author: Anna Washenko

Universal seeks summary judgment against Grooveshark in pre-1972 copyright case

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Sirius XM was on the receiving end of some bad copyright news last week, and this week the recipient is Grooveshark. Universal Music Group is pushing for a summary judgment, claiming that it is the owner of pre-1972 recordings played on the streaming service. Since Grooveshark’s users are the ones uploading content and since labels can issue takedown notices, the platform has argued that it is covered by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s safe harbors and thus is not liable for infringement. Universal is arguing that this provision should not apply to the music dating before 1972. Continue Reading →

UK sees six-year low for digital radio sales

Posted on by Anna Washenko

UK media regulator Ofcom found a 9.1% decline in digital audio broadcasting sets sold in the year ending in June. The annual digital radio report revealed that at 1.7 million sets, the past year had the lowest number sold since at least 2009. The report also showed flat performance for digital radio’s share of all radio listening, holding steady at 36.8%. Its findings for the popularity of digital radio indicated that the UK listeners are scattered in their preferences. Continue Reading →

Amazon’s head of digital music and video departing the company

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Amazon’s head of digital music and video has departed the company. Bill Carr has spent 15 years with the online retailer, and was at the helm when the company entered the markets for both online music and streaming video. He was responsible for launching Amazon’s streaming music service for customers with Prime memberships. Continue Reading →

Local broadcaster’s geo-fencing lawsuit recommended for dismissal

Posted on by Anna Washenko

A Virginia magistrate recommended dismissing the lawsuit filed by VerStandig Broadcasting against SoundExchange. Magistrate Judge Joel Hoppe suggested the dismissal due to a lack of controversy between the two parties, according to Radio World. VerStandig filed a suit against the royalty collector on claims that its use of geo-fencing should exempt it from needing to pay copyright royalties. The broadcaster claimed that it could use this technology to cap streaming content within 150 miles of its transmitter. Continue Reading →

Music apps post biggest spike in mobile use, according to new research

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Research from Localytics confirmed that mobile is still the rising trend for music services. In the company’s analysis of app usage over the past year, people spent 79% more time in their music programs, which translates to 64 more minutes per month. Compare that with the average increase of 21% for time spent across all apps. The next closest category to music was health and fitness, which posted a 51% rise for time spent in-app. Continue Reading →

What do college students listen to? (Spotify Insights)

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Spotify introduced its Insights blog earlier this month, and its creative take on data has already been taking the music world by storm. The latest missive delves into the listening habits of college students. Spotify listed the top 40 schools with the highest rates of sign-ups for its student deal last semester, then ranked them by number of song plays. Arizona State University secured the top place on the Most Musical Universities in America list, followed by Auburn University and Brigham Young University in second and third, respectively. Continue Reading →

Tidal gets new marketing head, places focus on luxury message

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Tidal, the hi-fi streaming service from WiMP slated to arrive soon in the U.S. and UK, has a new head of marketing. Daniel Green assumes the top marketing job, joining Tidal after five years as director of digital strategy at Viacom International. In discussing the new appointment, Tidal CEO Andy Chen highlighted the company’s stance for offering a hi-fi service, noting that Green’s past experience covered the “consumer lifestyle” and “luxury” fields. Continue Reading →