Sponsored by AudioBoom
The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. THIS WEEK: Neil Young exaggerates; FTC and Apple; how do high-schoolers listen? Continue Reading
Playlist radio service 8tracks has launched a new web interface in beta to a limited number of users. The refreshed user experience is underpinned by technology which surfaces playlist suggestions based on listening history, previous searches, and social activity on the 8tracks platform. Continue Reading
Webcast listening in May dropped a couple of percentage points from April’s numbers, according to Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker, released today. the may report broke a five-month string of consecutive gains. At the same time, mobile listening to streams topped 75%. Continue Reading
In a burst of invention and technology ownership, ad-management firm Wideorbit acquired three patents related to streaming audio. One of them represents a technology which allows song-skipping in radio simulcasts, emulating one of Pandora’s most popular features. Continue Reading
The Download on Podcasts is a weekly feature sponsored by PodcastOne.
Air Media, a coalition of audio producers specializing in public service media, has developed (perhaps “invented” is a better word) a rate sheet for freelance podcasting work. The rate sheet might appear as an arbitrary wish-list to many podcasters, but the importance lies in helping to professionalize the podcast category.
Continue Reading
The Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship has released the results of a year-long study of the contemporary music industry, a whitepaper with recommendations for creating better rights tracking for music creators and owners. The whitepaper is a primer, a backgrounder, and an advocacy document. Continue Reading
Research company Niche has released its annual survey of media usage among high school graduates. The survey collected responses from 10,000 members of the 2015 graduating high school class. Spotify is the big music gainer, but Pandora still rules. Continue Reading
While streaming audio is a mobile-first content category (over 60% of stream listening occurs in iOS and Android devices, according to Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics), desktop listening is hardly dead. Recognizing that, iHeartRadio launched a desktop app for Apple Mac computers. Continue Reading
Last week Emmis Communications held its fiscal-Q1 2016 earnings call. In it, CEO Jeff Smulyan expressed confidence and optimism about terrestrial radio, skepticism of streaming as a primary business model, and continued enthusiasm for the NextRadio initiative. Continue Reading
Last week we reported (with some commentary) on Spotify’s email to iOS subscribers, which recommended unsubscribing from the music service in iTunes, and re-subscribing directly through Spotify. Now, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly examining Apple’s policy. Continue Reading
Sponsored by AudioBoom
The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. THIS WEEK: Nielsen mid-year report; U.K. streaming growth; Spotify tells subscribers to unsubscribe; Xbox Music reborn; Facebook and music. Continue Reading
Spotify has sent an email to Apple iOS subscribers, suggesting they cancel their Spotify Premium accounts, if those subscriptions were purchased through the Spotify app, and re-subscribe on Spotify’s website. There is an implied blame of Apple in Spotify’s communication that could be misplaced. We suggest a different approach. Continue Reading