Pandora has prevailed in an appeal case brought by ASCAP, which sought to overturn a court judgment in March, 2014. ASCAP announced in August that it would pursue an appeal of that ruling. Continue Reading
The Download on Podcasts is a weekly feature sponsored by PodcastOne.
Making on-demand audio has become easy. Making money from audio is harder. A new wave of monetization solutions for new and independent bloggers signals a maturation of the podcast industry. Continue Reading
If you work for the state of Vermont, you’re not listening to Pandora today, according to a report from NPR. Or Spotify. Or Slacker. Or Live365. Or iHeartRadio. The state’s technology management division has placed a block on those music sites and services to reduce bandwidth strain on the government’s Internet system. Continue Reading
Media software company WideOrbit announced that audioBoom, the spoken-word, on-demand listening platform, has selected WO On Demand to monetize its podcasts. The technical solution injects pre-recorded advertisements into podcasts — a category which is dominated by host-read native advertising. Continue Reading
During Entercom’s earnings call yesterday, CEO David Field responded to analyst questions about programmatic advertising. The topic did not arise during Entercom’s prepared statements; it was investors on the Entercom call who led the conversation toward programmatic. Continue Reading
adStream is an ad-watch journal of interesting commercial sightings in streaming audio.
Spotify Free, the sometimes controversial ad-supported music service, advertises Spotify Premium in an interesting way: when the listener watches a 30-second commercial, the next 30 minutes are ad-free. Continue Reading
David Goldberg, an Internet radio pioneer who founded LAUNCHcast in 1999, which became Yahoo! Music Radio, died unexpectedly Friday night. He was 47 years old. No cause of death has been disclosed. He is remembered as a wonderful man. His keynote speech at a 2005 RAIN Summit was prescient. Continue Reading
In what should be placed firmly in the rumor folder, technology site The Verge is reporting that Apple is pressuring music labels in their Spotify negotiations, and the U.S. Department of Justice is monitoring the situation. Continue Reading
In a quarterly earnings call, Radio One executives Alfred Liggins (CEO) and Peter Thompson (CFO) answered analysts’ questions about digital audio and programmatic advertising. The discussion highlited the increasing importance of digital ad-selling to radio investors. Continue Reading
We reported on Monday that Grooveshark was facing potentially immense financial damages judgment in its drawn-out copyright infringement trial with record labels. That particular threat appears to be neutralized in a settlement which includes the final closure of Grooveshark.com, the service, and a handover of all company assets. Continue Reading
Rumor (and more rumor) has turned to apparent fact, as CNBC is reporting that Spotify has raised a new funding round of at least $350-million, led by Goldman Sachs. The funding round closed on a “first close” basis, so new investors may yet join. Continue Reading
After a round of user and venue testing, CrowdTunes announced its launch today. The crowd-controlled streaming service, which is designed for public venues like bars and restaurants, is powered by U.K.-based technology provider 7digital. Continue Reading