Why? Yknot! Sometimes a stream grabs us from the first song and holds on. That’s partly luck, but regular listening separates enduring stations from temporary infatuations. Yknot Radio is a keeper for upbeat, feel-good music that lies somewhere between soft rock and the hard stuff. Continue Reading
Short news items and worthy reads from around the web: A reader’s history of EDM; stemming the tide of Russian piracy with legit streaming; Soundscan music sales in Q3. Continue Reading
Recent news that Apple is pushing back to labels about licensing fees, with the possible intent of lowering the monthly subscription cost of Beats Music, sets the stage for this week’s RAIN Poll. We asked readers: Is Apple right? Would a lower subscription cost stimulate the subscription side of the streaming business? Or doesn’t it matter? The result was conclusive in an unexpected way Continue Reading
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An eight-minute blast of news you need to know in streaming music and online audio. The weekly update of news you need to know in streaming music and online audio, from RAIN News. This week: royalty arguments in high gear; The Turtles chase Pandora, iHeartMedia and Omnicom; UK streaming doubles; dot-RADIO controversy; Apple and the labels; surprise for an Alabama radio station. Continue Reading
SoundCloud announced an upgrade to its browser experience that brings a more visual music player onto the screen. The large-format player displays an expanded version of the thumbnail image associated with each track. We found some beautiful results, and some ineffective ones. Soundcloud creators, who stock the site with uploaded music, are complaining. Continue Reading
College radio stations, represented by College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI), will see their webcast royalty rates for the use of music recordings unchanged in the looming 2016-2020 royalty period. Most stations will use a simplified “proxy” reporting method to SoundExchange, an easier administrative process than the fastidious reporting that commercial stations must supply. Continue Reading
Webcast companies have filed written arguments with the Copyright Royalty Board, as the streaming industry moves inexorably toward a new licensing period for the use of music recordings starting in 2016. The filing deadline was last night at midnight.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and SoundExchange have both filed their documents. The two petitions use some of the same language, but to opposite purposes. We examine both arguments. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia (formerly Clear Channel) has announced a partnership with Omnicom Media Group, the media services division of Omnicom Group, a leading global advertising company.
The deal gives each company special access to assets, information, and technology of the other. We spoke with Jeff Howard, President, National Sales at iHeartMedia. “We’re looking for companies that want to transform the industry,” he told RAIN News. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio re-launched its mobile apps in June, and today brings a new version of its web browser experience. We tested the experience, and found it significantly cleaner and more conducive to exploring stations and discovering music. The key change of the new desktop site is a blurring of lines between type of station, and an increased dedication to providing the user with desired sounds regardless of originating platform. Continue Reading
It had been a while since we’d prowled through iTunes Radio looking for ads, so a revisit was in order. We fired up iTunes Radio on a 5th-generation iPod, and our hunt was quickly rewarded with a video placement by Nissan, part of its “Off the Stage” campaign. Continue Reading
Located in Brandon, VT, classical Vermont is the purest of pureplays — simple, uncluttered, attractive, with good programming for fans of symphonic, chamber, and solo instrumental music. Classical Vermont is straight-ahead, hardcore European and American art music. Continue Reading
Michael Hill is the Managing Director of Radioplayer, the listening platform which aggregates U.K. radio stations. In anticipation of his appearance at RAIN Summit Europe, in London on November 4, we talked with Hill about the future of listening. His comments reflected specific advocacy of broadcast radio, and an agonistic viewpoint based on Radioplayer’s non-profit status. Continue Reading