Jazz lovers can be hardcore fans, with specialty interests in historical eras, legendary performers, and certain instruments. The genre lends itself to more specialized coverage than what is normally found in the universal music services. For the lean-back jazz aficionado, two services — JazzRadio and AccuJazz — provide seemingly endless great listening tailored to mood and sub-genre. Continue Reading
Music jukeboxes have been popular for about 90 years. Online music services and mobile technology have created a “celestial jukebox” that’s available anywhere — an astonishing marvel best appreciated by people over 35 and history students. The modern versions of the jukebox are streamlined to the consumer’s favor in every way — less money, more mobility, bigger selection. But I the attraction is essentially the same as when tabletop jukeboxes were in every New Jersey diner: Music you choose, in new places and times. Continue Reading
Garth Brooks is the best-selling solo artist of all time. He has been content to sit out the digital music disruption, which has mainly occurred during a 13-year retirement. Tomorrow, though, the official Garth Brooks site will start selling downloads of Brooks’ back catalog. A new album will drop in November, and the download version will likewise be sold exclusively on the site. Continue Reading
Of all the issues woven into potential music-licensing reform during this “Summer of Copyright” (part 1 and part 2), none is larger, more publicized, or more intractable than whether broadcast radio should lose its exemption from paying performance royalties. The latest volley in an ongoing inflammatory argument is by the advocacy group musicFIRST, which has launched an ad campaign intended to attract the attention of selected legislators in their home districts Continue Reading
Bloomberg is citing unnamed sources in a report that SoundCloud is near to closing deals with record labels for their content to appear on the popular crowdsourced listening platform. If the report plays out as fact, Soundcloud will gain needed elbow room to compete with other music services, unhindered by legal distractions that have troubled SoundCloud recently. Continue Reading
Apple’s iTunes Radio broke into the top-15 list of app usage in May, according to traffic measurement company comScore. While this breakthrough might not seem like an epic milestone, the buzz around it has a “Finally!” aspect to it. But this report does not compare iTunes Radio exactly with other music-app use across the mobile landscape, for two reasons. Continue Reading
Niche, a research firm founded by Carnegie Mellon University in 2002 with a focus on early-life decision-making, has released an interesting study of media choices among graduating high school students. When surveyed about listening to music, graduating high-schoolers divulged their music-service habits. Continue Reading
Bop.fm, a streaming startup founded seven months ago in the Y Combinator seed-funding group, has obtained a $2-million funding round from Charles River Ventures. Bop enables music sharing on a platform that hooks into popular streaming services. In the RAIN review, we found a crucial feature glitch, but an overall terrific experience that emulates an interactive music service, drawing on external libraries. As such, Bop.fm serves as a remote control for Spotify, Beats Music, and Rdio, and makes it easier to share music. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Sonos gets SoundCloud; Taylor Swift waxes optimistic about the music business; the sound of deep space. Continue Reading
“Wireless carriers are dragging their feet and won’t activate the FM chips that are in every smartphone.” That’s the blunt message in a website campaign mounted by NPR, American Public Media (APM), Educational Media Foundation (EMF), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), and, of course, NextRadio. The campaign hopes to stir activism. Continue Reading
Don’t let the 1996-era, stoner-vibe website (www.waxtraxradio.com) put you off. Allow the retro design to put you in the classic rock spirit. Waxtrax’s excellent deep-cut playlist shouldn’t be missed by classic genre fans. This Arizona-based Internet station is an ad-free, privately funded indie station. You won’t find a purer pureplay anywhere. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthwhile reads from around the web: Deezer closes Canadian office but splashes “Coming Soon” to U.S. users: Deezer is reportedly closing its Canadian office, but that cost-saving exercise does not affect the service to Canadian users.… Continue Reading