Let’s talk about Smooth Jazz. We know what you’re thinking. But the problems with Smooth Jazz — the sugary coating, the lascivious saxophone licks, the percussion chimes sprinkled like fairy dust over cadences, the pseudo-funk, the quasi-cool — all that… Continue Reading
Windows 8.1 was released last week, and with it an updated Xbox Music service. Some of the upgrades to Xbox Music are merely usability features that make interactions easier. But one entirely new feature expands the competency of Xbox Music… Continue Reading
YouTube, which a music producer recently told RAIN is “the world’s biggest record label,” has announced its nominees for the upcoming YouTube Music Awards presentation. The point here isn’t the nominated artists, but the often-disregarded reality that YouTube, ostensibly a… Continue Reading
We appreciate TuneIn’s distribution of favorite public radio programs. The ability to timeshift enhances broadcast listening and ensures that nothing is missed. Speaking of inclusiveness, TuneIn announced the start of a new station devoted to stalwart PRI show “This American… Continue Reading
Ten years of hand-to-mouth operation hasn’t dimmed the fire of BellyUp4Blues (www.bellyup4blues.com), an Internet-only blues-rock stream. If its tagline (“The Only Ass-Kicking Blues Rocker”) exaggerates the exclusivity of its musical mission, the description is certainly accurate. This is relentless pounding… Continue Reading
Adding to its portfolio of custom royalty-payment deals with record labels, Clear Channel reached an agreement with Black River Records, a country label whose roster includes Kelly Pickler, Craig Morgan, and Glen Templeton. Details were not announced, but this deal… Continue Reading
SiriusXM appears to have modified its channel lineup on Sunday morning, to the acute displeasure of subscribers posting to the satellite company’s Facebook page. One ex-subscriber on the Facebook page who claimed to have canceled his membership remarked, “I’d rather… Continue Reading
Tech and social realms burst into chatter Saturday evening when AllThingsD reported that Twitter would soon pull the plug on its #Music service, introduced just six months ago. Engadget speculated that the departure of Kevin Thau from Twitter, project head… Continue Reading
The asynchronous debate about Spotify (good or evil?) continues, most recently with Dave Allen (Gang of Four) responding at length to David Byrne’s OpEd last week in The Guardian (RAIN comment here). If these dueling disquisitions were an endurance contest,… Continue Reading
RAIN’s Weekend Perspective summarizes the week’s important events for a weekend catch-up, and revives your weary neurons for coming week. DEVICES & TECH In the suddenly exploding realm of wireless speakers, two new products landed in the market. Sonos Play:1… Continue Reading
Domain extensions (the end-part of website addresses like .com and .org) can be valuable signifiers of a brand’s industry and positioning. Any website with a dot-org address represents a verified non-profit. A dot-edu address signifies an educational institution. The addressing… Continue Reading
Univision Radio is the leading audio network for Hispanic America, and music service Slacker announced today a partnership that will bring some of that content to the online listening platform. The expanded lineup plan includes five terrestrial stations based in… Continue Reading