SoundExchange released its statistics from the final quarter of 2019. The organization distributed $218.8 million during the period for a total of $908.2 million during the whole year. Continue Reading
Kobalt Music Group CEO Willard Ahdritz is stepping down from the company. He will assume the post of chairman for the business, and Laurent Hubert will take over as the top executive. Continue Reading
Spotify usually has a slew of new features in testing at any given time. The latest to get a public appearance is called Stories, and it lets the user add some video recordings to their audio playlists. These can be a clip of the person or a snippet of the song with album art as the visual. Continue Reading
Global has partnered with MTV UK to help the broadcaster make its debut in podcasting. The deal will see the launch of five audio programs to complement MTV UK’s television shows. Global’s DAX digital ad exchange will be the advertising sales and distribution partner for the podcasts. Continue Reading
At the European Radio and Digital Audio Show in Paris, a three-day exhibition and presentation conference, one of the panels turned its focus to the future of radio in the next few years. A persistent and sometimes controversial point was whether to rebrand the radio industry to “audio.” Continue Reading
Merlin, the independent label network and rights organization, has signed a licensing deal with the short-form video platform TikTok. This multi-territory agreement will make Merlin’s repertoire of indie music available for legal use by any users of the social app. Continue Reading
Spotify’s assertive growth in podcasting (see yesterday’s report of the company’s growing distribution influence) was headlined in 2019 by acquisitions of Gimlet, Anchor, and Parcast. But outright acquisition isn’t the only way to gain content. Continue Reading
Amazon Music announced that it has more than 55 million customers globally in its streaming music network. That growth includes a more than 50% increase in Amazon Music Unlimited subscriptions during 2019. Continue Reading
The latest financial update from 7digital finds the B2B music provider on track to meet its 2019 expectations and see a full recovery in 2020. Thanks to new and renewed contracts and stable revenue for its direct-to-consumer content, 7digital expects to see an operational profit in the first half of 2020. Continue Reading
The BBC will soon have new leadership. Tony Hall will step down as the venerable UK broadcaster’s director general this summer, ending a seven-year tenure. “If I followed my heart I would genuinely never want to leave,” Hall said of his difficult decision to exit. Continue Reading
Spotify’s next podcast acquisition could be The Ringer, the network established by Bill Simmons in 2016. The Ringer is a sports and pop culture podcast publisher; Bill Simmons is ex-ESPN and helped start the 30 For 30 sports series. There is some fearful reaction on Twitter. Continue Reading
Lizhi, a leading audio content app in China, has launched on the U.S. stock market. It is trading on Nasdaq, and is one of the first non-music platforms from the country to go public. Lizhi is offering 4.1 million shares at $11 per share. Continue Reading