Germany broke 100 billion audio streams last year
Streaming continues to grow in popularity in Germany. According to BVMI and GfK Entertainment, German listeners generated 107 billion audio streams in 2019. Continue Reading
News
Merlin appoints former Facebook exec as new CEO
Merlin has selected a new CEO following the exit of its long-time leader. The independent music licensing hub appointed Jeremy Sirota as its new top executive. Sirota joins from Facebook. Continue Reading
Sirius XM reached a record-high 34.9 million paid subscribers last year
Sirius XM released its latest subscriber numbers ahead of its February earnings release and conference call. The satellite radio company announced that it total paid subscriber base has hit a record high of 34.9 million. Continue Reading
Triton Digital receives award for its audio SSP
Triton Digital has received an award from ExchangeWire’s The Wires Global for one of its audio services. The company was recognized as the Best New Product or Service – Sell Side for its audio supply-side platform (Yield-Op). Continue Reading
RAIN 7th Annual Industry Predictions 2020
Since 2014 RAIN News has featured New Year predictions from industry illuminati. We received nearly 200 predictions from 53 contributors on three continents. Over 70% of the contributions are about podcasting. Continue Reading
David Cohn steps into Megaphone as Head of Sales
Podcast tech and sales company Megaphone is starting the new year with a hiring announcement: David Cohn becomes the firm’s VP and Head of Sales. His 20-year media career as a sales executive has moved him through AskMed.com, Ranker, and Receptiv. Continue Reading
Metallica, famous for digital curmudgeonry, celebrates Spotify 2019 stats
Metallica music was streamed a billion times in 2019 by 46-million people who listened to 90-million hours of the stuff. Those metrics were shared by the band from its Wrapped for Artists tool. There is a certain irony. Continue Reading
Tencent buys into UMG: 10% now, optional 10% later
Chinese media conglomerate Tencent is reportedly acquiring 10% of major label Universal Music Group (UMG). The deal includes an option to own an additional ten percent within a year. The two companies have mutually benefited in the past. Continue Reading
Comparing Apple Music’s 2019 Top 10 with Apple-owned Shazam
Browse through the most-streamed songs of 2019 among various music services, and you see predictably repeated names: Ariana Grande and Post Malone preeminent among them. Shazam, a popular music-ID app which identifies songs heard ambiently, shows a differentiated 2019 list. Continue Reading
2019 music service round-ups: Lists and interactive presentations
Streaming music services could be redefined as data warehouses. What to do with all that info? Well, make money with it, naturally … but also make end-of-year wrap-ups listing platform highlights. Below, some of them. iHeartRadio’s interactive 2019 top artists… Continue Reading
End of the run for 8tracks, innovative user-built streaming music service
Venerable streaming music service 8tracks will close on December 31, SF-based Founder and CEO David Porter announced. This ends an 11-year run of a streaming music service notable for its innovation, loyalty of its contributing users, and unique product. Continue Reading
Audioboom confirms Stuart Last as new CEO
Podcast company Audioboom has appointed Stuart Last as its new CEO, effective immediately. Last has been at Audioboom since 2014, and has held roles including COO. Continue Reading