RAIN News has confirmed that Brian Benedik, currently VP and Global Head of Revenue at Spotify, will leave the company at the end of September. The departure is wholly Benedik’s decision, and the company is starting a search for his successor. Continue Reading
China has been a market of interest and growth for audio over the past year, but that rise may not continue unchecked. The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered 26 audio-focused apps to close or enter talks with regulators on Friday. Continue Reading
Spotify announced today that it is ending its beta test of direct distribution for independent artists. The streaming service conducted a trial for nearly a year, which allowed indies to upload their music directly to Spotify rather than relying on a third-party service. Continue Reading
In a long-awaited post-bankruptcy maneuver, iHeartMedia is readying a NASDAQ listing on the U.S. stock exchange. Class A common stock will be available under the ticker IHRT. It expects to list on July 18. Continue Reading
YouTube Music is adding a new feature that will automatically download tracks that a listener is most likely to enjoy. The Smart Downloads feature is on the Android app, and it downloads up to 500 songs that the user has liked. Continue Reading
7digital, the B2B music provider, may be facing bankruptcy this summer. The company’s leadership did not pass a resolution this week during its general meeting, which means it needs to raise $5.5 million by July 31. Continue Reading
Apple Music now has 60 million users, including both paying subscribers and listeners on free trials. Apple exec Eddy Cue gave the update in an interview with French website Numerama. Continue Reading
Sirius XM has entered a deal with Headliner Video, which creates sharable social media videos out of audio content. This enterprise-level deal will cover both Sirius XM and Pandora. Continue Reading
AdLarge’s podcast division, cabana, has released its latest Podcast Buying Guide. It is more ambitious than the previous edition, presenting a deeper dive into technicalities while keeping a high standard of clarity. Continue Reading
Apple has been facing criticism over its App Store for many months, including a direct challenge from Spotify about the share it takes of subscription fees. Apple has issued a response to the anti-trust complaint Spotify filed against it in the EU in March, but both companies have some holes in their arguments. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Fire at UMG vault destroys thousands of master recordings. How to find better podcasts. Honoring advances for digital radio in cars. Continue Reading
Soundtrap, a platform for real-time audio collaborations, has revised the features on its free tier. The service now offers unlimited capacity for stored projects; the previous free version only allowed five stored projects. Continue Reading