Napster’s parent company, RealNetworks, has doubled its existing stake in the streaming service. RealNetworks acquired the debt and equity interests in Rhapsody International, an action that gives it about 84% of the outstanding stock in Napster. Continue Reading
Spotify is still coming hot and fast with the updates and future plans. The newest feature is an option to mute individual artists, and the latest churn of the gossip mill points to developments around in-vehicle hardware and an Indian launch down the road. Continue Reading
Jim Ballas has been named CTO and VP of Operations at PodcastOne, where he has worked since the podcast company’s founding. Today’s announcement marks his fifth titled role in the company. Continue Reading
RAIN News attended the inaugural iHeartRadio Podcast Awards presented by Capital One on January 18. At the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles, many notable figures from podcasting appeared to recognize the successes of the audio format. Continue Reading
TuneIn announced some figures from the end of both December and 2018. The audio company said that its platform generated more than half a billion hours of listening during December. It also reported that overall listening hours rose 31% year-over-year. Continue Reading
Spotify has released three updates this week, each touching on a different area of the streaming service’s offerings. First, it introduced a Car View. Second, Spotify may be expanding its integration with dating app Tinder. Finally, Spotify has been making adjustments to its language about distributors. Continue Reading
Last week, the technology sector converged on Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. RAIN News has assembled some of the more unique and interesting developments from the event, where voice assistants and smart home news topped the headlines. Continue Reading
Deezer has launched a new dedicated mobile app for radio listening. Radio By Deezer offers access to 30,000 stations covering music, live sports, news, and talk. The app is free to download, does not require a subscription, and plays no additional advertisements. However, the initial rollout is limited to Android devices and to the UK market. Continue Reading
Anne Bulford is departing her post as the deputy director-general of the BBC. She is stepping away from the broadcaster to pursue other non-executive roles. She was the first woman to hold the deputy director-general post at the BBC. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: From mixtapes to streaming at Audiomack. Wondery CEO interview. Parrot racks up Amazon orders on owners’ Echo. Continue Reading
New startup Canopy caught the press’ attention for its unique approach to maintaining privacy while delivery personalized content recommendations, including for music. Helmed by a former Echo Nest exec, the company has now expanded two other high-profile hires. Canopy has hired Matt Ogle, the creator of Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlists, and Bassey Etim, former community desk editor for The New York Times. Continue Reading
Apple Music is offering a new, expanded deal to Verizon customers. The two parties had previously run a six-month free trial program for members of the Verizon Unlimited plan. Now, people who are part of the Beyond Unlimited and Above Unlimited plans on Verizon will have access to an ongoing Apple Music subscription as part of their service. Continue Reading