Pandora introduced a new feature that allows listeners to customize the experience of listening to their lean-back stations. Pandora Modes offers more control over the algorithmic choices made in the programming of their stations. Continue Reading
B2B digital music company 7digital has appointed Julia Hubbard as its chief financial officer. She will assume the responsibilities from David Holmwood, who has been the business’ acting CFO since June 2018. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Vulture shares podcast insights. Qualcomm plans future smart speaker chip upgrades. Deloitte finds “subscription fatigue” for video. Continue Reading
Groove Music has formally been out of commission since 2017, and Microsoft is eliminating some of the few remaining routes for accessing the music platform. Groove Music began as a rebrand of Microsoft’s Xbox Music app. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Voice assistants struggle with discovery. The new journey for indies. What if Google buys UMG? Continue Reading
Warner Music Group has signed a direct licensing deal with Boomplay Music, a leading music streaming service in Africa. Under the terms of their agreement, Boomplay will be able to distribute WMG’s catalog of more than 1 million songs to its listeners Continue Reading
Facebook has made music licensing a high priority in the past few years, and the company’s most recent moves are taking those aspirations international. The social media network now has partnerships with music rightsholders in 40 countries, with the latest moves focused on India and Thailand. Continue Reading
Napster and Univision have entered a new digital audio partnership centered on the Latin culture specialist’s Uforia app for on-demand audio and music. Under the terms of the deal, Univision’s Uforia app is now part of the “Powered by Napster” platform thanks to a new design and enhancements. Continue Reading
Deezer announced that it has appointed Laurence Miall – d’Août as its new chief commercial officer. In this executive post, she will head up the company’s B2B activities internationally, including partnerships, business development, and advertising sales. Continue Reading
Spotify has filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission, arguing that the rules and fee cuts with the App Store post a threat to business competition and limit customer choice. The complaint centers around Apple’s operation of the App Store, the sole way to find and download software for iOS mobile devices. Continue Reading
YouTube Music has embarked on a push of international expansion, bringing the paid music-video subscription tier to 14 new markets. The rollout in India is of particular notice. Continue Reading
Andy Ng has stepped down from his role as a group vice president of Tencent Music Entertainment. He is leaving the post for “personal reasons,” but will continue to provide advice to the company in a new role as group senior consultant. Continue Reading