News 213 - RAIN News

Apple Music has 36 million subscribers, reportedly posting 5% monthly growth in the U.S.

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Much of Apple’s subscriber increase is reportedly happening in the U.S. Unnamed sources told WSJ that Apple is posting 5% monthly subscriber growth in the United States, compared with 2% growth for Spotify. That has led many other publications to see this as a sign that Apple could overtake Spotify as the biggest subscription streaming service in one of the major markets, but that projection requires some caveats. Continue Reading →

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Spotify adding songwriter and producer credits to tracks

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Spotify has added credits for songwriters and producers to the tracks on its platform. Right-clicking on a song will reveal an option for “Show Credits,” which opens a pop-up that lists the names of the performer, the writers, and the producers. Spotify said in a blog post announcing the development that it will also provide the source of the credits. Continue Reading →

Quick Hits: Three podcast profiles

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. Today’s stories are profiles from podcasting. Two focus on specific programs – The Daily and Pardon My Take – while a third explores how listeners become so attached to their favorite shows and hosts. Continue Reading →

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Apple hits record revenue of $88.3 billion in Q1

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Apple shared its financial results for the fiscal first quarter ending December 30. Quarterly revenue totaled $88.3 billion, up 13% on-year to reach an all-time record. The period was boosted by iPhone performance, and the company’s active installed base of devices grew 30% over two years to 1.3 billion. Continue Reading →

“Streaming is driving the industry” – Warner posts continued digital revenue growth for Q1

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Warner Music Group has reported its financial results for the fiscal first quarter ending December 31. The major label posted a 14% increase in total revenue to nearly $1.05 billion. The label does not detail specifics about streaming revenue, but its chief exec did credit streaming as a positive. Continue Reading →

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Amazon shares financials, sold “tens of millions” of Echo devices last year

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Amazon has shared its financial results for the fourth quarter and the fiscal year 2017. “Our 2017 projections for Alexa were very optimistic, and we far exceeded them. We don’t see positive surprises of this magnitude very often — expect us to double down,” Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos said. Continue Reading →

Nielsen data shows a Grammys boost to streaming performance

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Nielsen Music shared some statistics about the impact last weekend’s Grammy awards show had on streaming for the artists. Songs performed on stage were streamed more than 9.3 million times across audio streaming services on Monday, 2.1 million streams more than their combined total from Sunday. Continue Reading →

Dubset releases three exclusive DJ sets on Apple Music

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Dubset Media Holdings is providing Apple Music with three exclusive DJ sets from Steve Aoki, Sigala, and DJ Suss One. Each mix is built from tracks available for use through Dubset’s MixBank catalog. The technology platform helps identify rightsholders for the different tracks used in DJ sets or remixes, and secures quick approval for their use. Continue Reading →

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Pandora announces layoffs, restructuring, and expansion of Atlanta office

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Brad Hill

In what Pandora calls a “redesign,” the company has announced a company reorganization that includes layoffs, a remapping of its key initiatives, and prioritization of its Atlanta office for growth even as its official HQ remains in Oakland. The staff reduction will affect 5% of Pandora’s workforce. At the same time, the company plans to hire for its new initiatives in the less expensive, talent-rich Atlanta market. Continue Reading →

Quick Hits: Looking at Yonder, smart speakers and radio, Radioplayer UK gets more Alexa

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Mark Mulligan on Yonder. Mark Ramsey on smart speakers. Radioplayer UK expands Alexa skills. Continue Reading →

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Spotify launches new app just for free playlist listening (Australia)

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Spotify has launched a new app designed specifically for listening to curated playlists. Stations, now available on Android mobile devices, appears to offer a lean-back listening experience. The app is free to download and use, no Spotify Premium subscription is required. Continue Reading →

Sirius XM posts Q4 net loss, but $5.4 billion in fiscal 2017 revenue

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Anna Washenko

Sirius XM has shared its results from the 2017 fourth quarter and full fiscal year. The satellite radio company posted quarterly revenue of $1.4 billion and a net loss of 37 million, or 1 cent per share. For the full year, revenue totaled $5.4 billion. Net income was $648 million, or 14 cents per share. Continue Reading →