Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Podcasts are now 25% at Slate. YouTube tightens access to ad program. Programmatic and podcasts at Spotify. Continue Reading
Stream ripping has been at the forefront of music piracy for a few years now, and it continues to be a concern for the industry. The practice was a focus in the 2017 Notorious Markets List from the Office of the United States Trade Representative. The report has placed a focus on digital piracy in recent years, and stream ripping was the focus in the 2016 edition. It remains a top concern in the 2017 version. Continue Reading
B2B music provider 7digital announced last week that it has signed on to power playlisting platform 8tracks. The companies have agreed to at least one year of collaboration. Under these terms, 7digital will provide hosting and streaming for all of 8tracks’ directly licensed music. Continue Reading
A group of popular performers has filed an amicus brief against Pandora centered on pre-1972 recordings. Jeffrey Knowles and Julia D. Greer of Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP filed the brief in the California lawsuit on January 12. Continue Reading
Warner Music Group (WMG) is reportedly attempting to ease 130 employees out of the company, offering them buyouts. According to Billboard, those staffers “deal with physical product,” which probably means the CD part of Warner’s business. The action is targeted within WEA, the distribution, marketing and sales division of WMG. Billboard’s sources indicate that the projected cost saving would be applied to distribution and marketing of streaming music. Continue Reading
Triton Digital and Edison Research announced that they will expand their Infinite Dial study to cover Canada. The research will offer a comprehensive view of Canadian digital media consumption, covering topics including digital audio, podcasts, and smart speakers. The inaugural Infinite Dial Canada study results will be unveiled on April 4. Continue Reading
We received a note that in the wake of a merger of Wildfire Radio (a radio and podcast company) and New Media Studios (a recording studio specializing in podcasts), podcast ad network AdvertiseCast has signed to represent the shows within the joined entity. Continue Reading
YouTube Red is slated to make an international expansion this year. Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl told Les Echos that the company has been getting the licensing and distribution deals in place to take the subscription service to more countries. YouTube Red is currently available in Australia, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, and the U.S. Continue Reading
New Samsung phones in U.S. and Canada will be sold with their FM chips unlocked. The tech manufacturer is working with NextRadio to activate the existing FM chips in smartphones for those markets. Continue Reading
Pandora is making plans to broaden its podcast offerings. CEO Roger Lynch spoke with Variety during CES and said his goal is to create “the equivalent of the podcast genome project.” Lynch said the company is working on a system that would allow listeners to browse and discover new shows on Pandora. The move isn’t unprecedented, but there are some questions. Continue Reading
Ahead of its Q4 earnings call, Sirius XM announced that it has exceeded its 2017 subscriber guidance. The satellite radio company ended the year with about 27.5 million self-pay subscribers, adding an estimated 1.56 million self-pay subscribers in 2017. Continue Reading
Stitcher announced the debut of two new shows on its podcast network. The first is Unladylike and the second show is Who Is Franklin Jones? The Stitcher Premium subscription service is also getting three new programs. Continue Reading