Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Pandora exec on voice ads. Why Latin music is having a moment. Playlists for (adoptable) puppies. Continue Reading
Podcasting content and advertising company Midroll Media has post a top-of-the-year round-up of its business, and predictions for podcasting as a whole. One of those predictions is exceptionally bold. Also, is 2018 the year when podcasting is measured by listens instead of downloads? Continue Reading
Kieron Donoghue has launched an independent record label with a focus on streaming. Humble Angel Records will pay its artists monthly and aims to offer contracts with “at least double the average” of royalty rates from the majors. Continue Reading
Billboard has released its Power 100 list for 2018, a ranking of the most influential leaders in the music business. The list includes several executives from streaming services alongside the stalwarts from major labels, talent management, and concert promotion. Continue Reading
The Internet Association trade group has thrown its considerable clout behind the Music Modernization Act. The organization represents several online powerhouses such as Google and Facebook, as well as prominent music services Pandora and Spotify. Continue Reading
SoundHound has been quiet recently, but it also hasn’t been standing still. Recode reports that the company just secured a financing round that values SoundHound at an estimated $1 billion. SoundHound declined to comment for Recode’s article. Continue Reading
Drake has a new single, and after less than a week, it has broken multiple streaming records. His track “God’s Plan” now holds the title for Spotify’s and Apple Music’s one-day streaming records. A single breaking records on that scale would have been a major deal a few years back. Now, it’s more surprising if a new release from Drake doesn’t meet those milestones. That trend indicates that it’s time to change how we’re using chart rankings. Continue Reading
YouTube is now a registration agency for the International Standard Name Identifier. This means that the video platform will request a unique identifier for every creator whose work is used on the service. The move is intended to ensure that the correct individuals are attributed to each distribution. Continue Reading
YouTube has its fair share of critics, especially in the music industry. According to a new report from Bloomberg, it seems that YouTube may be trying to create leverage that will keep musicians from making negative comments about the video platform. The publication said it has learned that YouTube has offered a few musicians hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial backing to produce videos and billboard promotion, with the caveat that these performers won’t say negative things about the company. Continue Reading
YouTube announced it is merging all of that performer’s subscribers into the Official Artist Channel, which will be identified with a music note icon. That could reduce the visibility of Vevo, which is owned by two major music labels, with investment from Alphabet (parent company of YouTube and Google). Continue Reading
Triton Digital and Edison Research have announced the date for the 2018 edition of The Infinite Dial, the influential annual study of how Americans listen to audio. It is Thursday, March 8. The live presentation is hosted annually by Tom Webster (SVP, Edison Research) and John Rosso (President, Market Development, Triton Digital). Continue Reading
Napster hired a new vice president of business development & operations for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Venesa Hoffman will be tasked with leading and executing the growth strategy, sales, marketing, and operations in that geographic region. Continue Reading