Slacker debuts new Sound Bytes feature
Slacker Radio unveiled a feature called Slacker Sound Bytes that expands its non-music programming. These items are special audio clips that will play based on a listener’s preferences. Continue Reading
News
Streaming dominates Australia’s music market in 2016
Australia’s recorded music market pulled in annual revenue of A$352.2 million ($269 million) in 2016, up 5.5%. The data from industry group ARIA revealed a second consecutive year of growth. Continue Reading
Public radio video project VuHaus adds Tennessee affiliate
VuHaus, a public media video platform, has announced another affiliate station that will contribute to its programming. WMOT 89.5 FM and World Cafe in Nashville have joined the service, which collects videos of music performances and other behind-the-scenes clips. Continue Reading
Digital revenue, album downloads both on the rise in Japan
Japanese trade body RIAJ reported that the country’s music industry saw 0.42% growth in 2016 for total revenue of 230.593 billion yen ($2.09 billion). That result ran counter to the projections that Japan’s music market would shrink during the year. Continue Reading
SoundCloud subscriptions debut in the Netherlands
SoundCloud has launched its subscription tiers in the Netherlands. SoundCloud Go and SoundCloud Go+ are now both available for listeners in that market. Continue Reading
Facebook recruits for even more music jobs
Facebook is continuing a hiring spree focused on music, leading to increased speculation that the social media company will be branching beyond just status updates and Likes. There are three active job openings for Facebook. Continue Reading
One of SoundCloud’s earliest employees departs
One of SoundCloud’s earliest employees has departed the company. David Noël, who began as a community manager and evangelist then climbed the ladder to head of SoundCloud’s internal communications and evangelist, is leaving. He was one of the first seven… Continue Reading
Spotify acquires startup MightyTV
Spotify has made another startup acquisition. This time the purchased company is MightyTV, a company specializing in video recommendations. Financial terms were not disclosed. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Podcast advertising; more Infinite Dial recap; curation by chatbot
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: “First, a Word From Our Celebrity” in the New York Times. More recap from the Infinite Dial by Westwood One. Brazilian startup exploring the power of musical chatbots. Continue Reading
Slacker Radio CEO talks about profitability and pricing
Slacker Radio may be close to turning a profit. In a recent interview, Slacker Radio CEO Duncan Orrell-Jones talked about the positive effects of committing to being a niche audio service and about the pricing outlook for audio subscriptions. Continue Reading
Another holdout wavers: Tool may release music to streaming platforms
The ranks of streaming holdouts have been slowly dwindling as the digital distribution takes hold of ever-larger market share. The latest artist to ponder a change of heart is hard rock band Tool. Sources claiming to be familiar with negotiations said members of Tool have been talking to platforms like Spotify and Apple Music about paths to releasing their music. Continue Reading
Panoply Pilot Project gets listener feedback for possible new podcasts
Podcast company Panoply is running a campaign that asks listeners to select new shows to get picked up for a full season. The Panoply Pilot Project has debuted four first episodes of original podcasts. Listeners can offer feedback on each show and vote for the ones they want to hear as a regular Panoply series. Continue Reading