Vevo hires new chief sales officer
Music video platform Vevo has hired Kevin McGurn as its chief sales officer. McGurn was previously head of sales at YouTube multi-channel network Fullscreen. Continue Reading
News
EU passes cross-border access rule for online services, including music streaming
The European Union has passed new rules aimed at advancing plans for a unified digital market in the bloc. The recent ruling allows online service subscribers from one nation to access those platforms when they travel to other countries in the EU. Streaming music falls under the umbrella of this “portability” rule. Continue Reading
Vevo pausing subscription plans to focus on expansion and original content
Vevo has been working on towards a subscription tier for at least a full year, but it seems that the wait will continue. CEO Erik Huggers said in an interview that the subscription plans are on hold while Vevo focuses on international expansion and producing original content. Continue Reading
New York Times offers Spotify bundle deal
The New York Times has a deal with Spotify. New digital subscribers who buy a year of access to the newspaper for the will also get access to the premium version of the streaming service. Continue Reading
YouTube rolls out mobile live streaming
YouTube has added live streaming to its mobile version. Creators with more than 10,000 subscribers can take advantage of this feature, although it will roll out to all users “soon.” Continue Reading
MIDiA Research report examines streaming pricing
MIDiA Research has frequently explored questions of pricing in the streaming economy. Its latest report is titled Streaming Music Pricing: Inelastic Stretching, and it examines the standard $9.99 price point for on-demand streaming. Continue Reading
Digital is nearly half of Warner’s Q1 revenue
Warner Music Group posted financial results for the first quarter, marking a strong start for streaming in the new fiscal year. At 48.4%, digital sources are now responsible for nearly half of Warner’s total revenue. Continue Reading
RIAA suing Spinrilla for copyright infringement
The RIAA often leads the industry charges in legal actions for the digital music space and it has ridden into the fray once more. It is suing a streaming website and app called Spinrilla on behalf of several major record labels. The RIAA said it found more than 21,000 copyrighted sound recordings uploaded to the platform. Continue Reading
Soundrop relaunches as digital distribution platform
Billing itself as a service for “the YouTube generation,” Soundrop has shifted to become a digital music distribution platform. The business is only distributing to five businesses to start: Apple Music, iTunes, Spotify, GooglePlay, Amazon, and Deezer. Later in 2017, it expects to add Pandora and YouTube. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio’s 2017 focus on podcasting: Content, technology, and new leadership
iHeartRadio, the public-facing brand of the largest commercial radio group in America, is training its resources on the emerging podcast category with new content, technology partnerships, and in-house leadership. We spoke to Chris Peterson, iHeart’s new SVP of Podcasting. Continue Reading
Sirius XM posts strong Q4/FY 2016, still denies Pandora interest
Sirius XM reported its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2016 earnings. Sirius XM CEO James Meyer deflected questions about the company’s will-they-won’t-they interest in buying Pandora and discussed mobile listening. Continue Reading
Nielsen completes Gracenote acquisition
Nielsen has completed its acquisition of Gracenote. Nielsen has predicted that the Gracenote purchase will have a neutral impact on its 2017 financial results and will be slightly accretive in 2018. The buyout was first announced in December 2016. Continue Reading