Quick Hits: Music for older ears; Deezer angling for original talk shows
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: New site makes Spotify accessible for listeners over 50; Deezer planning to launch original talk shows. Continue Reading
News
Rumor Fact(ory): Spotify drops negotiations to buy SoundCloud
Spotify has been rumored as a buyer for SoundCloud for month, but it seems that the takeover is a no-go. At least for now. TechCrunch reports that it spoke to a source at Spotify who said the potential acquisition went cold last week. Continue Reading
YouTube and NMPA reach settlement for distributing unclaimed royalties
YouTube has reached an accord with the National Music Publishers Association about royalty payments for music with unknown ownership. The settlement potentially covers any unclaimed works that appeared between Aug. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2015. Continue Reading
Podcast company Satchel adds Patreon integration
Podcast distributor Satchel announced a collaboration with crowd-funding site Patreon. Satchel’s premise is connecting podcasts with local listeners; it first appeared on our radar in February. Now, its podcast player can be embedded with a call to action button that takes listeners to a Patreon page. Continue Reading
SFX rebrands as LiveStyle; Beatport download store will thump on
The long-beleaguered SFX has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy rebranded as LiveStyle. The company is still a specialist in electronic music, but the revamped version appears to be doubling down on live events. Continue Reading
Line Music working with Tuned Global for catalog management
Line Music has entered a deal with Tuned Global to expand its catalog. Line had been working with Omnifone to grow its library, but has been on the hunt for a new provider since Omnifone shuttered. Continue Reading
Warner Music Group turns 2016 profit with boost from streaming revenue
Warner Music Group posted its financial results for the fourth quarter and the fiscal year, and streaming played a large part in the company’s strong results. The label didn’t break out specific numbers for streaming’s contribution, but did acknowledge its role in more general terms. “Digital growth reflects a continuing shift to streaming revenue,” the press release read. Continue Reading
SoundCloud Go arrives in Germany
SoundCloud Go is continuing its march of global rollouts, with the subscription service now available in Germany. SoundCloud’s expansion efforts have been keeping a steady pace this year. The Go subscription is available in the UK and Ireland, France, and Canada. Continue Reading
Apple Music up to 20 million subscribers
Apple Music has confirmed that it now has more than 20 million subscribers. The streaming music service is still comparatively the new kid on the block, but it has been growing at a steady clip since its launch on June 30, 2015. Continue Reading
Pandora Premium: First look
Last night at Pier 36, spacious indoor venue near the bottom tip of Manhattan, Pandora hosted hordes of music lovers for Pandora Holiday Live, a concert featuring The 1975, Bishop Briggs, and Bastille. One hour before the doors opened for the teeming crowd which had reportedly been lining up for two days, a small group of media and finance professionals were given a preview of Pandora Premium, the on-demand service which the company has been promising since its acquisition of Rdio last November. Continue Reading
On the Move: Hires at Deezer and Midroll
On the Move tracks hires, promotions, and other notable personnel changes within the online audio industry. Today’s moves include a VP hire for Deezer, and three updates in the ranks at Midroll Media. Continue Reading
YouTube has paid $1 billion to the music biz from ads in 2016
YouTube has paid out more than $1 billion to the music industry from advertising in the past year. Robert Kyncl, the video platform’s chief business officer, penned a blog post about the state of YouTube’s ad revenue. Continue Reading