Russia’s vKontakte to add subscription tier
VKontakte, a Russian social network, is planning to add a paid subscription tier for its music service. The update is slated to occur in early 2017, according to the Moscow Times. Continue Reading
News
Radio groups ally with Shazam to develop new audience measurement solution
In a startling announcement that apparently hopes to drive a wedge into the radio audience measurement field, five broadcast groups have created a partnership with Shazam at the center, to develop what the announcement calls a “groundbreaking new audio measurement solution.” Continue Reading
Pandora rebuffed a purchase offer from Sirius XM’s owner
Just hours ahead of its second-quarter earnings call, we’ve learned that Pandora has reportedly turned down a proposed bid from Liberty Media. The owner of Sirius XM allegedly floated an offer to buy out the online audio company for $15 per share, valuing Pandora at more than $3.4 billion. Sources are saying that Pandora board rejected the informal bid, citing the price as too low. Continue Reading
Pono Music switches to 7digital, temporarily closes store
Pono Music has suspended operations of its online store due to content provider changes. The specialty hi-res music platform had been using Omnifone as its exclusive content provider, but is in the process of transitioning that work over to new partner 7digital. Continue Reading
Shazam partnering with radio groups for audience measurement service
Shazam has entered a partnership with several broadcasting groups with the goal of creating an audience measurement solution for broadcast and digital audio. The new partners are iHeartMedia, Cumulus, Entercom, Cox and Sun Broadcast Group. Continue Reading
Adforce.com will sell Communicorp digital audio inventory in Ireland
Adforce.com has acquired the exclusive right to sell ads for radio stations and podcasts of broadcast group Communicorp. Technology from Triton Digital and XAPPmedia is part of the alliance. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Forecasting a Spotify IPO; Musixmatch gets international flair
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Crunching the numbers on a Spotify IPO, and Musixmatch adds lyrics translations. Continue Reading
Warner’s distribution arm closes some smaller accounts
Warner distribution division has shut down several accounts for small retailers of physical music. According to Pitchfork, WEA is enforcing a policy that requires a minimum annual order of $10,000 for stores with direct accounts. Continue Reading
Social/live music company Magnifi set to close
Magnifi, a digital platform for live music discovery, will reportedly close on Aug. 1. The service offered a blend of free audio streaming, listings for live shows, and social interactions. Continue Reading
Streaming now counts for a quarter of Germany’s music market
Germany’s music industry body, BVMI, has released a mid-year report with positive results for streaming. During the first half of 2016, streaming secured a 24.4% share of the German music market, beating out the 14% share for downloads. Continue Reading
Deezer launches in the U.S.
Deezer has made its long-awaited full launch in the U.S. The on-demand streaming service’s Premium+ subscription – complete with its Flow personalized soundtrack feature, Channels for discovery, and lyrics display – is now directly available to all U.S. listeners. Continue Reading
Universal catalog lands on Russia’s vKontakte
In an important agreement that replaces music piracy with music industry revenue, Universal has inked a deal that will legally add its music to the Russian streaming music platform vKontakte. The agreement means that all of the major labels are working with the platform. Continue Reading