In recent months, we’ve seen some hints and rumors that Amazon might spin out its Prime Music streaming platform from under the umbrella of its broader Prime subscription. Unnamed sources told Reuters that Amazon is preparing to unveil a separate streaming music service in late summer or early fall. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Troy Carter goes to Spotify — is it a trend signal? Also The Pirate Bay returns to its original domain and Apple’s App Store is getting a big revamp. Continue Reading
On Wednesday, we shared some of the pertinent data from the PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook. That assessment pointed to some general trends we can expect across 2016-2020 in music and Internet advertising. Today, we take a deeper dive into the numbers for the U.S. radio industry. Continue Reading
Russian streaming service Zvooq announced an investment of $5 million. The influx of funding came from local electronic retailer Ulmart. The streaming platform also inked a partnership with mobile phone operator Tele2. Continue Reading
Apple Music has added some sports content to its radio options. NBC Sports Radio can now be streamed in the tech company’s Music app on iOS and via iTunes on a laptop or desktop. Continue Reading
Daniel Ek has no plans to sell off Spotify to a larger tech company. That came from a Q&A with reporters in Stockholm. He cautioned that selling off European startups to U.S. tech enterprises was hoiding back the EU tech industry. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Women gain more voice in podcasting; three Afro-American women add color to Seattle’s podcast scene; are streaming music services re-calibrating to reduce free listening? Continue Reading
Pandora made two announcements this week centered on its interactions with the industry. First, the company has partnered with Music Reports, a rights administration platform. Second, Pandora hired a new Head of Publisher Licensing and Relations. Continue Reading
Slacker Radio has joined the ranks of audio services inking deals with the telecom sector. The Internet radio company is participating in a promotion from U.S. Cellular that will see qualifying customers get one year membership to Slacker Radio Premium for free. Continue Reading
PwC has released its Global Entertainment and Media Outlook for 2016-2020, and the report includes projections for music, radio, and Internet advertising. Global E&M spending is expected to rise from $603 billion in 2015 to $720 billion by 2020. The consultant shared some highlights from the global and U.S. editions of the report. Continue Reading
Here’s another collection of the talks and sessions at music industry event Midem in Cannes. Topics covered in these sessions include live-streaming video, marketing potential, indies combatting safe harbor rules, and the power of Alibaba Music. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired Troy Carter as its global head of creator services. Carter has a long history in music, spending 15 years in talent management and founding entertainment company Atom Factory. So far, the speculation is that Carter could be tasked with securing exclusive releases for the streaming service. Continue Reading