Uforia, the music app from Univision, has beefed up its offerings with several new features for Latin music fans. The free app now includes more than 25 playlists curated by mood, a car mode for safe music control while driving, and an alarm clock function. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired Horacio Gutierrez as its new general counsel. He most recently held the same title at Microsoft, departing after 17 years with that company. He is scheduled to start with the streaming service in April. Continue Reading
Sony is moving to assume sole ownership of its Sony/ATV publishing arm. It is buying the 50% stake in Sony/ATV from Michael Jackson’s estate for $750 million. The parties are slated to have a definitive agreement by March 31, and the deal will be subject to regulatory approvals before closing. Continue Reading
Apple Music has inked a deal with Dubset Media Holdings to add remixes and DJ mixes to the streaming service’s library. That type of music has usually been left out of legal streaming platforms because of the complexity of correctly identifying all the rights holders who should receive royalties from the final creation. However, digital distributor Dubset uses proprietary technology to analyze these music files, identify the recordings used in them, and break out the requisite royalty payments for them. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: One take on the licensing lawsuits…and a second opinion on them; Instagram, home of music superfans; Chris Price questions data deluge. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Why Time Spent Listening has dropped; Omnifone’s personnel changes and new products; a round-up of the royalty lawsuits; the state of podcasting in Australia. Continue Reading
New consumer research found that 68% of smartphone owners listen to streaming music every day. The study from Parks Associates revealed that smartphone owners spend more time with their tunes than any other form of mobile entertainment, clocking in at 45 minutes per day with streaming music. Continue Reading
TuneIn announced its plans for participating in the SXSW festival in Austin, including programming in music, sports, and entertainment. Its partners for the event include Comcast Ventures, Westwood One Radio, Big Machine Label Group and Loma Vista Recordings + BODY HIGH. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Behind the scenes at AccuRadio; Rhapsody arrives on Wii U; college students and podcasts; new ideas for Apple Music? Continue Reading
Sonos announced a big business shakeup, including layoffs and a new focus in how it will bring music into the home. In a blog post discussing the changes, CEO John MacFarlane spoke about how the home audio landscape is changing and how the company wants to stay at the forefront of that transition. He pointed to the growth of streaming, and subscription tiers in particular, and the increased interest in voice controls as the reasons for the pivot. Continue Reading
STRATA released results from the latest of its quarterly ad agency surveys. The responses found that 54% of agencies are more interested in streaming audio than they were a year ago. The Q4 2015 survey also addressed questions about programmatic buying, which has also gained in interest among agencies. Continue Reading
French local trade body SNEP reported that the nation’s recorded music market declined 7% last year to €426 million. Digital revenue did increase 14.7%, but only totaled €152.3 million, making it just 36% of the nation’s total music income. Continue Reading