Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Pandora, Merlin, and the CRB; listening beyond genre labels; video and the modern musician. Continue Reading
Tidal’s rising and falling fortunes have been the subject of much attention in the music media. The latest adventure for the often-conflicted company could be new ownership. Sources have told The New York Post that Samsung has allegedly reopened talks to acquire Tidal. Continue Reading
In the wake of David Lowery’s lawsuit against Spotify, other streaming services are now allegedly moving to protect themselves against similar actions. Both Deezer and Rhapsody have reportedly made moves related to Lowery’s catalogs with the bands Camper van Beethoven and Cracker. Continue Reading
A new report from Nielsen, State of The Media: Audio Today, compiled listening figures from 2015 and confirmed the strength of radio’s reach. This report generally found a respectable performance for radio among younger generations, but time spent with the format was still markedly lower than for Generation X and Boomers. Continue Reading
Next Big Sound released a new report offering insights on how to benchmark artist performance. The newly Pandora-owned data company examined ideas for analyzing musicians’ success online. The report tracks data from several social media networks – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vevo, and Instagram – and combined it with an assessment of Pandora plays. Continue Reading
Many European nations have been pushing for the adoption of DAB technology for radio, with some countries setting clear plans for it to completely replace the current FM system. But not all are jumping on the bandwagon. After announcing a ‘wait and see’ attitude last spring, Sweden’s leaders have officially rejected a proposal to transition away from FM radio. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia has shared its financial results for Q4 and FY 2015. The news release also included some details about the iHeartRadio. Although the parent company doesn’t break out financial details separately for its online audio brand, it did share some stats and metrics. Continue Reading
A new podcast from Parents magazine was released yesterday as an entire 32-episode season, Netflix-style. Pregnant women and their partners can start listening at the episode that matches their stage. This clever idea adds a dimension to on-demand audio. Continue Reading
A New York investment company has taken on a major role with PledgeMusic, a music service combining crowdfunding and direct-to-fan concepts. The move from Magna Entertainment follows an investment of $3 million it made in the platform in 2014. Continue Reading
The BBC has released a new, standalone music app. The free BBC Music app pulls from the broadcaster’s radio, TV, and online content pools to present a customizable suite of entertainment for Android or iOS phones. It includes both audio and video material, such as live performances and interviews, but all revolving around musical topics. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has made its uploader-focused Pulse app available for iOS three months after launching on Android. The app, which focuses on the creators using the audio platform, is designed to help Soundcloud uploaders share their work, engage with listeners, and view analytics for their tracks. Continue Reading
Google Play Music is getting an update that will add the option to search YouTube videos from within the app, further bringing together Google’s music and video empires. It is another example of video becoming established in music services, and a natural evolution in Google’s case. Continue Reading