Naxos Music Library World has debuted a new way to explore its newly-launched catalog. As befits a world music specialist, it’s an interactive map. The breadth of Naxos’ metadata makes the interactive map a fun new tool for world music discovery. Continue Reading
SoundCloud unveiled a subscription tier for its online audio platform. SoundCloud Go will give members an expanded catalog, including “the full repertoire of artists signed to independent labels and major labels alike,” clocking in at more than 125 million tracks. The tier will also allow offline access and ad-free listening. This is a move that we’ve been expecting ever since SoundCloud completed the trifecta of major label licensing deals. Continue Reading
We received word from AudioHQ of a new on-demand audio series to start this fall. It is the first original podcast program developed by the digital audio ad sales company. Partnering with AudioHQ are Laurence Fishburne through his Cinema Gypsy Productions company, and Larenz Tate’s TateMen Entertainment company. Continue Reading
Sony announced a title shuffle among its top leadership, including some updates for its music division. Four of the company’s top executives have been promoted to corporate executive officers, with executive vice president titles added to their existing roles. Continue Reading
After all the big statements about his new album “never” going to appear on Apple, Kanye West appears to have changed his mind. For one song, at least. The track “Famous” arrived on other streaming services, including both Apple Music and Spotify, over the weekend. Continue Reading
Pandora founder Tim Westergren has assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer effective immediately, the company announced this morning. Former CEO Brian McAndrews is leaving the company. Continue Reading
Spotify is collecting some interesting information from playlist creators about their use of the feature. According to Music Ally, the survey inquires about whether the respondent makes and shares playlists, and how much they know or care about how others interact with their creations. Continue Reading
France trade body SNEP recently released year-end data for the nation’s music market, but bundled in with that information was a new approach to its chart strategy. The 2015 album chart included streaming data. Continue Reading
Vevo is improving the recommendations it gives on its mobile app, but it’s looking to other music companies for ideas. The Vevo mobile app can now integrate with Spotify, Twitter, and YouTube accounts, and that data goes into better suggestions for the listener. Continue Reading
NPR hired Thomas Hjelm to fill its newly created post of Chief Digital Officer. In the new position, he will be responsible for guiding NPR’s digital strategy and keeping ahead of how listeners want to experience content. Continue Reading
New social music app Noted launched today. The platform, which originally debuted last year as Nusiki, has rebranded itself with improved technology focused on discovery. It combines algorithms with analysis of social interactions to make recommendations. Continue Reading
When Kanye West launched his latest album, the focus was on his protective approach to distribution. The strategy was controversial at best, especially given the immediate wave of piracy the title faced. But in the weeks following the official release, West has been less obviously changing how his fans perceive the very idea of an album in the streaming age. Continue Reading