Quick Hits: About podcast ads; Patreon’s $30M; Music Memos from Apple
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: When and why podcasts ads work; Patreon’s serious Series B round; Apple launches Music Memos recording app. Continue Reading
News
Deezer: $109M new funding, bigger library, future plans
Several big news items came out of France-based Deezer today. First, the on-demand streaming service has secured €100 million (about $109 million) in a funding round. The influx of money will go toward growing the service’s audience, introducing new products and features, and building more programmed experiences for listeners. Second, Deezer announced that it has increased the size of its music catalog. Continue Reading
Infinite Dial webinar date set by Edison Research & Triton Digital
Edison Research released the date and time of the The Infinite Dial webinar, an annual event in which survey results about American listening are released each March. The Infinite Dial is a joint production of Edison Research and Triton Digital. The date is March 10, at 2pm EST. Click through for registration info. Continue Reading
On the Move: New leaders at Univision, SESAC; promotions at ASCAP, Xaxis
On the Move tracks hires, promotions, and other notable personnel changes within the online audio industry. Today’s moves include new high-level hires at Univision and SESAC, while ASCAP and Xaxis announced promotions from within the ranks. Continue Reading
Tidal mistakenly billed cancelled customers
The overarching narrative we saw last year with Tidal, the boutique streaming service focused on artist empowerment and audio quality, was wonky PR. Unfortunately, the company has kicked off 2016 with another peculiar problem: Tidal appears to have accidentally billed some of its former customers. Continue Reading
Rhapsody to show BandPage concert notifications
BandPage has embarked on a tighter integration with Rhapsody that focuses on promoting live shows. Through this partnership, Rhapsody will begin offering its listeners push notifications about upcoming concerts from their preferred artists. Continue Reading
Streaming made its mark on Germany’s music biz in 2015
The German Federal Music Industry Association, or BVMI, has released its 2015 music data for the nation. The year saw a 3.9% increase in value with sales rising to €1.5 billion. Streaming services were a big portion of that growth, with the format gaining 96.6% last year. Continue Reading
Spotify bringing in-store “experiences” to Starbucks
Spotify has partnered with coffee chain Starbucks for what they’ve dubbed a “new digital music experience” in stores across the U.S. Under this new arrangement, patrons will be able to identify music playing over the store loudspeakers from within the Starbucks app. Continue Reading
Omny Studio to announce audio on Facebook via conversion to video player
Australia-based Omny Studio will announce a new tool which easily converts audio to a video player for posting on Facebook. This clever automated workaround solves one of the most vexing problems in social audio for podcasters and broadcasters — Facebook’s inexplicable lack of native audio. Continue Reading
NAB and NPR pitch FCC for FM chip activation
The National Association for Broadcasters and National Public Radio have submitted a call to the FCC to activate FM chips in smartphones. The recommendation was in response to the FCC’s proceedings aimed at improving wireless emergency alerts. Continue Reading
STRATA to offer digital ad inventory from iHeartMedia
STRATA announced that digital ad inventory from iHeartMedia is now available in its systems for ad buyers. This new deal brings iHeart’s inventory to more than 1,000 ad agencies currently using STRATA. Continue Reading
Guvera unveils tie-in as sponsor for tennis’ Australian Open
Several music platforms have experimented with branded channels, and Guvera is the latest to hop on the bandwagon. The service has signed on as the official music streaming partner for the Australian Open tennis major. Continue Reading