The U.S. Recording Academy is planning a grassroots initiative to help promote the Fair Pay Fair Play Act. The campaign will see more than 1,600 of the Academy’s members visiting their local representatives and policy-makers on Oct. 14 to voice their support for the legislation. Continue Reading
Pandora will be providing its listeners with a day of ad-free online radio listening tomorrow in honor of its ten-year anniversary. Today, the company announced that it will make that ad-free listening available beyond that celebration with the launch of a One Day Pass. Continue Reading
In its latest report, the BBC has outlined its approach to adapting to an increasingly online media landscape. The broadcaster laid out a ten-year plan that aims to equally cater to those people who have gone all-in on digital services and to those who still prefer to use traditional channels. “We will be moving to an Internet-fit BBC, to be ready for an Internet-only world whenever it comes,” the report said. Continue Reading
Shazam announced that it is opening up its verified artist program to any performer or band who wants to participate. The verified artist designation allows that profile to share music discoveries with a fan base. The company has been trialling the verification program for the past two months with about 200 artists. Shazam said that it has an audience of 1.4 billion followers for that first set of verified profiles. Continue Reading
7digital has entered a partnership with Imagination centered on the FlowRadio Internet radio aggregation service. Under the terms of the deal, the two parties will jointly improve and develop the FlowRadio platform, and 7digital will use it to power IP radio services for other brands. Continue Reading
Google has launched its Play Music streaming service in Japan. A subscription will cost ¥980 per month, but Google is offering the first 30 days as a free trial. For those who register by Oct. 18, they will lock in a discounted monthly rate of ¥780. The service will be available on Android smartphones and tablets and on iPhones. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Spotify’s song of the summer; interview with Songza founder; iTunes VP says there’s “homework” to do. Continue Reading
TuneIn is expanding its available programming in college football, announcing the addition of play-by-play broadcasts and team-specific stations for 90 college teams. These new features mean TuneIn listeners will be able to access almost 70% of the NCAA’s Division 1 football. The platform will also be carrying a talk program called “The College Football Blitz” from IMG. Continue Reading
We’ve seen some trend pieces in the past month discussing just how important it is for artists’ success to secure spots on streaming services’ popular playlists. The indie community has recognized this and is preparing to jump on the bandwagon. The Association of Independent Music in the UK has issued a request for proposal seeking an entity to operate a streaming music playlists brand focused on indies. Continue Reading
App Annie always has great insights into mobile business, and the company’s latest report reviews the most popular iOS apps to date. The report has separate lists for global popularity by download and by revenue, with separate lists for games. Pandora took the crown as the highest-grossing iOS app, while Spotify ranked fifth on that chart. Continue Reading
Universal Music Group reported its financial results for the first half of 2015. It was a milestone period for the company, with digital revenue accounting for more than half of its recorded music operation. Digital music was 50.1% of the revenue at €926 million. Total revenue from ad-funded and subscription streaming rose 34%. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Ten years of NPR podcasts; Google’s Songza-style playlists arrive in Germany; nearly three-quarters of Apple Music subs are male. Continue Reading