Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Interview with Midroll Media’s Erik Diehn; Ministry of Sound on the business of playlist curation; Microsoft’s Groove Music on Sonos. Continue Reading
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A new study finds that people stick with short podcasts more than long podcasts. Obvious? Maybe, but podcasting is replete with 60-minute (and longer) shows. The new research also addresses other audience habits. Continue Reading
TuneCore announced the addition of two new team members and a new office to its U.S. operations. Gillian Morris will be the company’s vice president of publishing. Amy Lombardi joins as a manager of artist relations. Continue Reading
In one of the more unique partnerships we’ve seen, iHeartRadio announced that it will be airing a station that combines information about Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S. with smooth jazz music. POPE Info Radio will have updates on the religious leader’s time in the country – including event schedules, traffic and weather updates, and interviews with organizers and officials – mixed in after each song of the smooth jazz programming. Continue Reading
Spotify Running has arrived on Android mobile devices. This feature makes song selections based on the tempo of the listener’s gait. Running has several preset playlists that can deliver the beat-matching technology. It was initially rolled out only to iPhones. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Music science report from O’Reilly; the other side of playola accusations; interview with Mixcloud’s co-founder. Continue Reading
The city of Chicago ruffled some feathers earlier this year with the announcement of an amusement tax levied against online entertainment services. The tax would cover video and audio platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Hulu, and Xbox Live. However, the city has hit a snag in getting that tax off the ground. The Liberty Justice Center has filed a lawsuit in Illinois circuit court to challenge several aspects of the proposed tax. Continue Reading
Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet (the tech giant formerly known as Google), penned an article for BBC about artificial intelligence technology and how it might develop. The piece is mostly a surface discussion of this very complex technology, but it did pointedly touch on the role of AI in the music industry. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Cost analysis of Pandora’s anniversary celebration; Rdio on more Wi-fi speakers; HTC + Spotify + selfies; focus on podcasting in India. Continue Reading
Two leading podcast networks announced updates to their programming. PodcastOne has added six shows, largely focused on sports and fitness. Play.It also added new shows covering a range of topics across entertainment, politics, and sports. Continue Reading
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The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. THIS WEEK: 200-page BBC report reinvents the mission; record-setting royalty collections in the U.S.; Pandora celebrates an anniversary; more. Continue Reading
MixRadio is setting its sights on the Indonesian market. In an interview with the Jakarta Globe, Asia-Pacific Director Jamie Robertson explained that the music service is making Indonesia one of its top three priority markets. Indonesia has a reputation as a market with extensive piracy, but Robertson does not see those activities as a threat to the legal streaming option offered by MixRadio. Continue Reading