Ten years ago, when podcasting was relatively new, it was mainly downloaded content. Things have changed, thanks to high-speed mobile bandwidth, and consumer acceptance of streaming access as opposed to stored ownership. Why have some podcast apps failed to get with the times? A case study in frustration. Continue Reading
CD Baby announced the launch of its Pro tier in the UK. The Pro service includes publishing administration for collecting royalties. The company already has more than 35,000 artists using its distribution service in the UK. Continue Reading
TuneCore announced a partnership with digital entertainment network DanceOn. Under this deal, TuneCore will offer its independent artists more options for creating content and reaching audiences on YouTube. DanceOn is a dance-centric entertainment network that has generated more than 3 billion views and 20 million subscribers on Google’s video service. Continue Reading
The general trend in the music industry has been a steady decline in sales of downloads, and that appears to be impacting even niche stores. EDM and DJ specialty platform Beatport’s financial information was released in the quarterly filings for parent company SFX Entertainment. In the first quarter this year, the company’s revenue from digital downloads totaled $8.9 million, compared with $11.6 million for the same metric in the year-ago period. Continue Reading
SoundCloud made two big business announcements today. First is a new hire: Sonia Flynn is assuming the role of vice president for international at the audio platform. The second item improves SoundCloud’s global presence with the addition of Brazilian Portuguese as a second language option. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Report on music services and social engagement; infographic of Grooveshark legal fees; latest iOS 8.4 beta shows more music updates. Continue Reading
Music data specialist Next Big Sound has released a new report with just as much substance as style. The beautifully designed presentation reviewed some of the major music business trends of 2014. The data points show a snapshot of how the online music industry has continued to grow and create additional business opportunities for artists, labels, and their partners. Continue Reading
ASCAP has hired Clara Kim as its executive vice president and general counsel. That position was previously held by the performing rights organization’s new CEO, Elizabeth Matthews, prior to her promotion. In her new capacity, Kim will oversee all of ASCAP’s legal and business affairs, including managing its legislative team and its internal and external legal services. Continue Reading
Warner Music Group has attracted extra attention this quarterly earnings season with the announcement that its revenue from streaming music has surpassed revenue from downloads. CEO Stephen Cooper said that second-quarter revenue from streaming services increased 33%, while overall digital revenue rose only 7%. All other revenue streams aside from digital – including physical sales – declined for the label. Continue Reading
Vadio, a startup at the crossroads of music and video, made some major announcements today. First, it has added two new industry experts to its leadership. Former Vevo CEO Rio Caraeff has joined Vadio’s board of advisers and former Sony executive Yair Landau will serve as the company’s COO. Second, Vadio has received $7.5 million in Series A funding. Continue Reading
Ad-tech company AdsWizz announced today that it has named Gary Goodman as President for Europe. Goodman joins AdsWizz from iVenture, where he served as CEO. Before that he was founder and CEO of MediaEquals, a media trading platform. Continue Reading
The RIAA and the BPI have issued their 200 millionth URL takedown request to Google. The RIAA has submitted 19,569 total requests and the BPI has made 295,730. These requests seek to remove pirated content from the web. The two record industry organizations for the U.S. and UK, respectively, have been pushing for the tech company to adopt stricter measures to prevent this type of music piracy. Continue Reading