Vessel has exited its beta phase and its online video service is now available to all viewers. The service, started by former Hulu CEO Jason Kilar, is offering exclusive access to videos to its members for a small monthly subscription of $2.99 a month. To further build up the viewing audience, Vessel is offering a year of free access for anybody who signs up in the first 72 hours following the launch. Continue Reading
Amazon has updated its Prime Music iOS app with a set of lean-back radio stations. The feature arrived a few months back on the web version, but with mobile listening continuing to rise, bring the fullest service possible to phones is likely to become more and more crucial to a music service’s success. The listening experience is very reminiscent of Pandora, but is it more than a copycat? Continue Reading
Congress will review another piece of proposed legislation aimed at redistributing digital royalties across the range of people who create music. The Allocation for Music Producers Act, also known as AMP, devotes a share of digital royalties to a song’s producers, mixers, and engineers. Continue Reading
Satellite broadcaster SiriusXM is planning a two-week activation of non-subscribed car receivers starting May 19. Drivers of those cars will find that they can tune in a selection of Sirius stations until June 1, when the promotion ends. The promo kicks off with a live concert broadcast intended to attract a Latino audience. Continue Reading
In what will likely be one of its last moves as their owner, Aspiro has combined hi-res streaming services WiMP and Tidal into a single entity. Both platforms will operate under the same Tidal brand name. Tidal and WiMP services were initially owned by Aspiro, but in recent weeks the platforms were purchased by rap and business icon Jay-Z. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired Seth Farbman to serve the streaming service in a top marketing position starting April 6. His experience will likely be focused on growing Spotify’s audience of listeners and guiding the company’s general service marketing. Farbman most recently worked at clothing retailer Gap, where he joined as its first global CMO in 2011. Continue Reading
Podcast platform Spreaker announced the launch of its Spreaker Studio app on iOS. The Studio app is centered on the production side of podcasting. It features a web-based mixing console, a sound effects library, and live audio broadcasting. Continue Reading
Hungama, one of India’s home-grown streaming services, is looking to raise more than $100 million. The company is reportedly in negotiations with Intel Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners, both of which have been involved in previous Hungama investments. Continue Reading
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A six-minute blast of news you need to know in streaming audio.
THIS WEEK: Streaming surpasses CD sales in 2014 RIAA report; iTunes Radio goes to programmatic sales; Rdio’s new social features; Rhapsody plays on Twitter; BBC seeks to reinvent radio. Continue Reading
Today’s brief news items are all about Apple: Beats Music royalty payouts; the future of car radios; UMG ready to settle musician lawsuit. Continue Reading
Starting today, Apple is making digital ad buying easier and more targeted for marketers in iTunes Radio, the company’s non-interactive online radio service. One of the first outside partners to offer iTunes Radio to buyers is AdsWizz. iTunes Radio inventory is now available on AdWave, the company’s global audio ad marketplace. Continue Reading
Deezer’s first foray into the U.S. was a much-discussed Elite plan that centered on an exclusive partnership with Sonos. As previously forecast, the Elite offering is now available in all of Deezer’s markets, but still only on Sonos speaker hardware.… Continue Reading