Spotify began rolling out a new update to its desktop listening platform this week. The big change is the addition of lyrics. This feature is powered by Musixmatch, and you can access the lyrics by clicking the new button next to the play bar. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. Continue Reading
Brian Lakamp, who guided the rise of iHeartRadio, will leave iHeartMedia. Lakamp confirmed with RAIN News that he is exiting the company to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. Continue Reading
The Download on Podcasts is a new weekly feature sponsored by PodcastOne.
New and unusual programs you might not be familiar with. Continue Reading
Internet media brand Slate has launched a new podcast network called Panoply. We spoke with Andy Bowers, Executive Producer & Creator of Slate Podcasts, about the Panoply portfolio, business model, and the user experience he is striving for. Continue Reading
The recorded music industry in Denmark posted a record year on the back of a 50.5% increase in revenue from streaming services. With streaming accounting for 58.5% of the market’s total revenue, that boost helped secure industry growth of 1.8% for the year to 437 million Danish kroner (about $66.5 million). Continue Reading
In the early days of streaming, it wasn’t uncommon for big-name musicians to withhold their catalogs from online services. Led Zeppelin was a famed holdout, to the point where the band giving exclusive rights to Spotify back in 2013 was groundbreaking. So it’s a sign of the times that the Zep is expanding where you can hear its music. This week, the band opened up its library to listeners on several more platforms, including some that specialize in hi-def listening, such as Tidal and Deezer Elite. Continue Reading
A recently released eMarketer study bundles a growth projection with an assessment of advertiser sentiment. On the growth side, the research company sees the audience for online radio growing from 160-million last year to 192-million in 2019. Continue Reading
Ad-tech company AdsWizz announced a partnership with data management platform (DMP) Lotame. Lotame’s audience segmenting datasets will be bundled into the AdsWizz advertising platform, called AdWave. Continue Reading
EDM specialist Beatport has started the beta of its free streaming music platform. The player is embedded on the website, and you can continue to listen as you navigate around the site. TechCrunch’s review of the beta was uniformly positive, with just a one critical note about the ability to browse. Continue Reading
In the “Webcasting IV” rate-setting procedure, a two-year run-up to new statutory music licensing rates, Pandora filed a new document yesterday with the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB). The document refutes arguments put forward by SoundExchange last fall. Rebuttal arguments are included from four expert witnesses, including Larry Rosin of Edison Research, which was commissioned to perform market research included in the brief. Continue Reading
Part of the business model for most streaming platforms is to attract and retain the largest possible number of listeners. That could lead to a listening landscape that’s fractured, with people choosing just one or two services to fill all of their audio needs. Yet with each of the major players offering a slightly different subset of performers and content, it makes sense that listeners would be interested in combining the libraries of more than one streaming platform. Continue Reading