Apple seems to have made another musical purchase, this one with a focus on data. According to MusicAlly, UK media data startup Semetric changed its registered address to the same one as Apple Europe. The company also appears to have appointed Apple’s vice president of corporate law as a director in October. Financial details have not been formally disclosed, but the deal has been pegged at about $50 million. Continue Reading
Shazam is now valued at more than $1 billion, thanks to a recent $30 million investment in the audio-identification app. The new funding will go toward increased service capabilities and new market sectors for the service, which has more than 100 million monthly active mobile users. Shazam has received more than $100 million in venture capital funding since 2009. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Marriott trials in-room streaming entertainment; why big brands go indie for ad music. Continue Reading
BRS Media announced the release of the top .FM websites from 2014. The rankings are based on server hits for the domain. “This year’s ranking continues to show a significant growth within China and the surrounding Asian region,” said George T. Bundy, BRS Media’s chairman and CEO. China held the top spot with douban.fm, and hosted three other properties in the top 10. Continue Reading
More than half of Norway’s radio listeners are using digital radio, according to a survey carried out by TNS Gallup. Digitalradio Norge CEO Ole Jørgen Torvmark said that the data included DAB, Internet, and digital TV in the definition of digital radio. The results showed that 53% of the country’s listeners have switched over to digital, with 36% using DAB radio and 17% using the Internet. Continue Reading
The year kicked off with some intriguing announcements about niche streaming services, such as The Overflow for Christian or gospel songs and ClassicsOnline HD for classical music. The latest niche to enter the online music scene isn’t a genre-centric one. Cadence & Cause is looking to attract listeners with altruism. Continue Reading
Social music apps have become a crowded industry of late, and a new company called Nusiki has joined the fray out of Chicago. Co-founder Ben Hewitt described the service as “if Instagram and Spotify had a kid.” Continue Reading
Pinguin is a Dutch station that brings a sometimes eclectic, occasionally international mix into its stream. The high-bitrate streaming was flawless in our testing, and the music kept us interested and energized. Try it. Continue Reading
Windows Phone might be a forgotten stepchild of mobile devices, but its market share has more than doubled since 2011. Spotify announced an upgrade to its Windows Phone app which brings beauty and essential features that Android and iOS users are accustomed to onto the platform. Continue Reading
Several startups have sought to blend online music with a social sharing angle. This Is My Jam, Tapely, and Musx have experimented with how people share and discuss music with the latest technologies and streaming platforms. Another company has joined that social music space, but this one may have an edge thanks to securing support from labels. BOOMiO officially launched out of beta this week. Continue Reading
RAIN is pleased to announce that Anthony Bay, CEO of Rdio, will be the keynote speaker at RAIN Summit West on Sunday, April 12 in Las Vegas, during the NAB Show. Bay joined Rdio in December, 2013, and has guided the company’s expansion — both the business model and the service’s global reach. Continue Reading
A Pandora blog post published today predicts Grammy winners in four categories. The company is calling them”your” picks, because the predictions are based on Big Data correlation of past winners and Pandora user behavior. Continue Reading