Intentionally named, The FIX promotes itself as an antidote: “Charleston’s answer to boring radio.” That’s Charleston, South Carolina. If you live around there, you want to know about The FIX for its focus on local bands and events. If you don’t, you want to tune in this pureplay station for the carefully curated alt-rock programming. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia has proposed reducing the royalty rate webcasters pay to artists and labels, cutting the existing rate set for terrestrial webcasters by 80 percent. The suggested royalty amount is less than half of Pandora’s suggested rate, which in turn is about half the rate suggested by SoundExchange, which represents music labels. iHeart’s argument is based on its negotiated deal with Warner Music Group, which provides lower royalty rates in exchange for greater exposure of Warner music. Continue Reading
Several leaders from the music industry spoke last week at the Web Summit in Dublin about the role of streaming for musicians and listeners. One panel included several managers discussing the current environment for music. Jonathan Dickins, who represents popular singer Adele, spoke favorably about the role of streaming. Another panel from the Summit focused on Music and Movies in the 21st Century. At that discussion, U2’s Bono also spoke out in support of a streaming music economy. Continue Reading
Crowdsourced listening platform 8tracks upgraded its web browser interface, pushing new features for both sides of the 8tracks equation — listeners and playlist creators. We spoke with Founder asnd CEO David Porter to understand what’s new. Continue Reading
Spotify introduced a new use for its Spotify Connect feature, letting listeners use their mobile devices as a remote control for music playing from a desktop. Once you’ve linked up your computer, you can use the mobile app to skip songs and change tracks from the phone or tablet. through this and other features, Spotify seeks to keep users connected to the platform anywhere, and through multiple devices. Continue Reading
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A six-minute blast of news you need to know in streaming music and online audio. This week: RAIN Summit Europe, Taylor Swift and Spotify, SoundCloud and Warner Music, licensing news, Beats Music on airplanes, a new podcast network, and streaming audiobooks. Continue Reading
Australia-based Guvera announced its official mobile launch in India. The streaming service’s free app is available for iOS and Android listeners. “We plan to provide our Indian users with the best expert-curated local and international content,” founder Claes Loberg said. The app will include Bollywood music as well as songs by international artists. Continue Reading
Scribd, a digital book service, launched an all-you-can-read ebook subscription program last year. Now, it has added an audiobook component to its offerings. The plan costs $8.99 a month and offers unlimited reading and listening within its catalog. It currently has more than half a million ebooks and more than 30,000 audiobooks available. The rollout of audiobooks within Scribd’s service highlights a few of the recent trends that the entertainment and media industries should be keeping tabs on. Continue Reading
Earlier this week, sources hinted that Microsoft may be working on a music locker service. Windows Central reported that the company’s cloud storage service, OneDrive, will now automatically create a music folder for your account. This folder would store a person’s own music collection, but sources said it would likely also connect with the existing Xbox Music service. Continue Reading
A legal tug-of-war between Pandora and performing rights organization BMI has been in progress since a ruling last December, and it took a new twist last week when BMI reportedly advised Pandora that it does not expect any major music publishers to withdraw their catalogs at the end of 2014. This communication was strong on reassurance but weak in specifics. Continue Reading
Streaming just got a little more legitimacy from industry leaders in Australia and New Zealand. Singles charts in both countries announced that they will factor streaming numbers into their calculations. Both the Australian Recording Industry Association and the New Zealand Top 40 said streaming data will help determine the No. 1 songs. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia announced that Adam Denenberg has been appointed as chief technology officer for the iHeartRadio Network. In this role, Denenberg will oversee the technology strategy and vision for the online radio platform, including technical direction, new product R&D, and technology infrastructure across the network of websites. Continue Reading