News

Twitter’s new Audio Card launches with any SoundCloud embed and one iTunes track

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Twitter has introduced a musical new feature called the Audio Card that allows its members to embed a track in a tweet. The social network is first working with SoundCloud on the launch of the feature, and the streaming platform’s entire library will be made available for embeds. A select number of partner artists are rolling out the feature today, and the social network said that its @TwitterMusic handle would announce updates about the people and organizations using the Audio Card. Continue Reading →

Warner Music buys Spotify curation platform Playlists.net

Posted on by Anna Washenko

In July, we wrote that Playlists.net, a platform for sharing Spotify playlists, was looking for a buyer. Today, the hoped-for deal was announced. The UK startup ShareMyPlaylists has been acquired by the artist and services arm of American recording giant Warner Music Group. Financial details of the purchase were not disclosed. Continue Reading →

Bandcamp starts beta testing new artist-based subscription feature

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Bandcamp introduced a new approach to music ownership this week with the trial of an artist-based subscription. An independent band called Candy Says is using the direct-to-fan platform’s beta feature to offer an annual subscription to its music. For £20 (about $32) a year, listeners can have seven of the group’s back catalog and Bandcamp-only albums in addition to all new releases. The songs will be made available as downloads and as streams. Continue Reading →

iHeartMedia taps former Microsoft exec as new CMO

Posted on by Anna Washenko

iHeartMedia has hired Gayle Troberman to join the company as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Troberman most recently served a brief executive stint at IPG Mediabrands, but previously worked for 16 years at Microsoft. She held multiple advertising and marketing positions at the tech company, and eventually rose to the rank of chief creative officer. Prior to this hiring announcement, Troberman worked with iHeartMedia as a consultant on the project to rebrand itself from the Clear Channel name. Continue Reading →

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TuneCore’s Q3 payouts surpass $32 million, new exec to join team

Posted on by Anna Washenko

TuneCore paid $32.7 million to artists in the third quarter of 2014. That amount marked a 13.2% increase over the payouts made by the digital music distribution company in the same quarter of 2013. This is a solid performance, nearly matching the more than $33 million it distributed in 2014’s second quarter. Since launching in 2006, it it has paid $471.5 million for its clients. Continue Reading →

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BBC leads global push for FM-enabled smartphones

Posted on by Anna Washenko

The BBC is throwing its weight behind efforts to get FM radio chips enabled on smartphones. Research commissioned by the UK broadcaster found that the majority of smartphone owners want radio available in the devices. The study also highlighted the common concerns about that technology: mobile data costs, impact on battery life, and reception issues. Continue Reading →

Charting NextRadio adoption: 1M downloads; new features coming

Posted on by Brad Hill

NextRadio announced an adoption milestone: one-million downloads of the NextRadio app. With the announcement of one-million downloads comes an update of the app (scheduled for this Friday, October 17), that will put new, more interactive features into the NextRadio experience. We tracked and charted the history of NextRadio’s key adoption metrics. Continue Reading →

Shazam to power nightly program on Australian broadcast radio

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Shazam has moved into the broadcast realm thanks to a partnership with Southern Cross Austereo. The parties have created a nightly show called Shazam Top 20 that will count down the most-tagged songs in Australia. According to the press release, fans who have the Shazam app on their phones will be directly influencing the charts. Calling the arrangement “a world-first,” Shazam’s APAC Sales Director Steve Sos said that the fan-guided radio show was a natural extension of the sound-identification app’s service. Continue Reading →

Spotify partners with Vodafone Australia for down under listeners

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Vodafone has continued its trend of partnering with streaming services. This time, Vodafone Australia has tied up with Spotify for a deal that will give the telecom’s customers access to the premium listening plan. Details of the arrangement or for a potential discount on the Premium plan were not disclosed. According to the streaming platform, about 1.5 million Aussies regularly stream music on their smartphones. Continue Reading →

Deezer exec sheds light on unique U.S. strategy in interview

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Deezer’s unusual arrival into the U.S. market has had us scratching our heads for several weeks. First an Elite plan only for Sonos owners, then a Premium+ one for the only marginally less costly Bose speakers? In an interview with CNET, North American CEO Tyler Goldman explained that audiophiles were just the first of many demographics that Deezer planned to target. He said the streaming service would be launching products for other U.S. segments over the next year. Continue Reading →