Shazam’s Android app now has integrations with Google Play and Google Play Music All Access. The Android marketplace is now the featured resource for buying a track tagged in Shazam. Google’s on-demand music service joins Rdio, Spotify, and Deezer as ways to stream a song you’ve identified. The streaming networks are all visible by tapping the drop-down menu with the play button icon. Continue Reading
AudioHQ, a digital audio ad-repping company, entered the market today with an announcement of a launch partnership with 8tracks, the crowdsourced uploading and listening platform. AudioHQ started in May of this year, and RAIN spoke with CEO Matt Cutair about his company, the digital audio advertising marketplace, and the 8tracks alliance. Continue Reading
Idiosyncratic Transmissions bears the signs of careful and knowledgeable curation. While dishing out surprising and rewarding discoveries of eclectic music (mixed with a few standard rock/pop gems), there is a comforting, easygoing quality to the listening. We had it on for hours this morning, and the song mix had us looking up to see what was playing several times, without intruding with any attention-getting blasts. Continue Reading
Apple’s music platforms — iTunes and iTunes Radio — have issued innumerable album previews and exclusive releases. Promotions of those events seek to drive sales in an era when streaming is eating into music ownership. Taking the concept a step further, Apple bundled U2 released U2’s new album, Songs of Innocence, globally, by dumping the album directly into iPhones, iPods, and iPads throughout its vast user base. Much gnashing of teeth ensued. Continue Reading
Jason Feinberg has joined Pandora as head of artist marketing. He takes on the newly created role at the streaming service after working at Epitaph Records as vice president of digital strategy. The new job will focus on providing analytics, fan communication tools, and other resources to the artists on Pandora. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Cmd.fm turns SoundCloud into a radio stream; app for streaming Indonesian indie bands; Universal ties up with Cambodian telecom. Continue Reading
Apple didn’t share any big streaming-centric news at its product reveal yesterday, but the music updates that did come out of the major tech event still serve as a sign of the trends to look for both on- and offline. U2 was the musical guest at the event, and the band closed the performance by announcing that its new album would be available for free to all iTunes customers. The other big development was a silent change that didn’t take place on stage: Apple discontinued the classic iPod. Continue Reading
Spotify unveiled a new blog that will focus on trends and concepts stemming from its various data collections. Dubbed Spotify Insights, the information will be a combination of the global listening numbers that Spotify tracks and the recommendation-based data from its subsidiary The Echo Nest. Continue Reading
Deezer has made significant inroads in the streaming ecosystem of Europe, but soon it will make its first landing in the U.S. The first service it will offer to American listeners is called Deezer Elite. For a monthly subscription of $19.99, listeners can stream lossless FLAC files. Initially, the plan will require listeners to use a Sonos speaker system to stream the tunes, although those people will get a discount on the monthly fee. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Billboard’s critical response to GhostTunes; WholeWorldBand app offers mobile online collaborations; livestreaming concerts and lessons with DoclerMusic. Continue Reading
Two recent articles reviewed the international scope for Rdio. The service is available in 60 countries, but its top markets outside of the U.S. are Canada and Brazil. Mediacaster reviewed Rdio’s business activities in Canada, the service’s second-largest market. While smartphone use in third-largest market Brazil is on the rise, ZDNet cautioned that the country does struggle with the quality of its mobile Internet services. Continue Reading
A mere month after Grooveshark announced that it would be supported on the Chromecast dongle, the streaming service was suspended for violating Google’s Terms of Service. The problem stemmed from allegations by the RIAA that Grooveshark was infringing on artists’ copyright. Continue Reading