Technology, hardware, and gadgets. WiFi speakers, digital dashboards, and more.
Google acquired online radio platform Songza nearly a year and a half ago, July 1 2014, and today the announcement comes that the Songza brand, and stand-alone app, will be discontinued at the end of the year. Songza features and playlists will continue within Google Play, where they have resided since last October. Continue Reading
The controversy over who will administer, assign, and sell dot-RADIO website domains continues. BRS media, an applicant for the right to administer the upcoming dot-RADIO domain, has filed a review process with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Continue Reading
Starting today, Marketron is rolling out its Mediascape Marketplace programmatic ad purchasing solution to 2,900 stations. The company is calling the platform “the first working programmatic exchange for radio.” Continue Reading
Radical.FM, a distinctive online radio service that allows multi-genre mixing, has temporarily shut down the service to concentrate its resources on an upcoming launch of TALK, a new broadcast feature. TALK will allow real-time voice injection to RadCasting, Radical’s new station broadcasting function. Continue Reading
Global Interactive Media has gone on a tear of lawsuits on charges that several broadcasting companies have violated its patents. That intellectual property covers an “apparatus and method to generate and access broadcast information.” At this stage, it seems possible that the Belize-based company is looking to make money by pushing litigation over patents of questionable validity. But if the patent claims are legitimate, it could mean one more set of royalty payments for many types of audio companies. Continue Reading
Throughout the gestation and early life of Apple Music, it has been expected that Apple would release an Android version. We found leaked screenshots on a mobile tech site. How will Apple benefit from distributing its music service on Android? Continue Reading
In a milestone agreement with ramifications for the streaming audio advertising ecosystem, Triton Digital will provide local digital audio metrics for the entire iHeartMedia empire of radio stations. iHeart will leverage Triton’s Webcast Metrics Local product, which provides audience measurement of audio streaming in local markets. Continue Reading
Onkyo & Pioneer has launched a new entry into the portable audio device segment. The new XDP-100R device is a high-resolution music player. A company rep said it is for those listeners “who feel smartphones aren’t offering satisfying sound quality.” Continue Reading
Emmis-owned NextRadio announced the finalists and winner of its radio spot contest this week. The winner, by college student Thomas Baker III, is called “Data Pigs.” The spot is well-produced, but mixes up NextRadio marketing in a way that could detract from its effectiveness. Continue Reading
A new British startup has launched a physical device for music streaming. The Electric Jukebox is an HDMI device that connects to a TV and plays music over a WiFi network. It’s an entire proprietary network, which differentiates it from the Chromecast, which pulls from third-party music services. Continue Reading
Parks Associates conducted market research into the connections between broadband Internet and streaming music. The results showed that of the 97.64 million U.S. households with broadband access, 66% use a streaming audio service. That figure could grow as more home audio technology adapts to keep up with the shifting preferences to digital music. Continue Reading
HP announced a rebranding of its Connected Music service. The streaming platform is now known as HP Lounge, and offers free radio-style streaming of tracks from Universal Music. The competitive strategy is unclear, but might be similar to Amazon’s Prime Music. Continue Reading