We recently reported that Google was (or is) in acquisition talks with Internet radio service Songza. Part of that report indicated that Google might have been talking to other (unnamed) streaming-music platforms also.
Today, Billboard is reporting an anonymous source that Google attempted to buy 8tracks, a popular and profitable listening service that specializes in crowd-sourced playlists. RAIN did not receive reply from 8tracks to a request for comment at the time of this post.
Billboard characterizes Google’s attempt to acquire 8tracks as a “failed bid.” In Billboard’s account, 8tracks rejected a Google offer.
An insistence on independence is certainly plausible. 8tracks has a couple of important qualities going for it as an unaffiliated business. First, 8tracks has been profitable since mid-2012 — a truly remarkable and admirable accomplishment in the wash of red ink which coats much of the online music business landscape.
Second, the service is well differentiated from the standard music-service template. 8tracks encourages playlist creators to upload (and/or scrape fro SoundCloud) songs, build them into playlists, and uniquely tag those lists by mood. The result is highly social, and a unique browsing experience for anyone who comes in the front door.
In its most recent release of audience metrics, 8tracks claimed 7-million active listeners hearing an average of five hours of music per month. Two-thirds of 8tracks listening is delivered via mobile.