Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. Alexa skill numbers continue to explode. Ear Hustle host’s sentence is commuted. More on Hollywood’s podcast fascination. Continue Reading
MIDiA Research has a new report examining YouTube’s impact on the international streaming market. Its assessment shares statistics from the video platform in Q3 2018 and shares insights as to how the recent legislation passed in Europe could have unintended effects on the music industry as a whole. Continue Reading
Presenting RAIN’s 6th annual Predictions feature, provided by industry leaders around the world. 2019 will carry forward the audio industry’s reputation for ongoing, disruptive change. Continue Reading
Spotify has been making an effort to make podcasts a more visible part of its entertainment offerings, and a new job listing hints at what might be next for its strategy. The streaming service is hiring for the role of Senior Product Manager – Podcast Advertising. This post will be spearheading the development of native audio advertising for Spotify. Continue Reading
Music festival Coachella has expanded its partnership with YouTube. This year, the April event will have both of its weekends streamed live to the video platform. YouTube will host artist vignettes and behind-the-scenes videos alongside a curated selection of the live performances. Continue Reading
BuzzAngle Music has released its 2018 report on the U.S. music market. The analysis showed 16.2% in total album consumption during the year compared with 2017, while total song consumption rose 27.4%. On-demand streams in 2018 totaled 809.5 billion, including 534.6 billion audio streams. Continue Reading
Anna Washenko (RAIN News editor) and Brad Hill (RAIN president) offer a few points of outlook for 2019. On Friday, January 4, watch for the annual RAIN News 2019 Predictions from participating industry leaders. Continue Reading
The UK posted a rise of nearly 6% in music consumption during 2018 on the back of more growth in streaming, according to data from BPI and the Official Charts Company. Total music consumption for the year — including purchases, downloads, and streams — was 142.9 million albums and album equivalents. Continue Reading
Hetal Patel is returning to iHeartMedia for a role as executive vice president of SmartAudio Intelligence Insights. In this position, Patel will head the team creating research and insights to shape iHeartMedia’s value proposition. Continue Reading
The RIAA announced two big changes to its executive leadership. Mitch Glazier is now the chairman and CEO of the trade group, and Michele Ballantyne assumes the post of COO. Continue Reading
In a new-year press release, Townsquare Media announced that co-CEO Dhruv Prasad will step down and his counterpart, Bill Wilson, will step into the sole CEO role at one of the largest radio groups in the U.S. Wall Street investors appear to like the news. Continue Reading
Samsung introduced its first smart speaker hardware in August, but before the Galaxy Home even hits the shelves, the company may be hard at work on its second project in that segment. SamMobile cited an anonymous source that claimed Samsung is developing a second smart speaker for its Bixby voice assistant. The second speaker is reportedly targeting a lower price point. Continue Reading