Quick Hits: PRX’s Podcast Garage, Sony Music Nashville, and Mixcloud
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: PRX CEO talks Podcast Garage plans. Sony Nashville wants to lead in streaming. Pay the performers. Continue Reading
Tidal announces third annual charity concert
Tidal is hosting its third annual Tidal X: Brooklyn concert. Ticket sales will benefit relief efforts for natural disasters, a fitting cause after multiple earthquakes and hurricanes wreaked havoc in across North America and the Caribbean in recent weeks. Continue Reading
Smart speakers aren’t about the devices. Voice is an ecosystem.
Voice is a platform, not a device, and will eventually exist everywhere. That perspective enlarges the stakes, and deepens the urgency, for all audio publishers to get up to speed with skills and content. Continue Reading
Spotify UK brings on new head of sales
Spotify has hired a new head of sales for its UK division. Rakesh Patel will start with the streaming music company in November, bringing 18 years of industry background to the team. His role of leading the UK sales team is an approximate replacement for former UK Country Manager Chris Forrester, who departed Spotify in April. Continue Reading
Rights management and monetization startup nets seed funding, buys Dart Music assets
A Los Angeles-based startup called HAAWK, which specializes in rights management, copyright enforcement, and monetization for user-generated content, has announced two business developments. First, the company secured a $2.5 million seed round of financing. Second, it has acquired assets from Dart Music. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio inks hospitality industry deal, bringing music to hotel guests
iHeartRadio’s music programming will soon be available in hotel rooms thanks to a new partnership with KEYPR, a cloud-based guest service platform for the hospitality industry. iHeartRadio will be accessible directly on KEYPR in-room tablets. These devices can also provide guests with a directory of hospitality services and a keyless entry option for their room. Continue Reading
Dutch music market sees lift from streaming, vinyl in H1 2017 results
Dutch music industry organization NVPI released its half-year results, which showed 30% growth in streaming sales. Streaming now holds a 65% share of total market sales in the country, boosting digital music revenue to €55.4 million for the first half of 2017. Continue Reading
Electric Jukebox’s Roxi is available in the U.S. with 7digital-powered music catalog
Last month, we reported on the upcoming Roxi set-top streaming device from Electric Jukebox. There were no definite U.S. release dates at that time, but the company has started shipping the device stateside beginning today. B2B music provider 7digital will be Electric Jukebox’s partner, providing the Roxi music catalog for the U.S. market. Continue Reading
Spotify’s self-serve ad platform is now beta testing in the U.S.
Spotify is continuing to expand its options for brands and businesses to advertise on its platform. Yesterday, the company announced the U.S. beta launch of a tool called Spotify Ad Studio. This self-serve platform has resources for the creation and management of targeted audio ad campaigns. Continue Reading
RAIN Summit Europe: Mark Mulligan returns, and more
On Tuesday, November 7, the sixth annual RAIN Summit Europe will hold forth at the British Museum in London. This exceptional gathering of online audio professionals brings together thought-leading executives from the U.K. and continental Europe for discussion, research, and other presentations. Continue Reading
CBS revamps Radio.com for live and on-demand listening (plus podcasts)
CBS Radio announced a relaunch of its Radio.com free mobile streaming app. The program now sports new visuals and higher audio quality. Listeners can access live streams of local radio stations and search for other CBS Radio channels by location or genre. Radio.com is also now home to CBS Radio’s podcast portfolio. Continue Reading
Acast secures $19.5 million investment for on-demand audio growth
Acast, a podcasting and audio on-demand company, announced that it has secured $19.5 million in a series B investment. The round, led by a group of Swedish investors, brings Acast’s fundraising total to more than $32 million. Continue Reading