Pandora unveiled a new look to its web version. The changes reflect Pandora’s recently revised branding and clearly integrate the key functions for its new Pandora Plus paid subscriber tier. The redesign will begin rolling out today. Continue Reading
Imagine a grocery store which puts out a free coffee bar for customers. Now image the grocery store accusing customers of shoplifting for using the coffee bar. That’s the perception of a Cease & Desist letter reportedly sent by the Canadian Broadcasting Coporation (CBC) to podcast apps, ordering them to stop distributing CBC podcasts. Pundit opinion is frowning, but the CBC is legally sound. Continue Reading
Dash Radio is getting in the Election Day spirit, hosting a Rock the Vote pop-up station. The special station is aimed at encouraging youth voter turnout. It will only air Nov. 7-8 and is available from the Dash home page. Continue Reading
A new study investigated how an exemption in the U.S. Copyright Act impacts songwriters and composers in Europe. The law in question allows certain small restaurants and retail businesses from getting licenses for music played on the television or radio in their establishments. Continue Reading
Podcast network Wondery has hired two new executives. One is a senior vice president of brand partnerships and the other is director of audience acquisition. Continue Reading
Vevo has added a new feature for making animated GIFs from its hosted music videos. Not all videos in the library are available for creation of the five-second looping clips at launch, but Vevo said it is working to have the rights to include as many as possible. Continue Reading
Apple allegedly played a part in the shut-down of Omnifone earlier this year, hiring 16 of the B2B music company’s employees and snapping up some amount of its technology assets. TechCrunch reported that Apple made the purchase and talent acquisition back in August. Continue Reading
Drake has been a huge force in the U.S. music scene this year with the release of new album, Views. Music Ally made some calculations and determined that the Canadian rapper’s latest album has hit some impressive milestones on both Spotify and YouTube. The numbers this album is putting up are yet another reminder of how critical it is for charts to consistently account for streaming data in assessing an album’s success. Continue Reading
Today brings an announcement from iHeartRadio that it has hired ex-TheBlaze, ex-TuneIn exec Chris Peterson as Senior Vice President of Podcasting. the announcement was made via an internal company memo. Peterson will oversee iHeartRadio’s overall podcast strategy and grow its profile in the podcast community. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Radio for sleepy listeners. An anniversary for the iPod. Good reads about radio, DAB+ and more. Continue Reading
The death of legendary performer Prince earlier this year left a hole in the hearts of his scores of devoted fans. It has also created some legal turmoil about who will emerge with the rights to Prince’s vast music catalog. Universal Music Publishing Group bought the rights last week, but it now faces an unexpected hurdle before the deal can be closed. Continue Reading
After months of silence, Electric Jukebox has reportedly raised £1.4 million. The company is a hybrid streaming service that seems to combine a Chromecast-style dongle with an online radio listening experience. Continue Reading