Quick Hits: NPR cuts comments; NextRadio targets monetization
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: NPR is the latest media group to axe online comments; NextRadio hybrid app targets monetization. Continue Reading
Frank Ocean puts visual album up on Apple Music in latest distribution experiment
Frank Ocean still hasn’t dropped his anticipated Boys Don’t Cry album yet, but he did release something. The R&B artist is airing what’s being called a visual album as an Apple Music exclusive. This year has been a milestone for artists experimenting with unique distribution methods. Continue Reading
Deezer adds Ecuadorian telecom deal
Deezer has been one of the more active streaming services when it comes to tie-ups in the telecom sector. The latest one is with CNT, the state-owned operator in Ecuador. Continue Reading
David Gray’s new Best Of collection is a dynamic Spotify playlist
David Gray is getting a “Best Of” collection, but he and Kobalt Label Services are taking a unique approach in distribution. The release will be on sale as a CD and vinyl format in October, but for now, it’s a dynamic Spotify playlist. Rather than serve as a traditional album release, the Best Of playlist will be updated every week to reflect the most popular tracks by the artist. Continue Reading
Pandora reportedly close to on-demand launch
Pandora executives have publicly committed to an end-of-year timeline for launching the company’s upcoming on-demand music service, which will compete directly with Spotify. But a report in this morning’s Wall Street Journal says that the launch could be as soon as next month, citing unnamed sources. Continue Reading
Vevo seeking up to $500 million in new fundraising
Music video service Vevo is reportedly seeking up to $500 million from new investors. Sources told the Financial Times that the financing would be put toward international expansion, potential acquisitions, and possibly developing new services for mobile and television. Continue Reading
Rumblings of bad news for CÜR Media
It appears all is not well at CÜR Media. Several months ago, the company was touting a new approach to streaming with a service called CÜR Music that used gated access and social sharing to offer streaming at price points below the $9.99-a-month standard. Now, though, CÜR has reportedly failed to make its quarterly SEC filing. Continue Reading
Spotify unveils Metallica documentary in video content push
Spotify is going full-steam ahead with its new video content, launching a documentary about Metallica. The four-part series is called Landmark – Metallica: The Early Years and the first episode is available today. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio hits 90 million registered users
iHeartRadio announced that it has more than 90 million registered users. The digital service is attracting users at a rapid clip, with the 80 million registered user milestone reached just seven months ago. The “registered users” metric is different from “active users” — a Pandora measurement, and also different from Spotify subscribers which is yet a third gauge of audience size. Continue Reading
Apple Music goes data-free for Telstra mobile customers
Telstra is offering data-free streaming of Apple Music to all its mobile customers. This new feature, along with three-month free subscriptions to three other video entertainment platforms, beginning Aug. 23. Continue Reading
Aussies are favoring streams over sales for music
Research company Roy Morgan released a study that found streaming has been taking ground away from traditional music sales in Australia. The data compared the audience for different music outlets in the 12 months to March 2012 with the same period in 2016. Continue Reading
TuneCore Q2 artist earnings up 24%
Digital music distribution company TuneCore posted its second-quarter results, which include $44 million earned by its members. That total marked a 24% increase from the same period in 2015, when revenue for artists was $35 million. Continue Reading