Apple Music gets UK telecom tie-up
Apple Music has its first UK telecom deal. Six months of free access to the streaming service will be available to new or upgrading customers of mobile operator EE beginning Sept. 1. Continue Reading
Jason Aldean’s new album will skip streaming for first month
We’ve seen lots of artists putting their new albums exclusively on one streaming service. Country performer Jason Aldean is taking that a step further, withholding his next album from streaming services altogether for the first month after its release. Continue Reading
Streaming is a third of Universal’s recorded music revenue in H1
Universal Music Group’s first-half results showed continued growth and dominance for streaming as a revenue source. Total recorded music revenue in the half was €1.83 billion ($2.07 billion) and streaming was responsible for 36% of it. Continue Reading
Spotify expands Songkick partnership
Spotify has amped up its partnership with Songkick, bringing Concerts tabs to all artist pages on the streaming platform. Songkick’s data includes listings and ticket links. The two parties have been working together since 2013. Continue Reading
Spotify reportedly up to 39M subs, still not interested in exclusives
One of Spotify’s latest hires announced that the streaming service now has 39 million paid subscribers. Troy Carter, global head of creator services, told Billboard that Spotify has added 9 million paying customers since the last audience update in March. The interview also touched on the streaming sector’s current race for exclusive releases. Continue Reading
DGital Media partners for NCAA sports podcast network
DGital Media has partnered with the Collegiate Sports Management Group to launch a podcast network centered on Division II and Division III NCAA sports. The network is slated to launch the week of Sept. 5. Continue Reading
Entercom commits to Clip Interactive for mobile and web streaming
Boulder-based Clip Interactive announced that Entercom Communications, the nation’s fourth-largest radio group, will use Clip interactive radio players for its mobile and web streams. The agreement throws Entercom’s 129 radio stations onto Clip’s interactive platform. The deal follows a year-long engagement of Entercom’s seven-station Portland cluster on Clip’s platform. Continue Reading
YouTube has social media features in development
YouTube is exploring the addition of some social features which could help music owners get more value from the video platform. The feature set currently in development is known as Backstage. It’s a move to be more competitive with the likes of Facebook or Snapchat, but the music industry should also keep tabs on what the plan says about YouTube’s next directions. Continue Reading
ART19 hires new EVP of content
ART19 announced a new hire for its podcast hosting and distribution network. Roddy Swearngin joins the company as executive vice president of content. Hes resume most recently includes director of digital for Levity Entertainment Group, where he founded Sideshow Network and helped manage production of more than 10,000 podcast episodes across 100 different shows. Continue Reading
New Mood Media feature lets customers play DJ
Mood Media, a B2B digital music provider for retail stores and other public environments, has added a Social Mix feature to its Mood Mix Pro service, which brings more integration to in-store playlists. Businesses running Social Mix can allow customers or employees to see the live song lineup and influence what track plays next. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Reactions to exclusive releases across the industry
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. Today’s duo is centered around exclusive album releases following the debut of Frank Ocean’s highly-anticipated new project released as an Apple Music exclusive. Continue Reading
Pandora enters collaboration with Questlove
Pandora has entered a partnership with Questlove, a renowned figure in hip-hop and a drummer for The Roots. He will curate and produce a new show called Questlove Supreme for the audio company. In addition to the new programming, Questlove is taking on the role of Strategic Advisor for Pandora and will act as the company’s first Artist Ambassador. Continue Reading