Piracy experts MUSO released a study that found illegal activities are also shifting from ownership to access models, at least in film and television. These data points are worth noting as a counterpoint to music piracy, which has also been the focus of MUSO research. Should the music industry also be alert to illegal streaming? Continue Reading
PRX, the world’s largest open marketplace for public radio, is opening Podcast Garage, a training and recording facility meant to assist the professionalization of budding podcasters. Continue Reading
Apple Music has added a new member to its list of curators, this time from Nigeria. Megalectrics, one of Nigeria’s broadcast radio platforms, has signed on as a featured curator and will bring African music to the tech company’s radio offerings. Continue Reading
WNYC has announced a new development for its Audiogram Generator, a tool that converts audio to video so it can be shared more easily and effectively on non-audio platforms like Facebook. The Generator has been released to the public as open source project on Github, meaning any audio content producer can leverage the approach to sharing audio on social media. Continue Reading
Last week, we reported that Warner Music Group was on the verge of announcing a deal with video service Vevo. That partnership has been formalized, and as expected, it is a looser tie-up that Vevo has with the other two major labels. Continue Reading
Sirius XM held its Q2 earnings call last week, and investors pursued two lines of questioning about Pandora. First as a potential acquisition, thanks to a recent revelation that Liberty Media, parent company of Sirius XM, had made an offer to Pandora. Second as a potential threat to Sirius XM’s business. CEO james E. Meyer addressed both points. PLUS, more from the call. Continue Reading
Often the most interesting parts of an earnings call are beyond the numbers, especially in the investor Q&A which follows the prepared statements. We took a deep dive into the unscripted portions of last week’s Pandora Q2 results. Continue Reading
Universal Music UK has introduced a new brand focused on playlists and compilations. Universal Music On Demand is a response to the importance of playlists in the streaming music economy and could look to protect the role of professional curators. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Steve Goldstein talks podcast run times. Also features about programming, advertising, and the state of media. Continue Reading
We’d heard rumors that Apple was considering a purchase of Tidal, and at least one person is adamant about making that idea a reality. On Saturday, Kanye West posted a series of tweets pushing for an end to “beef” between the two music services. Continue Reading
Sony Music Entertainment’s latest quarterly results show the continued importance of streaming in the company’s financial health. Quarterly streaming revenue from audio and video sources increased 39% from the year-ago period to 30.67 billion yen ($300 million). Continue Reading
China-based streaming service QQ Music has reportedly turned a profit. One of the platform’s general managers shared the update at an event this week, although owner Tencent has not made any formal statement confirming it. This is a noteworthy development both for the Chinese market and for streaming at large, where many western companies have struggled to get into the black. Continue Reading