SoundCloud is incorporating new video ads on its mobile platforms in the U.S. The spots will play between tracks, but only when the phone screen is on and the SoundCloud app is in the foreground. The decision is an innovative one. Continue Reading
Rhapsody is the great uncle of on-demand music subscription services. Two months ago Mike Davis took over as CEO, quickly tightening the ship with a round of layoffs. Last week came the announcement that Rhapsody would become Napster across all territories, consolidating its brand. RAIN News dialed up a conversation with Mike Davis to discuss that decision, and talk about steering a music service through a complex competitive landscape. Continue Reading
Spending on streaming services in Canada has increased since last year, according to the latest Nielsen Music 360 report for that country. The spend allocation revealed that paid streaming’s share across all Canadians rose from 2% in 2015 to 4% this year. Teens and Millennials have also doubled their allocation toward streaming. Continue Reading
SFX Entertainment has ended its pre-Chapter 11 restructuring support agreement. The entertainment company will keep working with its ad hoc group of bondholders, but there is no hard timeline for it emerging from its financial woes. Continue Reading
A new open letter is circulating from the music industry attacking YouTube’s use of safe harbors under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This one is spearheaded by Irving Azoff, and it includes signatures from heavy hitters including Taylor Swift and U2. Continue Reading
The Australian Securities Exchange has rejected Guvera’s planned IPO, informing the streaming company that it would not accept its shares. The exchange’s statement did not disclose specific reasons for the refusal. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia today announced the launch of a private programmatic marketplace for digital radio in the company’s iHeartRadio service. iHeart says this is the first programmatic platform of its kind in the U.S. The platform is powered by ad-tech company AdsWizz. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: A discussion of why radio leaders shouldn’t necessarily be radio people; radio shows and covering tragedy; bluetooth radio distribution in India. Continue Reading
Spotify has surpassed 100 million active users, a representative confirmed to RAIN News. It’s a big milestone for the streaming service. At the end of 2015, Spotify had 89 million active users, including about 28 million paying subscribers. Continue Reading
SoundExchange has forecast that it will deliver $860 million in payouts this year. President and CEO Michael Huppe gave the prediction at the A2IM convention. Huppe also used his speech to discuss the organization’s policy platforms. Continue Reading
Podcast platform audioBoom has signed a partnership with Australian mobile advertising company Big Mobile, to exclusively market audioBoom’s spoken-word inventory to advertisers in Big Mobile’s market across Australia. The announcement comes with a couple of interesting metrics. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired a new exec as head of investor relations, the latest signal that an IPO is in the streaming service’s future. The new addition is Paul Vogel, who joins Spotify after most recently running Barclays’ Internet and media research group. Continue Reading