WGMC-FM in Rochester, New York (Jazz90.1) announced a plan to launch an original pureplay station starting in August. The originally programmed stream will feature blues on weekdays and big band tracks on weekends. Jazz90.1 is owned by a school district in Greece, NY (near Rochester) and is publicly funded, drawing support from listeners and businesses. Continue Reading
Russian streaming service Zvooq announced an investment of $5 million. The influx of funding came from local electronic retailer Ulmart. The streaming platform also inked a partnership with mobile phone operator Tele2. Continue Reading
Apple Music has added some sports content to its radio options. NBC Sports Radio can now be streamed in the tech company’s Music app on iOS and via iTunes on a laptop or desktop. Continue Reading
First quarter results for Strata’s regular Advertising Agency Survey revealed a growing focus on programmatic exchanges and increased interest in streaming audio platforms. “Digital publishers keep on getting better at providing more advertising opportunities to ad buyers,” Strata Director J.D. Miller said. Continue Reading
Daniel Ek has no plans to sell off Spotify to a larger tech company. That came from a Q&A with reporters in Stockholm. He cautioned that selling off European startups to U.S. tech enterprises was hoiding back the EU tech industry. Continue Reading
Como Audio has launched a Kickstarter campaign for two home audio players. Solo and Duetto are the new creations from the company, which is led by founder Tom DeVesto, whose past resume includes Cambridge Soundworks and Tivoli Audio. Continue Reading
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Ten semifinalists were named in Radiotopia’s “Podquest” contest. These 10 producers are developing shows whose descriptions illustrate a high level of podcast creativity, and their topical descriptions cut an oblique angle through the traditional podcast categories presented by Apple. One winner will emerge. How will the other nine fare when Apple’s old-fashioned categories have so much clout?
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Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Women gain more voice in podcasting; three Afro-American women add color to Seattle’s podcast scene; are streaming music services re-calibrating to reduce free listening? Continue Reading
Pandora made two announcements this week centered on its interactions with the industry. First, the company has partnered with Music Reports, a rights administration platform. Second, Pandora hired a new Head of Publisher Licensing and Relations. Continue Reading
Slacker Radio has joined the ranks of audio services inking deals with the telecom sector. The Internet radio company is participating in a promotion from U.S. Cellular that will see qualifying customers get one year membership to Slacker Radio Premium for free. Continue Reading
The National Association of Broadcasters’ (NAB’s) Pilot research division has complete a survey of FM capability in U.S. smartphones sold in 2015. While FM reception continues to advance in the U.S. smartphone footprint, it remains mostly absent, and one unfortunate fact is likely to keep it that way. Continue Reading
PwC has released its Global Entertainment and Media Outlook for 2016-2020, and the report includes projections for music, radio, and Internet advertising. Global E&M spending is expected to rise from $603 billion in 2015 to $720 billion by 2020. The consultant shared some highlights from the global and U.S. editions of the report. Continue Reading