Saavn announced plans to add original, long-form audio programming to its existing music service. The streaming company has partnered with Indian radio star Neelesh Misra, podcast network Indus Vox Media and digital media brand Arré to create ten new shows. Continue Reading
Intellectual property attorney Angus MacDonald was the first to calculate that Pandora paid more than half of all SoundExchange collections of royalties to record labels. In this column, he calculates a higher percentage for 2015, noting that the growth of SoundExchange royalty collections is tied closely to Pandora, and that the pace is slowing. Continue Reading
Triton Digital is partnering with Telos Alliance on some of the company’s hardware. It will be the new streaming partner for Telos’ Z/IPStream R/2 processor. Triton has announced several new deals in recent months; for instance, its a2x programmatic exchange has linked up with Tuned Global and Adforce.com. Continue Reading
The New York Times is making a new foray into audio programming, forming a team to spearhead podcast creation. At first, this new division of the news organization will rely on outside partners, such as its Modern Love podcast produced with Boston’s WBUR, that already have an audience. Kinsey Wilson, the Times’ editor for innovation and strategy, said that no themes or shows have been decided on yet. Continue Reading
Stardome Digital Media, a division of the Hispanic and Latin American market specialist Stardome Media Group, announced that it has acquired StreamLicensing. As the new owners, Stardome said it plans to provide innovative solutions for improving the services offered by StreamLicensing.com. Continue Reading
T-Mobile has further expanded its roster of entertainment services available data-free on its Music Freedom and Binge On programs. The newly added music platforms are Amazon Prime Music, Chilltrax, ESPN Radio, OHIO.FM, PreDanz, and Uforia. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Is Kanye West a tactical genius? Should there be more podcasts for kids? Can musicians benefit from streaming data? Continue Reading
When the Beatles discography was released to on-demand music services on midnight of Christmas Eve, it was a gift to music lovers of all persuasions. At midnight last night, the Beatls streaming collection was substantially enlarged and rounded with the release of the three Anthology double albums. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Podcasting; the non-death of radio; best internet-radio list; newsletter recommendations Continue Reading
On Being, a podcast/broadcast production developed and owned by Krista Tippett Public Productions (KTPP), and hosted by Krista Tippett, will move its distribution home from American Public Media (APM) to the Public Radio Exchange (PRX) on July 1. It’s not PRX’s first high-profile distribution “get.” Continue Reading
ESPN is trying something new with a documentary series, while taking a page from the Netflix playbook by releasing all five episodes at once. A five-part series on the history of the basketball dunk, called Dunkumentaries, launches today. Continue Reading
Spotify just changed the rules of the game, raising an unprecedented $1 billion in convertible debt. Guest columnist Mark Mulligan analyzes — what is Spotify’s strategy, and where will growth come from. One key: “The 9.99 subscription model is incredibly difficult (perhaps impossible) to run profitably at scale.” Continue Reading