CÜR Music has been gathering resources to launch a new approach to the streaming music business. According to SEC filings, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group have all licensed songs to the new platform in exchange for equity. Continue Reading
Programmatic radio advertising company Jelli released a press notice which summarizes the gains of programmatic advertising for radio in 2015. It sets the stage for a 2016 agenda of increased programmatic buying of radio ads. We spoke to Jelli CEO Mike Dougherty about buyer demand for programmatic ad campaigns. Continue Reading
Entering 2016, Chicago-based Rivet Radio is shifting to focus on serving business customers, putting its consumer-focused enterprise on the back burner for the time being. We spoke to Rivet CEO John MacLeod about Rivet’s mission to build data-smart on-demand talk content in its cloud-based system. Continue Reading
Spotify has been building momentum for a push into Japan, and the increasing number of job postings for the nation may indicate that the company is nearing a launch date. The streaming company currently lists 12 open jobs for its office in Tokyo. Continue Reading
Bridge Ratings released data about the podcasting trend, sharing audience data so far for 2016. According to their findings, 30% of study participants have ever listened to a podcast. Continue Reading
WQXR-FM’s Q2 Music channel has announced the launch of a new podcast series focused on contemporary classical music. The show, titled LPR Live, will include performances recorded at New York City’s Le Poisson Rouge music venue. Continue Reading
The UK has a strong radio culture, thanks to the long legacy of the BBC and widespread radio-set ownership. But we’re seeing more and more outlets in the region pushing the boundary between lean-back and lean-in as they transition into the digital space. Capital Xtra, the radio app from media/entertainment company Global, has recently made strides to offer features that would usually be the purview of on-demand services. Continue Reading
The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) published its acknowledgement of SoundExchange’s intent to audio the music royalty payments of Pandora and several broadcast groups. An audit sounds alarming, but in fact is a standard annual process. Continue Reading
A new illegal clone of the illegal streaming site Grooveshark sprang to life in recent months. It has been appearing as the top hit in Google searches for “grooveshark,” and that has helped it to gain interest, particularly in Brazil and the U.S. Continue Reading
On the Move tracks hires, promotions, and other notable personnel changes within the online audio industry. Today’s moves include a promotion at Vevo and new hires for SoundCloud and Pacific Content. Continue Reading
The saga of Blinkbox Music has taken yet another unfortunate turn. The streaming service’s customer database has been sold to athletics retailer JD Sports. According to Music Business Worldwide, that means about 2 million people could wind up receiving marketing emails and other communications from the unrelated business. Continue Reading
Pandora was recognized by the IAB Sales Excellence Awards program. The online radio company was honored as the winner in overall sales excellence for a large sales organization. “The IAB Sales Excellence Awards identify industry leaders who have achieved noteworthy success selling digital advertising,” IAB’s Sherrill Mane said. Continue Reading