Quick Hits: About podcast ads; Patreon’s $30M; Music Memos from Apple
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: When and why podcasts ads work; Patreon’s serious Series B round; Apple launches Music Memos recording app. Continue Reading
Deezer: $109M new funding, bigger library, future plans
Several big news items came out of France-based Deezer today. First, the on-demand streaming service has secured €100 million (about $109 million) in a funding round. The influx of money will go toward growing the service’s audience, introducing new products and features, and building more programmed experiences for listeners. Second, Deezer announced that it has increased the size of its music catalog. Continue Reading
Spotify acquires two companies to bolster product development
Spotify has acquired two companies, adding their talent to its product development and engineering teams. One purchase is Cord Project, the other is Soundwave. No financial details of the purchases were disclosed. Continue Reading
Bullish ad-spend forecast emphasizes digital and overall growth for radio
A new edition of an annual research projection from MyersBizNet forecasts 7.7% growth in ad spend across audio/radio, video/TV, display, video, mobile, and other categories. Terrestrial radio is predicted to grow 5% across “legacy” and digital advertising opportunities. Internet radio is projected at 25% growth. Continue Reading
Study finds consumers value audio quality (given the right language)
MusicWatch has shared research into consumer sentiment about what listeners want in a music streaming subscription. When asked what feature would encourage them to pay for their tunes, far and away the top answer was control over a completely on-demand service at 39%. However, 11% said “sound quality as good as the recording studio.” Continue Reading
Univision goes to market, buys partial Onion
Univision has acquired a controlling 40% stake in satirical publication The Onion, causing cognitive dissonance among observers. While the Spanish-language media giant’s investment in satire might not make the most intuitive sense, it does work demographically. Continue Reading
Infinite Dial webinar date set by Edison Research & Triton Digital
Edison Research released the date and time of the The Infinite Dial webinar, an annual event in which survey results about American listening are released each March. The Infinite Dial is a joint production of Edison Research and Triton Digital. The date is March 10, at 2pm EST. Click through for registration info. Continue Reading
On the Move: New leaders at Univision, SESAC; promotions at ASCAP, Xaxis
On the Move tracks hires, promotions, and other notable personnel changes within the online audio industry. Today’s moves include new high-level hires at Univision and SESAC, while ASCAP and Xaxis announced promotions from within the ranks. Continue Reading
Tidal mistakenly billed cancelled customers
The overarching narrative we saw last year with Tidal, the boutique streaming service focused on artist empowerment and audio quality, was wonky PR. Unfortunately, the company has kicked off 2016 with another peculiar problem: Tidal appears to have accidentally billed some of its former customers. Continue Reading
Rhapsody to show BandPage concert notifications
BandPage has embarked on a tighter integration with Rhapsody that focuses on promoting live shows. Through this partnership, Rhapsody will begin offering its listeners push notifications about upcoming concerts from their preferred artists. Continue Reading
Streaming made its mark on Germany’s music biz in 2015
The German Federal Music Industry Association, or BVMI, has released its 2015 music data for the nation. The year saw a 3.9% increase in value with sales rising to €1.5 billion. Streaming services were a big portion of that growth, with the format gaining 96.6% last year. Continue Reading
Spotify bringing in-store “experiences” to Starbucks
Spotify has partnered with coffee chain Starbucks for what they’ve dubbed a “new digital music experience” in stores across the U.S. Under this new arrangement, patrons will be able to identify music playing over the store loudspeakers from within the Starbucks app. Continue Reading