Quick Hits: Video of the radio; Google DMCA takedowns; an Uptown Funk-y 2015
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Video of radio?; Google saw 558M+ takedowns last year; Uptown Funk won 2015. Continue Reading
2016 Predictions: Industry thought-leaders peer into the new year for online audio
Happy New Year!
In last year’s edition of RAIN’s annual predictions, we wrote: “2015 will be an eventful year for all stakeholders in online audio.” It was. This year will carry forward the audio industry’s reputation for disruptive change. RAIN News is pleased to present predictions from 23 thought-leading guest futurists Continue Reading
Twitter invests in connected headphone startup Muzik
More pre-CES news includes an intriguing tie-up between social media and music hardware. Twitter announced an investment in Muzik, a startup company making connected headphones. Could this be the social network’s first music deal that really sticks? Continue Reading
RAIN News’ top picks for CES 2016 sessions
Whether you’re on the show floor or just following the action from home on livestreams and social media, this year’s Consumer Electronics Show promises to have lots of valuable insights for the digital audio industry. This year, we could see developments in topics such as connected cars, home audio, audio quality, mobile devices, headphones, digital distribution, and advertising technology. Continue Reading
New headphone device could improve even the lowly earbuds
The music industry has regular conversations about audio quality and listening technology. Although the average small, earbud-style headphones are uniformly relegated to the bottom of the heap in terms of sound quality, some enterprising companies have tried to find ways to make them more useable for a discerning listener. Continue Reading
The Download on Podcasts: Podcasting’s new year’s resolution (or should be)
sponsored by PodcastOne
Nearly two years ago, an article that questioned why audio doesn’t go viral, went viral. The article’s complaint has not been fully answered. Recently WNYC posted one of its podcasts to Facebook, but had to wrap it in a video because Facebook doesn’t have native audio. Podcasting might be the catalyst which changes the lack of social sharing in audio. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: The 2016 crystal ball edition
Before quaffing the champagne tonight, we’ve got a slightly different take on the usual Quick Hits. Today, we have a roundup of online publications and writers’ predictions and premonitions about what the streaming and digital audio world has to look forward to in 2016. Continue Reading
U.S. Copyright Office to review safe harbor provisions
The U.S. Copyright Office announced that it is undertaking a public study of the country’s safe harbor provisions. Section 512 was introduced in 1998 as part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and its safe harbor laws provide some liability limitations on usage for Internet-based services. The rules focus on protecting services from liability due to copyright infringements occurring in user-generated content. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Podcasting predictions; podcast music careers; app store crossovers; Kickstarter fulfillment
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Podcasting predictions for 2016; new music careers from podcasts; when companies make the software and the systems; Kickstarter’s independent fulfillment report. Continue Reading
Gracenote to showcase new dynamic equalizer at CES
Gracenote announced plans to add an equalizer feature based on song metadata. The Gracenote Dynamic EQ automatically shifts equalizer settings based on data points such as the song’s genre, mood, era, and acoustic profile. Continue Reading
Consumer digital spending grows; digital advertising grows faster
Consumer spending on digital products will grow a projected 5.1% to $2.1-trillion in 2019, according to McKinsey’s newly released State of Global Media Spending report. Advertiser spending on digital is growing even faster, and the trend, when combined with new CRB webcaster rates, might have implications for radio stations. Continue Reading
Live365 suffers a collision of misfortunes, lays off most employees and vacates office
Live365, one of the most venerable brands in this industry, is affected by shifting regulations that change the cost of music on January. In addition, the company’s investors have pulled support from the company, forcing an immediate financial crisis. RAIN News has learned that as a result, nearly the entire staff was laid off this week. Continue Reading