Napster announces Canadian launch
Rhapsody-owned Napster launched in Canada today. The ad-free premium music service is offering subscriptions costing C$9.99 a month, but it has a launch offer of three months for just C$1. Continue Reading
New SoundCloud Pulse app caters to the creators
SoundCloud has launched a new standalone mobile app specifically for audio creators. SoundCloud Pulse helps creators manage their accounts and communities. For now, Pulse is only available on Android, but an iOS version and new features are in the works. Continue Reading
Steve Goldstein: RIP Grantland — Which Is Bigger, Brand or Talent?
Guest columnist Steve Goldsteing addresses the ever-relevant question of whether brand or talent is more important. Along the way he mourns the passing of ESPN’s Grantland, and points to what happened. Continue Reading
Radical.FM pauses operation to prepare launch of TALK, one-click stream DJ’ing
Radical.FM, a distinctive online radio service that allows multi-genre mixing, has temporarily shut down the service to concentrate its resources on an upcoming launch of TALK, a new broadcast feature. TALK will allow real-time voice injection to RadCasting, Radical’s new station broadcasting function. Continue Reading
Global Interactive Media filing lawsuits over broadcast display patents
Global Interactive Media has gone on a tear of lawsuits on charges that several broadcasting companies have violated its patents. That intellectual property covers an “apparatus and method to generate and access broadcast information.” At this stage, it seems possible that the Belize-based company is looking to make money by pushing litigation over patents of questionable validity. But if the patent claims are legitimate, it could mean one more set of royalty payments for many types of audio companies. Continue Reading
Internet Radio Rewind #64: Beats and more Beats; podcast invasion; UK digital radio ratings; more
A weekly podcast from RAIN News
Sponsored by AudioBoom
The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. THIS WEEK: Sirius XM earnings and quotes; Beats 1 might spawn numbered children; Deezer and Google bring on the podcasts; RAJAR quarterly numbers; more. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: A Spotify In Residence interview; Merlin CEO op-ed on tiered royalties; NextRadio’s new partner
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Insights into Spotify In Residence: Merlin CEO pens op-ed against two-tier publishing rates; a new addition to NextRadio’s platform. Continue Reading
On the Move: Shuffles at UMG; CBS Radio programming promotion; NPR spot radio posts
On the Move tracks hires, promotions, and other notable personnel changes within the online audio industry. Today’s moves are restructuring of top management at UMG, a promotion at CBS Radio, and two spot radio hires for NPR. Continue Reading
Test Drive: Podcasts with community focus in Jabbercast
With the big boom in podcast popularity, a few new upstarts have emerged to offer related services to listeners. One of the newer platforms is Jabbercast, a mobile iOS app for podcasts that explores new options in building community. Continue Reading
Knowledge, networking, and music at RAIN Summit Europe
A combination of conversation, presentation, music, and meeting will characterize RAIN Summit Europe, November 9 in London. Hundreds of attendees will have an opportunity to meet industry leaders of streaming audio, while learning from 16 knowledge sessions covering advertising, podcasting, research, mobile listening, metrics, and radio innovation in a digital world. Continue Reading
Bop.fm gets acquired and closed
Service-agnostic playlist app Bop.fm has been acquired by LifeLock. The platform will be shutting down on Oct. 31. The app’s founders wrote a blog post to explain the news and thank users for going along for Bop.fm’s three year ride. Continue Reading
RAJAR Q3 data shows digital radio growth in UK
Third-quarter RAJAR data was released today, revealing the latest radio listening trends for the UK. Radio in the region had a weekly audience of 47.8 million adults or 89.3% of the UK’s population aged 15 and older. The most notable developments for radio this quarter were in digital radio. Continue Reading