Why isn’t audio as social and viral as video and web pages? If lack of an easy platform is the problem, Clammr seeks to solve it with today’s launch of its new service on web and mobile. Clammr enables clipping and sharing of 24-second audio. It is designed for podcasters to create excerpt channels, and for consumers to make audio more viral. Continue Reading
CÜR Media announced the completion of a $1.75 million financing round in support of its upcoming music service. The new platform is targeting the crossover between social and music, billing itself as “a social, mobile, and web streaming music application that is being designed to enable its users to go beyond the limitations of traditional music streaming services.” Continue Reading
Webcast listening in October moved up 1% from August numbers, according to Triton Digital’s Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker, released today. Click for historical charts from 2009 to the present. Continue Reading
Google Play Music has launched in South Africa, marking the music platform’s first entry into Africa. The launch comes at an introductory price of 49.99 Rand ($3.50); normally the membership costs $9.99. Continue Reading
Guvera has announced an official launch into the U.S. The platform debuted yesterday with a launch party hosted at its production studio in Los Angeles. It has a global catalog of more than 26 million tracks and a current audience of more than 14 million listeners. Continue Reading
Pandora has added another direct licensing deal to its arsenal, this time with independent outfit SONGS Music Publishing. Details of the multi-year agreement were not disclosed. “Now is the time to move past the over-regulation of songwriter rights and towards a market-based approach to streaming music,” SONGS’ Matt Pincus said. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Vevo acquires Showyou; Zane Lowe interview; is podcasting replacing the company newsletter? Continue Reading
Another major album release, another segmented digital launch. Coldplay dropped a new album on Friday but have restricted its online availability to paid-only music services. That means A Head Full of Dreams can be heard on the likes of Apple Music and Amazon Prime Music, but not on Spotify. At least, not yet. Continue Reading
Indian streaming company Saavn has hired a new exec to lead its charge into sports and comedy content. Gaurav Wadhwa is the service’s new vice president of entertainment and original content. He joined the company from PepsiCo, where he was a senior marketing consultant. Continue Reading
Bauer Media is assuming ownership of Radio Nova, a Finnish commercial radio business. Bauer is acquiring the service from Bonnier Group’s MTV Media branch. Following this transaction, Bauer and MTV will make multimedia solutions – combining digital, TV, and radio – available to commercial partners. Continue Reading
James Cridland Weekly Links is a column by the U.K.’s radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Live streaming stalls at NPR; an Australian station adapts to bush fires; much more. Continue Reading
Podcast2Radio, a new service launching from a partnership of venerable Internet broadcaster Live365 and podcast host Blubrry. It will formally go live this week. Rae Palermo of Live365 previewed the service for RAIN News. Continue Reading