Survey shows freemium helps to curb music piracy
A new study investigated the relationship between piracy and freemium music services. CALinnovates, an advocacy organization for tech and public policy, sponsored the survey. Continue Reading
Kantar study: U.S. radio ad spending grows, defying overall downward trend
Kantar Media collected data about U.S. ad expenditures, which posted a decline of 3.9% in the second quarter of 2015 for a total spend of $38 billion. Radio bucked that downward trend, showing gains in spot sales. Kantar notes an impact from increased ad time. Continue Reading
Two new hires, one new office at TuneCore
TuneCore announced the addition of two new team members and a new office to its U.S. operations. Gillian Morris will be the company’s vice president of publishing. Amy Lombardi joins as a manager of artist relations. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio hosting station of Pope Francis and smooth jazz
In one of the more unique partnerships we’ve seen, iHeartRadio announced that it will be airing a station that combines information about Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S. with smooth jazz music. POPE Info Radio will have updates on the religious leader’s time in the country – including event schedules, traffic and weather updates, and interviews with organizers and officials – mixed in after each song of the smooth jazz programming. Continue Reading
Podcasts Are the New Black, with Steve Goldstein at RAIN Summit Atlanta
Podcasting: Audience awareness and listening are growing. Programming and advertising networks are reshaping a 10-year-old landscape. New investment money is coming into the space quickly, from legacy institutions. Steve Goldstein will lead the conversation at RAIN Summit Atlanta. Continue Reading
WideOrbit to launch new programmatic market for radio
Media software company WideOrbit will announce on Tuesday the launch of WO Programmatic Radio, a new marketplace for automated selling of radio ad inventory. The new platform matches buyers and to radio sellers using the WO Traffic sales and traffic service. Continue Reading
Nielsen 360 Report finds big online audience, but little online spending
Nielsen has released highlights for its 360 Music Report of 2015. One of the highlights of Nielsen reports are the breakdowns on music spending. For the total population, online music streaming services accounts for 7% of annual music spend, and 11% goes to digital tracks or albums. Cost was the top reason for listeners in selecting a streaming service, and it was part of the top two reasons for people to not subscribe. Finally, this year’s report found that AM/FM and satellite radio was the top discovery engine. Continue Reading
RAIN Awards 2015: Finalists for “Best Streaming Broadcast Station”
This week we are revealing finalists in the Sixth Annual RAIN Internet Radio Awards. Today we are pleased to announce the advancing finalists in the “Best Streaming Broadcast Station” category. Continue Reading
Apple Music is adding brand curators and channels
U.S. listeners have got their first taste of brand collaborations on Apple Music. The company has teamed up with fashion house Burberry for a focused channel on the streaming platform. According to the channel, Burberry will be highlighting the “Best of British” in music, featuring both fresh and familiar faces. You can find Burberry in the Curators section of the app. Continue Reading
Spotify Running launches on Android devices
Spotify Running has arrived on Android mobile devices. This feature makes song selections based on the tempo of the listener’s gait. Running has several preset playlists that can deliver the beat-matching technology. It was initially rolled out only to iPhones. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Music science report; inside a playlisting company; Mixcloud interview
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Music science report from O’Reilly; the other side of playola accusations; interview with Mixcloud’s co-founder. Continue Reading
RAIN Awards 2015: Finalists for “Best Single Stream Webcaster”
This week we are revealing finalists in the Sixth Annual RAIN Internet Radio Awards! Today we are pleased to announce the advancing finalists in the “Best Single Stream Webcaster” category. Continue Reading