Tidal caught in another PR snafu, this one featuring Apple Music and Drake

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Tidal has accused Apple of blocking its stream of rapper Drake’s performance at a charity concert, claiming it was threatened with a $20 million lawsuit by the tech company on the grounds that Drake currently has an exclusive deal with Apple Music. Tidal called Apple “Big Brother” in a tweet and left the same message on the blank video stream during Drake’s set. Drake’s camp said the stream’s black-out was not due to Apple. Continue Reading →

Shazam 2014 results show growth in audience and net losses

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Shazam has reportedly filed financial results for its entire 2014 financial year. While the sound identification app did post solid numbers in terms of audience base, it still had losses overall in the period. Revenue at Shazam in 2014 totaled about £36 million, but the net loss was £14.8 million. The results did reveal nearly 120 million monthly active users for the service, though. Continue Reading →

Internet Radio Rewind #57: Connected car research; TuneIn goes Premium; Neil Young shouts out; more

Posted on by Brad Hill

A weekly podcast from RAIN News

Sponsored by AudioBoom

The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. THIS WEEK: PodcastOne expands the sales effort; do consumers like connected cars? TuneIn starts monthly subscriptions; Neil Young shouts out. Continue Reading →

Switzerland audience listens equally to DAB+ and Internet radio

Posted on by Anna Washenko

The Swiss Radio Day included a presentation of research into digital listening within Switzerland’s radio audience. The Digital Migration working group’s recent research found that 45% of all radio listening in the nation happens on digital channels. DAB+ is responsible for about half of that figure. At this stage, DAB+ and the Internet are equally popular among listeners. Continue Reading →

Former Beats Music CEO makes surprise departure from Apple

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Ian Rogers has resigned from Apple. Rogers was the CEO of Beats Music prior to its acquisition by the tech company, and was one of the key leaders in creating the Beats 1 radio component of Apple Music. The Financial Times first reported the departure, noting that Rogers will be heading to Europe for a position in an unrelated industry. Continue Reading →

Vine adds new in-app musical features to looping videos

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Social media platform Vine announced an expansion of its audio capabilities. The service, which lets users film six-second looping videos, will now have options for seamlessly adding music to content directly within the app with the optional Snap to Beat feature. You can add music from your phone to videos directly through Vine, or you can browse the newly added Featured Tracks section. Continue Reading →

BASCA backs PRS for Music in SoundCloud suit

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Yesterday, we reported on PRS for Music’s lawsuit against SoundCloud. Today, the plaintiff got a statement of support from their fellow Brits at BASCA. “We acknowledge that streaming is a fantastic means of listening to and enjoying music but SoundCloud’s intransigence in refusing to be licensed through PRS For Music means their model financially damages our members,” CEO Vick Bain said. Continue Reading →

Former ESPN podcaster Bill Simmons will return to air in the fall

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Earlier this week, Bill Simmons announced on Twitter that he will be launching a new podcast in the fall. He has a new contract with HBO that begins in October. Simmons’ tweet only promised a “new name, new sponsors” for the upcoming show, and HBO has not provided any other details about what his return to podcasting will sound like. Continue Reading →

Billboard industry survey finds love for Taylor Swift and Apple, not so much for Tidal

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Billboard conducted an anonymous survey of music industry leaders, gathering expert opinions on everything from the sector’s business outlook to favorite artists. The business questions also revealed intriguing insights, including a view of which music companies are the industry darlings and which are not. Continue Reading →