iHeartMedia released audience metrics for streaming platform iHeartRadio today. The headline statistic is 60-million registered users. With that, iHeart notes that ‘millions of users” also use the platform’s live-radio feature without registering. Continue Reading
On Thursday, Zenbu Magazines filed multiple proposed class-action lawsuits against several streaming services seeking to collect royalties on music recorded before 1972. The company targeted Beats Electronics, Sony Entertainment, Google, Rdio, Songza, Slacker, and Escape Media Group (which owns Grooveshark) in the complaints. Continue Reading
The Australian Recording Industry Association shared its 2014 wholesale figures from the country’s music scene. The end of the year charts found that revenue from streaming music subscriptions rose 111% compared with 2013. Online subscription and ad-supported services now account for more than 10% of the total Australian market value. Continue Reading
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THIS WEEK: Streaming is bigger than AM/FM for teens; does streaming break hit songs?; Shazam is a billion-dollar company; Apple acquires a music data startup; Rdio expands again, reached 84 countries; Saavn music service hits audience milestone; Streamus makes YouTube Music easy Continue Reading
We’re used to sitting down at our computers to skim the news, or maybe even going old-school with a physical copy of the paper. Umano aims to give an audio angle to that experience. The company supplies narrations of written web content. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Billboard on global digital music projections; Spotify adds touch and swipe controls on mobile. Continue Reading
Bridge Ratings posted a new study which questioned listeners about the overlap of music they stream, and music they hear on the radio. The results portray the two mediums to be complementary in interesting ways. We spoke to Bridge Ratings President Dave Van Dyke. Continue Reading
Tidal has rolled out in five new European markets. The hi-fi streaming service is now available in Ireland, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The service promises a library of more than 25 million tracks at lossless, CD quality. Listeners in the new markets will pay the same subscription price of $19.99 per month for access. Continue Reading
Indian streaming service Saavn released audience data, revealing that it has 11 million monthly active users. According to CEO and co-founder Rishi Malhotra, Saavn had 30 million people use the service in 2014. Continue Reading
Following its big launch in India, Rdio announced a push into 24 new countries in the Caribbean, Central American, and Asia Pacific region. The new markets bring the total number of countries with Rdio availability to 85. Continue Reading
When a reader and pureplay station operator sent us a government notice of SoundExchange’s intent to audit the streaming royalty payments made by Live365, iHeartMedia, and CBS Radio for 2011, 2012, and 2013, we turned to broadcast law attorney David Oxenford (author of the deeply informative Broadcast Law Blog) to find out how significant the action is. Continue Reading
A Google Chrome browser extension called Streamus is lit up with buzz after the developer posted a promotional status report on Reddit. Streamuis makes YouTube music navigation easier and more lightweight. At the same time, the extension separates the user from YouTube, and provides some of the value that YouTube’s new Music Key subscription service promotes. Continue Reading