Shazam jumped on the bandwagon of 2014 roundups with a listing of the top tracks and artists tagged in the song ID program. The findings fell pretty well in line with what Spotify and other music services have been reporting, but Shazam added some interesting predictions to its blog post by noting some of the artists it expects to break out in 2015. Continue Reading
Points of interest and worthy reads around the web: Rumored label negotiating tactics with Spotify; fuuture of podcasting; OpEd from Rhapsody borad members. Continue Reading
Following on the release of its global year-in-review earlier this week, Spotify has also added a tool so that individuals can check out their 2014 listening data. The feature breaks down your song choices over the past 12 months into very detailed genres. The data is interesting on its own, but Spotify took things a step further with Play it Forward, where the streaming platform can create a personalized playlist of songs based on what you liked most in 2014. Continue Reading
Sirius XM has agreed to a settlement of $3.8 million following claims that it engaged in misleading advertising and billing practices. The complaint was brought by 45 state consumer protection agencies that argued Sirius customers were having issues canceling their contracts. The agencies claimed that the satellite radio company offered extra incentives to staff members who retained customers who wanted to end their subscriptions. Continue Reading
Nielsen released its Q3 Total Audience Report, formerly called the Cross Platform Report. The name change signifies a philosophical reconception as well as new marketplace realities. In the metrics, AM/FM time-spent listening dropped slightly year-over-year, but it is the generational shift which really stands out. Continue Reading
Native advertising has ebbed and flowed across media categories for decades. 2014 has been a year in which the streaming audio market has embraced native campaigns, and signs point to increased adoption by advertisers, and increased offerings by publishers. We spoke to Cathy Csukas (Adlarge) and Lex Friedman (Midroll Media) for sell-side perspective. Continue Reading
Spotify today announced the launch of a geo-targeted advertising platform for its ad-supported freemium service level. The initial rollout includes the top 15 listening markets. Launch partner Triton Digital provides verification metrics through its Webcast Local Metrics product. We spoke to Spotify ad exec Brian Benedik. Continue Reading
In an interesting collaboration that mashes together social networking, radio-style request lines, and purepaly streaming, Bollywood-oriented music service Saavn is partnering with Twitter to enable tweeted music requests. Continue Reading
Pandora updated its iPhone and Android apps, giving user more control of their stations and a shiny new interface to certain functions. The refreshed apps are being roll out incrementally to Pandora’s large listenership, with three percent of users added to the initial beta period. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio is getting in the holiday spirit this month with a new Christmas radio station. North Pole Radio offers round-the-clock yuletide cheer, with a 24/7 rotation of holiday songs. The tunes are mostly high-energy, kid-friendly fare; think “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” or “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” Continue Reading
Milwaukee 50,000-watt talk powerhouse WTMJ, flagship station of the Green Bay Packers (since 1929), Milwaukee Brewers, and Milwaukee Bucks, is covering high-school football and basketball via pureplay streaming on the Radionomy platform. Continue Reading
Home speaker company Sonos has raised $130 million in financing, according to TechCrunch. The recent influx brings its total funding to about $455 million. Sonos can sync with several music services, including Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, Deezer, Sirius XM, Radionomy, SoundCloud, and Google Music. Continue Reading