Pandora announced that Chris Phillips will join the company as chief product officer. In the new role, Phillips will focus on product management, design, and analysis, in addition to defining and leading the overall product strategy for the online radio business. Continue Reading
Global digital audio ad network TargetSpot announced the launch of a new business development division today. Heading up the unit is VP of Business Development Thierry Ascarez, long-time VP of Business Development at Radionomy. Ascarez now holds both titles. RAIN spoke to Ascarez to flesh out the details. Continue Reading
Data is the big buzzword of the moment, and a new web app from Spotify is putting a slice of that information trove in the hands of listeners. The web app is called Sort Your Music. It lets you look at any playlist in Spotify, then shuffle the order based on the various musical traits. Continue Reading
In a revealing document submitted to the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), Pandora argues for lowered music licensing rates in the 2016-2020 statutory royalty period. The proposed rate range is about half the amount suggested by SoundExchange in its submission to the CRB. The key argument discloses aspects of Pandora’s private music licensing agreement with Merlin, a coalition of 20,000 music labels. Continue Reading
AudioHQ announced a partnership with online radio service Jango for audio ad sales starting in 2015. According to the press release, Jango reaches 3 million listeners in the U.S. each month with its service for social and customizable music stations. This is the second deal to be announced within the past week for AudioHQ. Continue Reading
Unnamed sources told the Wall Street Journal that worldwide music sales from the iTunes Store fell 13%-14% since the start of 2014. A single individual also told WSJ that Apple is in the process of rebuilding Beats Music and will relaunch the service next year as part of iTunes. There hasn’t been any formal word from Apple about its plans for Beats, but that hasn’t stopped the rumors from swirling about their joint future. Continue Reading
Pandora’s Q3 earnings call on Thursday marked an anniversary of the one-year directorship of CEO Brian McAndrews. McAndrews told a story of record-breaking financial results, and slowing audience growth. Wall Street punished the company severely in after-hours trading following the late-afternoon call, and in today’s formal session. Continue Reading
BVDW, the German digital economy federation, released a report on the traction of online radio and streaming in the nation. The data showed that gross investment in audio streaming is projected to increase by more than 50% in 2015, while gross revenue from in-stream advertising is expected to reach about 137 euros by next year, compared with revenue of 65 million euros in 2013. Continue Reading
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A seven-minute blast of news you need to know in streaming music and online audio. This week: Deezer acquires Stitcher; Pandora earnings; Spotify study; Google relaunches streaming; Pandora AMP; NASA in SoundCloud.
This week: Sirius XM loses again in court; NextRadio milestone; SoundCloud’s struggles; SONY publishing threat; TuneCore payouts; Twitter’s new music feature Continue Reading
Jeff Price, founder and CEO of Audiam, has launched a new division of his company called the International Association of Music Publishers. This group aims to quickly and accurately pay publishers mechanical royalties for the digital use of their creations. The FAQ explains that IAMP aims to also identify and record mechanical royalties that were previously earned but unpaid. Continue Reading
Rhapsody has brought a new interim CEO into its executive ranks. David Hose will head the company for the time being while the board conducts a search for a permanent CEO. Hose has acted an as adviser, investor, and founder for several music- and mobile-centric companies. He most recently founded Soundwall, a startup that combines music and art to create “wireless connected canvases.” Continue Reading
Deezer, the Paris-based on-demand music service which operates in 180 national markets, has acquired Stitcher, the market-leading podcast app. The breakthrough deal puts a whole new category of content into the Deezer library. RAIN spoke to Tyler Goldman, Deezer’s CEO of North America. Continue Reading