Sponsored by AudioBoom
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
AudioHQ has entered into a digital distribution and sales partnership with TeshMedia Group. Under this arrangement, AudioHQ will develop streaming programs based on existing radio programs, and create marketing opportunities for the new lifestyle content. Podcasts and 24/7 streams are in the works, CEO Matt Cutair told RAIN. Continue Reading
Could wireless carriers take over the broadcast of radio content, removing a vital source of free, over-the-air content and information delivery? Guest Columnist Roger Lanctot of Strategy Analytics examines the question in the context of a Teracom report which denies it could ever happen. Lanctot didn’t think it could either … until he heard the report. Continue Reading
The inverse relationship of streaming music and music sales is well known: Streaming up, sales down. A similar symbiotic relationship exists between music concerts and music sales. But how do streaming and concerts interact? Is the relationship mutually beneficial? That’s what Spotify’s Director of Economics Will Page set out to discover in a new study. Continue Reading
Microsoft announced that it will shutter its free plan for Xbox Music Pass effective Dec. 1. The free on-demand streaming plan was ad-supported, and it was later capped at 10 hours of listening. Now the only plan choice is a monthly $10 subscription, although new subscribers can try it free for 30 days. Continue Reading
Beatport purchased a social listening app called Listn for an undisclosed price, then promptly decided to shut down the service. The app allowed its members to explore their friends’ music libraries, with connections to several popular streaming services: YouTube, Spotify, Rdio, and SoundCloud. Listn will no longer be available starting Oct. 30, but the app’s employees will be joining Beatport. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio is now live in the Apple CarPlay system for connected vehicles. It will also be available for consumer use in certain car models and aftermarket headunits. The app allows users to access their favorite live radio, custom stations, and talk shows from their dashboards. Continue Reading
Patrick Reynolds, Chief Strategy Officer of Triton Digital and a featured speaker at the upcoming RAIN Summit Europe in London on November 4, says that streaming could be the meat of the FM sandwich. That tasty analogy came up in a phone conversation with RAIN recently, in which Reynolds previewed the panel discussion he will moderate in London: “Measuring and Monetizing FM’s Online Audience.” Continue Reading
Streaming music sites aren’t just for the realm of professional musicians. NASA has started using SoundCloud to upload recordings made in space, giving us earth-bound civilians exposure to exactly what goes on over our heads. Continue Reading