iHeartMedia in major partnership with Omnicom; we talk with Jeff Howard about the goals

Posted on by Brad Hill

iHeartMedia (formerly Clear Channel) has announced a partnership with Omnicom Media Group, the media services division of Omnicom Group, a leading global advertising company.

The deal gives each company special access to assets, information, and technology of the other. We spoke with Jeff Howard, President, National Sales at iHeartMedia. “We’re looking for companies that want to transform the industry,” he told RAIN News. Continue Reading →

Spotify UK turned a profit in 2013 on increased subscriptions

Posted on by RAIN News Staff

Spotify UK saw impressive growth in revenue for 2013 thanks to a 42% spike in subscriptions. The company credited its partnership with Vodafone, which led to the inclusion of Spotify in new customer bundles, and the launch of a student discount with the jump in paid plans. Total revenue for the UK subsidiary increased 40% to £131.3 million for 2013. Profit that year totaled £2.5 million, compared with a loss of £11 million in 2012. Continue Reading →

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iHeartRadio enhances station discovery and music browsing in overhauled desktop app

Posted on by Brad Hill

iHeartRadio re-launched its mobile apps in June, and today brings a new version of its web browser experience. We tested the experience, and found it significantly cleaner and more conducive to exploring stations and discovering music. The key change of the new desktop site is a blurring of lines between type of station, and an increased dedication to providing the user with desired sounds regardless of originating platform. Continue Reading →

Connected cars and the future of U.K. radio: Interview with Michael Hill of Radioplayer

Posted on by Brad Hill

Michael Hill is the Managing Director of Radioplayer, the listening platform which aggregates U.K. radio stations. In anticipation of his appearance at RAIN Summit Europe, in London on November 4, we talked with Hill about the future of listening. His comments reflected specific advocacy of broadcast radio, and an agonistic viewpoint based on Radioplayer’s non-profit status. Continue Reading →

Early hands-on with Pono player reveals how it’s shaping up

Posted on by Anna Washenko

The Pono Music crowdfunding campaign has been successful (to put it mildly) in the fundraising stage, but most of those contributors are still waiting to see what their pledges have created. Eamonn Forde of The Guardian was able to get hands-on time with one of the Pono Player prototypes and shared his experience. He said the improvements in sound quality that Pono delivered were impressive on both expensive headphones and cheap earbuds. Since that was the top promise made by Neil Young and his colleagues, that’s a relief to hear. Continue Reading →

Deezer reportedly partnering with Vodacom for South Africa deal

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Deezer may be getting a leg up in the South African market for music streaming thanks to a partnership with Vodacom Group. Bloomberg cited an unnamed person familiar with the negotiations who said the Vodafone unit would offer its customers access to Deezer through an exclusive year-long deal. Neither Deezer nor Vodacom offered comment on the report. Continue Reading →