RAIN founding editor Kurt Hanson rhapsodizes about the iPhone 6’s ability to consolidate multiple mobile tools into a single device. His admonition to radio executives on both sides of the digital fence: Take note, and prepare for an even more consumer-friendly mobile future. Continue Reading
Amazon’s head of digital music and video has departed the company. Bill Carr has spent 15 years with the online retailer, and was at the helm when the company entered the markets for both online music and streaming video. He was responsible for launching Amazon’s streaming music service for customers with Prime memberships. Continue Reading
Shazam belatedly shared its financial information from the second half of 2013. In that six-month period, the music ID program reported pre-tax losses of £5.3 million, up from losses of £1.3 million for the whole of 2012. Revenue for the second half of 2013 totaled £16.9 million, down from £31 million during the first half of that year. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Classic rock’s high prices and good exposure from ads; Pandora CFO on repairing licensing relationships; Wonder.fm offers SoundCloud hit discovery. Continue Reading
Data from App Annie revealed that music services are among the top performers for in-app purchases in August. The analytics firm found that Spotify, Pandora, and Apple’s music apps were among the leaders for in-app revenue. All three ranked in the top 10 revenue generators for non-game apps. Continue Reading
A California judge has delivered a result in the Turtles vs. Sirius XM class action case, in which the oldies band sought damages for Sirius XM’s failure to pay royalties for use of pre-1972 music. The court issued a summary judgment in favor of the artists, striking a blow to Sirius XM and sending tectonic shock waves across the streaming music landscape. Although the ruling is clear, its impact is not. The case centers on discrepancies between state and federal music-licensing laws, and lack of clear regulation in both realms. Continue Reading
Pandora seeks to disrupt radio by competing for share of listeners, and ad dollars. At the same time, Pandora watches its audience growth, which has been more or less stable at about 76-million users per month. To further that second priority, Pandora is launching its first online ad campaign with a $5-million buy on socially oriented sites like BuzzFeed, Twitter, and Facebook. Continue Reading
Apple’s universal distribution of U2’s new album — the controversy that won’t die. As the dust slowly settles, we’d like to know how it shakes out for you, whether you’re an Apple device user or not. Was the free (and forced) album a huge blunder? Or is all the complaining a waste of bandwidth? Vote your opinion! Leave a survey comment, too — as always, selected comments will be published with the poll results. Continue Reading
adStream is a journal of ad-stalking and interesting commercial sightings in online audio services. As we were browsing for a playlist recently in the web browser view of Songza, we encountered smart use of the palette to display two simultaneous campaigns. Continue Reading
Online radio is not just a North American phenomenon — it’s a global one. Reflecting the global nature of online radio, we are about to host our third annual RAIN Summit Europe, on Tuesday, November 4th. After successful events in Berlin in 2012 and Brussels in 2013, this year we’re coming to London … and here is why you should join us! Continue Reading
At RAIN News we prefer facts to rumors. But rumors can anticipate reality. Whether they do or not, well-sourced rumors are interesting, and point to underlying issues. This rumor started with a TechCrunch article, circulated by other publications, and was quickly denied by Apple. Another recent Apple acquisition might provide guiding light. And no matter what happens to the Beats Music brand, important questions surround Apple’s role in music and listening. Continue Reading
National Public Radio station WBUR, Boston, announced that it is the first broadcast station to land an app in Google Glass, the wearable computing device. WBUR is affiliated with Boston University. WBUR was also one of six NPR stations that developed NPR One, a mobile public-radio experience that launched this summer. Continue Reading