Kurt Hanson: Report from Tokyo Part 2
by Kurt Hanson
RAIN founding editor Kurt Hanson just returned from a trip to Tokyo, where he surveyed the tech, culture, and audio landscapes. This is his second illustrated report. Continue Reading
NPR One: My Irritation and Admiration (James Cridland)
by James Cridland
Guest columnist James Cridland looks at NPR One, a new mobile app from National Public Radio. while U.K.-based Cridland admires the app’s features, he wishes for something similar from the BBC, which would inject local content for British users. Continue Reading
adStream: Spotting a Pandora “Promoted Station”
adStream is a journal of ad-stalking and interesting commercial sightings in online audio services. In Pandora, Promoted Stations are sponsored playlists branded by advertisers, and co-created with Pandora’s curation experts. The program launched in May with several advertising partners, but the sponsored stations are difficult to find. We found one. Continue Reading
Vevo looking for buyer as finances flounder and YouTube looms
Vevo is keeping its eyes open for a buyer, but is trying to make internal changes first to make it a more appealing target. The service generates 6 billion views a month, and a large portion of those views are YouTube music videos. Is the window of opportunity shrinking as YouTube prepares its own music-video service? Continue Reading
A Smart Approach to Revenue Growth
by Jennifer Lane
RAIN CEO Jennifer lane looks at SmartReach Digital, a full-service digital agency formed by Entercom, one of the largest broadcasters in the U.S., and staffed with a team of experienced digital marketers. The idea is new and innovative to radio, but one that has taken hold with newspapers, tv, and other locally driven media outlets. Continue Reading
Rhapsody hits 2 million subscribers, announces international expansion
Rhapsody announced a major milestone this morning, reporting that it has surpassed 2 million paid subscribers across its music services. Considering the company was just touting 1.7 million subscribers in April, it’s making steady progress in attracting new listeners. In related news, Rhapsody expanded its available offerings in several international markets through its Napster division. Continue Reading
AdLarge hires Jay Green as new VP
Jay Green, previously the National Account Director at PodcastOne, has joined AdLarge as VP, Digital Sales and Content Partnerships. Before PodcastOne, Green spent 12 years at Dial Global, in research and strategic operation roles. Continue Reading
New iPhone app Next offers music discovery inspired by online dating
Review by Anna Washenko
Dating app Tinder created a place where members could forge new personal connections based on snap judgements of attraction. Now, two of the app’s veterans have launched a new project that applies the same idea and mechanics to music. Tinder co-founder Christopher Gulczynski and former design vice president Sarah Nick are the brains behind Next, which bills itself as a place for social music discovery. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio adds Grupo ACIR stations and takes over digital ad repping
Clear Channel announced today that iHeartRadio is adding the 55 Mexican radio stations of Grupo ACIR to the streaming platform. The cluster will be folded into the iHeartRadio Hispanic Network. The emphasis is on U.S. exposure to the Mexico-based programming. As part of the distribution deal, Clear Channel will take over as digital sales provider. Continue Reading
Canadian music industry agitates for music licensing changes
If U.S. legislative bodies and lobbying groups are neck-deep in music-licensing and copyright issues during this “Summer of Copyright,” their northern neighbors are wading into turbulent waters, too. A protest of Canadian music royalty rates, set by the government in May, is underway. Continue Reading
EU clears Apple/Beats deal, Bose adds twist with lawsuit over noise-canceling tech
The European Commission has cleared Apple’s purchase of Beats. The trade regulator determined that while both companies do have overlap in goods and services sold, they don’t have a strong enough joint presence in Europe to cause competition concerns. However, the news isn’t all good for Beats and its likely new owner. Continue Reading
The Summer of Copyright Part 3: Copyright Office Requests Further Comments
by David Oxenford
In this Part 3 of his Summer of Copyright series, broadcast law attorney David Oxenford writes about a new music licensing comment period established by the U.S. Copyright Office. It is first an opportunity for all stakeholders and interested parties to weigh in. Second, the detailed request for comments illuminates how the Copyright Office seems to be prioritizing possible changes to music licensing. Continue Reading