Although Google’s purchase of Songza is signed, sealed, and delivered, the tech press is still buzzing over the idea that the service wasn’t the primary acquisition target. Spotify has been the subject of frequent rumors about a buy-out by the search engine conglomerate. Continue Reading
Venerable Internet radio platform SHOUTcast, which was acquired from AOL by Radionomy early this year, is re-launching this week with enhancements that should benefit SHOUTcast station owners. The SHOUTcast brand, station directory, and back-end tie-ins with mobile apps all remain intact. The noteworthy changes are intended to provide station owners with a less expensive, more lucrative, and better informed experience. Continue Reading
Business software company Marketron today announced the addition of location-based advertising to its suite of monetization products. Location-based advertising addresses the dominant trend in digital listening, which is the migration of consumers to mobile environments. An eMarketer study this month concluded that mobile advertising will surpass traditional radio advertising revenue this year. Continue Reading
Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio is partnering with ad-tech provider AdsWizz to create “unique and integrated digital advertising capabilities,” it was announced this morning. The partnership will enhance ad insertion and targeting across a wide scope of brands and content — over 840 Clear Channel radio stations that stream live webcasts on the iHeart platform. Continue Reading
Brief new items and worthy reads from around the web: Google execs join Spotify; blue notes for jazz and classical; new musical startups; UK’s anti-piracy program Continue Reading
MTV, VH1, and BET could see a resurgence in how they share music thanks to a new partnership between owner Viacom and Spotify. The deal will make artists highlighted on Viacom’s web and on-air programming easily available to listeners through Spotify playlists. Continue Reading
Pandora announced that Lars Murray will serve as its new vice president of industry relations. Murray joins the company from Columbia Records, where he was vice president of digital media. Continue Reading
Clip Interactive has announced an agreement with Entercom to create mobile apps for Entercom’s Portland radio stations. The new apps will allow listeners to interact with “all elements of the broadcast and stream.” The apps are designed to create additional station revenue. Continue Reading
Stream aggregator TuneIn had a soccer-motivated milestone during the World Cup tournament. The whole event (not just Brazil’s sad shocker at the end) added up to TuneIn’s biggest listening attraction ever. Continue Reading
During Pandora’s development of its advertising model, we have tracked the development of its local sales organization spread across dozens of city markets. With less publicity, Pandora is also building an in-house creative advertising team that works with agencies and advertisers to build customized messages, programs, and productions to connect brands with targeted groups of listeners. The effort leverages a combination of media creativity and data knowledge.
To get a better picture of how this works, and some examples, we spoke with Heidi Browning, Pandora’s SVP of Strategic Solutions. She works with chief marketing officers and ad agencies on ideas for what she calls “innovative ad experiences.” Continue Reading
Brief new items and worthy reads from around the web: Legal blog demystifies the YouTube/indie artist contract; Baboom gets a new industry hire; Spotify loses a European exec Continue Reading
Sunita Kaur, director of Asia for Spotify, spoke with The Next Web about the company’s plans for growth in the coming months. Since its first foray into Asian markets in April 2013, Spotify has been moving slowly. The company is only present in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and the Philippines, leaving huge swaths of the continent untouched. Continue Reading