Rdio’s new in-house playlist celebrating the 60 countries in which it operates gave us a good venue to settle in for some ad-watching. Rdio’s ad inventory is sold by Cumulus Media, so it’s not surprising to hear straight radio spots exported to Rdio’s streams. We clipped screen shots and counted the spot load. Continue Reading
On-demand music service Rdio blog-announced its expansion to nine more countries, bring its total international footprint to 60 nations across six continents. Rdio is on the move in more ways than one, as the popular celestial jukebox has pumped out headlines over the last few months. Continue Reading
Apple upgraded its iOS-native Podcasts app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. The refresh includes various usability improvements. The two major product enhancements are these: Support for Apple CarPlay, and adding Siri control. Our testing went badly. Continue Reading
This installation of our POTD series could be re-titled Not-Quite-Pureplay of the Day. Global Breakfast Radio assembles a constantly changing selection of broadcast web streams at local dawn time. The result is an Internet-only station, built on a novel idea and with fascinating results. Continue Reading
The Copyright Board of Canada issued a royalty-rate decision that retroactively establishes payment amounts to artists and labels for the 2009-2012 period. The official rate supports arguments made by webcasters which participated in the hearing. The rate applies to non-interact Internet radio services, and is retroactively for 2009-2012. Continue Reading
Music-recognition app SoundHound upgraded its iOS and Android apps, deepening its search, discovery, and listening experience. Those front-end enhancements are matched on the back end by technology improvements that make music identification faster and more accurate. RAIN tested the new app. Continue Reading
Internet Radio REWIND, an audio recap of the week. This weekly program is a quick and concise catch-up of the week’s top stories. This week: The Apple-Beats vigil … a new effort to change music licensing … Shazam! — and its new funding … Spotify has an announcement to make … and a beloved Internet radio station pulls the plug. Continue Reading
The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) today released its first-quarter revenue report for the radio industry. Overall, earnings were flat year-over-year, comparing with the first quarter of 2013. The results mark the fifth consecutive quarter of flat year-over-year revenue. Continue Reading
Updating the progress of Popcorn Time, often described as “Netflix for pirates,” illuminates differences between the movie and music industries, showing the music industry’s leadership position in cloud-delivered content, and possibly heralds a new Napster-like era of disruption in how media is consumed. Continue Reading
Exfm, a music site that collects music from MP3 blogs and other sources around the web, offering a one-stop listening post, announced its upcoming closure. The site and all its brand extensions (mobile apps, developer API) will be removed this Monday. In an uplifting note, the founders promise a new service. Continue Reading
Radio Joint Audio Research (RAJAR), the official body in charge of measuring radio listening in the U.K., today released the latest in its series of quarterly updates on the where, how, and how much of radio listening. Radio listening is up year-over-year, with a trend to use of digital platforms. Continue Reading
In 2011, NPR received an average weekly donation of just under ten bucks per listener per week. Guest contributor Jennifer Lane noticed that NPR announcers refer to donors as members, and realized that public radio is actually selling subscriptions, but calling it something else. What can music services learn from NPR? Continue Reading