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
In a development that intersects Internet radio, small business, and hyperlocal content, East Village Radio (EVR) has announced that it will shut down its operation on May 23. The famous pureplay is owned by a New York restaurateur, Frank Prisinzano, who cited rising music-licensing expenses as the reason for turning off the station. Continue Reading
Spotify is reportedly set to make its music-subscription service available in Brazil. The company sent press invitations to an event on May 28 in Sao Paulo. If Spotify didn’t have its own reason for entering the Brazilian streaming market, it would be spurred by competitors. Continue Reading
The world’s three biggest music labels — Warner Music Group (WMG), Universal Music Group (UMG), and Sony Music Entertainment — each invested $3-million in Shazam, a leading song-recognition app. The company has raised at least $92-million in the last three years. Continue Reading
In a partnership that was announced over a year ago, automaker GM and telecom giant AT&T are starting to roll out product — cars with built-in online connectivity. With announced prices, these cars and data plans help shape consumer understanding of an important question: What is the monthly cost of connecting a car? Continue Reading
Spotify upgraded its Windows Phone app, putting in features that have been painfully missing for users of that platform (e.g. Radio, Browse, and Discover). But one important feature is missing: Spotify Free. Users shouldn’t be surprised: Spotify warned of this in February. Continue Reading