iTunes Radio took its first step away from music today, by adding a customized NPR news station to its presets. Not a specific local station, the new offering is simply called “NPR,” and contains no discrete tracks, voting up/down, or other interactive features that exist with songs. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio’s mobile news notifications don’t always play out well, when the user enters a live radio stream during a long commercial break. today, iHeart tried again, this time executing perfectly with stacked-up recorded bulletins about the Malaysian airplane without any commercials. Continue Reading
The exodus of high-profile music services from music-technology provider The Echo Nest picked up momentum today as music service Rhapsody and its subsidiary Napster announced that they will “wind down” their partnerships. They join Rdio, which peeled away from The Echo Nest soon after it was acquired by competitor Spotify. Continue Reading
Radiodays Europe kicked off today at the Dublin Convention Center. The annual event started in 2010, and attracts radio professionals from around the world. Change, and new realities for broadcast, are twin threads in the two-day agenda. Continue Reading
Apple is mulling a subscription music service, reports are swirling that Apple might consider creating an Android app for iTunes, distributing the world’s largest music store outside of the Apple ecosystem for the first time. The news is a significant indicator of Apple’s openness to new business paths. Continue Reading
In a day loaded with rumors of new ambitions emanating from Apple, comes a report that the company is considering a Netflix-like streaming TV service, and is having discussions with cable giant Comcast about paying for high-quality last-mile streaming into homes. Continue Reading
Apple is reportedly considering launching a subscription music service. If it does, the new service will complement Apple’s two existing music businesses, iTunes Music Store, and iTunes Radio, while adding yet another on-demand music service to the crowded U.S. market. Continue Reading
Weekend Perspective: a quick and concise catch-up of the week’s news. Refresh your neurons for the coming week! ASCAP, Pandora, the growth of streaming music in 2013 representing an increasing portion of the overall music industry. Music service news items. Also, one band’s Spotify scheme. Continue Reading
RAIN Hotspots highlights the five most-read article in the week. This week, 2013 music-business statistics were released, revealing the importance of streaming revenue, and the ASCP vs. Pandora trial generated several points of interest. Continue Reading
Doing some driving this weekend? The right car music can make weekend chores enjoyable. Feel-good, upeat, top-down tunes can evoke a cross-country jaunt even if you’re just going to the store for milk. Or sitting at your desk, if your imagination is vivid enough. This is caffeine-substitute music, good for anytime you need a strong, uplifting beat. Continue Reading
Music licensing is a mess — few people or companies would disagree. The copyright arm of the U.S. government is thinking about change. As part of the process, the U.S. Copyright Office is initiating a Music Licensing Study, and seeks comments. If the Copyright Act is headed for reform, this is the webcaster’s opportunity to be part of the process. Continue Reading
Bloomberg reports that Beats Music disclosed sign-up numbers to its private investors in February, and that the subscription-only service attracted paid users at an average of 1,000 per day for the first month. The online jukebox service launched on January 20, and enjoys the advantage of bundling with AT&T smartphone plans. Continue Reading