In what could be described as the first crack in The Echo Nest’s music-powering empire, Rdio CEO Anthony Bay told CNBC that his music service would end its relationship with the music-data company. The Echo Nest was acquired by Spotify last week, and Bay doesn’t want his user metrics visible to a competitor. Continue Reading
Money is pouring into online audio.Recently-launched Beats Music has completed a new funding round totaling at least $60-million. (The exact amount is undisclosed.) News of this investment comes in the wake of Beats competitor Spotify acquiring a $200-million line of credit, and acquiring music-data leader The Echo Nest for a reported $100-million. Continue Reading
The company is silent, but Spotify reportedly has arranged a $200-million line of credit. In addition, Spotify has $538-million total venture funding. When so much external money is in a company which carries an unprofitable balance sheet, it sometimes foretells a “liquidity event” such as an IPO. Continue Reading
Audi and AT&T announced the first car model to include high-speed (4G LTE) Internet connectivity built into the car. The feature offers convenience at a price. After a six-month free-trial period, the owner must pay $99 for six more months, or $499 for 30 months, for a data plan. Would you buy an in-car data plan? Vote your preference! Continue Reading
WNYC, flagship station of New York Public Radio, announced that NYPR received a $10-million grant from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation, a past major supporter. Most of the money is targeted to development of online products and mobile apps, with the remainder going to WNYC’s Manhattan performance space. Continue Reading
Audi announced today that its 2015 A3 will be the first car equipped with high-speed 4G LTE Internet connectivity, provided by AT&T. The new A3 will roll out later this month. With this new car, Audi is driving fast down the road of in-car connection to online services such as online radio. Continue Reading
Internet listening gained one percent in January over December, according to data released by Triton Digital today in its Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. The one-percent gain from the previous month nudged total stream listening into new-high territory. Continue Reading
Brian Lakamp, President of Digital at Clear Channel Media & Entertainment, will speak at RAIN Summit West on April 6 in Las Vegas. Lakamp oversees all of Clear Channel’s digital strategy, including the iHeartRadio music-listening app. Continue Reading
The latest RAIN Poll was inspired by the iTunes Radio commercials which ran on a Boston FM station (and presumably other stations). The DJ-read spot (which you can listen to here) was startling to hear, and led us to survey users on this question: Would you run iTunes Radio advertising on your radio station? Continue Reading
Founded in September, 2008, Mixcloud (“Making Radio Better”) is a music-sharing service that solicits user-DJ uploads and pays the royalties to rights-holders to keep it legal. More than a podcast platform, listening in Mixcloud is rewarding and satisfying. The company hopes to differentiate from SoundCloud and on-demand services. Continue Reading
GM automaker Chevrolet announced over the weekend that Beats Music will be included in selected 2015 model cars, via the Chevrolet AppShop. AppShop is an in-car download service that works similarly to Apple’s App Store and Google Play for Android apps. Continue Reading
M. Luke McDonell is a writer, artist, and photographer living in San Francisco. A veteran of South by Southwest, she is contributing daily bulletins from the 2014 show. This SXSW photo gallery is from the first day of SXSW Interactive. Continue Reading