Merry Christmas! Here are three totally different listening experiences for The Big Day and The Big Day Eve. A hard-trance electronica shocker, a nicely varied list of traditional music from several decades, and a Dublin station that doesn’t play Irish. Continue Reading
Music recognition data house Gracenote has been acquired by Tribune, from Sony. The Gracenote unit will probably be bundled into Tribune’s media services division, according to Bloomberg. Sony acquired Gracenote in 2008. Continue Reading
2013 saw the important signs of crowding in the online listening space. What marks 2013 is the introduction of music services by the three big technology companies (Google, Microsoft, and Apple), and the tectonic rumbling felt through the industry. When there is reduction in some areas, there is expansion in others. 2013 saw saw feasts and famines. Continue Reading
Spotify’s new Spotiamp, in addition to being an homage to Winamp, is a fine, lightweight desktop program for streaming Spotify playlists. Only Spotify Premium members need download it. And by the way, Winamp isn’t dead yet. Behind the scenes, a buyer might be forestalling its announced shutdown. Continue Reading
Exfm started as a Chrome browser extension (the company’s original name was Extension.fm) that scavenged websites for MP3 files, and allowed the user to upload those files to the cloud into a personal repository. In what could presage a thinning herd in 2014, Exfm is discontinuing its core music service. Continue Reading
The purpose of collective licensing is simplicity. Providing a mechanism for blanket music-use approval is supposed to move things along, facilitating legal performances of songs and efficient payment to creators. Tell that to BMI, its member publishers, and Pandora this morning. Continue Reading
The five most-read articles this week. A surprising court case; an ex-radio exec building a podcast empire; web listening metrics for October; An interesting not-exactly-merger; a study of how poorly most radio stations do Twitter. Continue Reading
Shazam updated its iOS app with a feature that makes it even more of a liferipper than it was before. The new feature is an Auto function that keeps Shazam listening for recorded music at all times, even when the app is closed. Continue Reading
Without question the biggest and most anticipated product launch of the year in streaming audio, iTunes Radio was late to the party. But for that reason among others, its appearance signified a few important pivot points. A sober observation of iTunes Radio influence might conclude that the product has been less tide-turning than expected. Continue Reading
RAIN Summit NYC – Pureplays and Podcasts, will be hosted by Kurt Hanson and Jennifer Lane on Wednesday, February 5 at The Greene Space in New York. Panel discussions and presentations will cover all aspects of the evolving streaming audio marketplace, followed by a cocktail reception for speakers and attendees. Continue Reading
The Indian music business is a $170-million industry. Bollywood music (also known as “filmi” music) represents more than 90 percent of it, but Indipop, regional music, devotional songs, and infiltrations of Western pop are important categories. Vodafone joins three independent services building audiences. Continue Reading
2013 has been the year for demonstrating how difficult it can be to turn on the radio in new cars with digital dashboards. Ford is making it easier for British drivers to turn on the radio by partnering with U.K. radio app RadioPlayer, which includes hundreds of stations including all the BBC outlets. Continue Reading