Chevrolet and OnStar teamed up for the second connected-car announcement of CES 2014. OnStar will provide high-speed (4G LTE) Internet connectivity in selected Chevy models. Along with the rolling Internet, Chevrolet will provide a bundle of built-in apps. Ford and Chevy are promoting opposing conceptions of the connected car. Continue Reading
Ford, a veteran participant in the CES feeding frenzy, made a pre-pre-show announcement about its AppLink software that powers infotainment functions in SYNC-equipped cars. That’s a lot of buzzwords. Click through to see what it all means. Continue Reading
Billboard’s report on full-year 2013 digital album and track sales, showing the first-ever year-over-year decline since the iTunes Music Store launched, marks the end of one era and the start of another. But in real life, market epochs do not begin and end neatly. There is always overlap as conflicting consumer behaviors slosh against each other. Continue Reading
Over the weekend Pandora updated its Android app for more than 100-million people who have downloaded it, adding the alarm clock feature that iOS users were given a month ago. This completes Pandora’s invasion of the clock-radio category, and the AM/FM stations packaged in those bedside devices. Continue Reading
The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is an important snapshot of the digital product landscape, with a view toward the future. As such, CES commands attention, but each year brings a different focus. CES 2014 is the most important CES in memory, for anyone interested in radio, Internet radio, audio, and mobile infotainment. Continue Reading
Doc Searls is an author and a fellow of the Center for Information Technology & Society (CITS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has a lifelong love of radio, and recently wrote a prescription for the future of broadcasting: How to Rescue Radio. We spoke with Doc Searls about radio, programming, and the future. Continue Reading
Today, Gracenote announced a new developer product called Gracenote Rhythm, which competes directly with The Echo Nest, whose music intelligence technology powers over 400 services. How will the two companies differentiate? Continue Reading
Reports are circulating that Google is extending its Glass Explorer program to subscribers of Google’s arduously-named Google Play Music All Access on-demand music service. This makes perfect sense, since Google recently added music-control features to Glass. Continue Reading
Clear Channel-owned iHeartRadio has been emphasizing Talk, the spoken-word portion of the iHeart app, since that section was introduced to the menu last year. A recent app update adds a feature with which you can listen to previous episodes of a talk-radio show. Continue Reading
Happy New Year! One easy prediction is this: 2014 will be an eventful year for all stakeholders in broadcast and Internet radio. RAIN is pleased to present predictions from thought-leading guest futurists. Continue Reading
AOL-owned (but not for long) Winamp and Shoutcast are reportedly being acquired by online streaming platform Radionomy. A clearly synergistic acquisition if true. In ShoutCast, Radionomy would be obtaining one of the largest self-serve streaming audio platforms, adding 50,000 stations to its home-grown portfolio of 7,000 stations. Continue Reading
Google and Audi will announce a tech/auto partnership at CES next week. Google is squaring off against Apple’s “iOS in the Car” program announced last summer. Car companies are flocking to CES, a trend that represents the re-invention of the automobile as a mobile device. Continue Reading