In a noisy, all-access world, Beyonce’s new video album is a startling triple-exercise in product building, reverse marketing, and distribution strategy. But to some, it looks like new clothes on an old horse. Still, a viral hit always seems surprising, and feels fresh — perhaps because virality represents the voice of a crowd, not gatekeepers. Continue Reading
Streamripping: a once-popular (and still practiced) way of pulling songs out of an Internet radio stream and saving them as MP3 files. Shazam and SoundHound bring free-or-cheap music collecting to the user’s encounter with music anywhere, including radio. Life is a stream, and Shazam rips it. Continue Reading
Internet listening reached all-time highs in October, according to data released by Triton Digital in its Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. Pandora advanced its market-leading position with month-over-month and year-over-year gains. We analyze long- and short-term trends. Continue Reading
TargetSpot, the leading digital audio advertising network, and Radionomy, a leading streaming platform for pureplay producers and broadcasters, have created a business combination which intends to expand the geographic reach and technological scope of each company. Continue Reading
Last.fm, a music discovery and Internet radio service, owned by CBS and operating in several national markets, released downward-trending 2012 financials. Bad news in the U.K., some uplift in the U.S. Continue Reading
A new BrandWatch report studies how radio stations use Twitter, and which social tactics yield the best engagement with listeners. The report’s overall tone is negative and instructional. Radio stations leave social gains on the table. Continue Reading
We were hooked by Earl Grant’s dusky reading of Fever, which took us straight into a nighttime fog along the Seine, Parisian streetlights fighting against the damp air. Wait, it’s Monday morning. Continue Reading
In last Wednesday’s Spotify media event, the most important announcement was the launch of an expanded free service on smartphones. “Shuffle” was the buzzword of the day for Spotify. The next day, without fanfare, Google updated its Google Play music service for Android… Continue Reading
The five most-read article this week. Pandora VP speaks out; Spotify’s big announcement; the state of HD Radio; YouTube has more Led Zeppelin than Spotify; TuneIn’s year-end review.
Internet radio and streaming audio have inched toward mainstream use, but still lag other media consumption types. A new study from MIDiA Consulting (Media Insights & Decisions in Action) seeks to discover why — while profiling digital music users generally. Continue Reading
Two interesting Friday reads. David Lowery holds forth in Salon about the problem with compulsory music licenses in streaming music. He wants the U.S. government out of the rate-setting business. And, give the gift of streaming! Continue Reading
TuneIn, a leading stream aggregation platform, is promoting a 2013 wrap-up of popular and influential programs. The compilation comes from an analysis of year-end listener data, and shows of some fascinating broadcast and podcast material. Continue Reading