Amazon might start an online TV service, competing with cable companies. Amazon Prime has over 20-million subscribers, a huge number by the standards of music plans. Will Amazon ever get into music streaming? Continue Reading
The alert pinged into the notification bar of my Android phone. It was from the iHeartRadio app. Justin Bieber had been arrested on a DUI charge in Miami. The notification’s call to action — click to hear live radio coverage on a Miami radio station. Nice! But then… Continue Reading
An innovative new retail model was introduced into the world of department stores — almost simultaneously, in the year 1962, by Walmart, Target, Kmart, and Kohl’s — and over the ensuing years consumers have proven they like the new model better. Something similar is happening with Internet radio. Continue Reading
Are BMI and ASCAP, which represent most music publishing, becoming less important as publishers seek to deal directly with Pandora? What is the future of the complicated royalty-setting process in the U.S. market? We talked with Casey Rae at the Future of Music Coalition. Continue Reading
In a collaborative open letter, Paul Haaga (acting President and CEO of NPR) and Jon McTaggart (CEO of American Public Media Group) call for all smartphones to contain activated FM chips, citing radio’s role in emergencies. We agree with the emergency angle, but also regard FM as a desirable mobile feature in all respects. Continue Reading
As automakers and digital providers race for the modern dashboard, and the car industry as a whole hurtles toward a future in which cars are connected to digital realms similarly to smartphones, security and privacy become issues. Continue Reading
Earlier today we posted some Twitter outpouring about today’s problems with the Beats Music service which launched yesterday. During the hours of musical drought, we observed that Beats did not make a public acknowledgement of connection issues. It came at day’s end today. Continue Reading
Pandora’s right to include certain music recordings in its catalog has been complicated recently by an unfavorable court case, requiring fast action and a type of negotiating Pandora has not favored in the past. Happy result for all parties. Continue Reading
We spoke with Jack Isquith, SVP of Strategic Development and Content Strategy at Slacker, just before Beats Music launched. Isquith buoyantly welcomed Beats to the market, and described how Slacker has been in the human-curation model for years. Continue Reading
Frequent flyers are well acquainted with waiting on the tarmac. The aircraft is boarded, the door is closed, the plane taxis out to its takeoff position … and sits, unmoving, while passengers grow irritable. Lots of irritability among Beats users today. Our test apps have failed entirely. Continue Reading
Nothing whatsoever at stake, in reputation or credibility. It is sheer fun. Comparing predictions from Spotify and Shazam is interesting because those two apps are used differently. Spotify streams music from a server catalog; Shazam identifies music playing anywhere. Continue Reading
The much-anticipated Beats Music on-demand subscription service launched today, following a long build-up with anticipatory marketing. Beats positioned itself in advance, emphasizing celebrity playlists and effortless listening to “the right song at the right time.” Click for our review. Continue Reading