Quick Hits: Beats 1 as radio rival; Spotify as hitmaker;

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:

Can Beats 1 steal radio’s last advantage?: Wired profiled the announcement and release of Dr. Dre’s album “Compton: A Soundtrack” on Beats 1. According to the article, Beats 1’s combination of terrestrial-style radio programming, deeply knowledgeable local DJs, and a global digital presence could make it an exciting tool for music discovery in today’s industry.

U2 breaks album news in a podcast interview: It’s not quite the same as Barack Obama going on Marc Maron’s podcast, but when U2 previews the band’s 2016 album plans in a podcast, not in maintream media, it’s another mile marker in the evolution of podcasting. Listen to the podcast at Earwolf.

Spotify as artist support tool: Billboard published a case study of how Spotify had a positive impact on the careers of two artists. The streaming service chose to give extra publicity and attention to Hozier’s song “Take Me To Church” and Major Lazer’s “Lean On” based on its data, which pointed to significant potential interest in each track. This is an insightful perspective on the company, especially given all the heat Spotify has taken for its stance on artists in recent months.

Brad Hill