Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:
SoundCloud at a crossroads: SoundCloud Go, the audio company’s subscription platform, is nearing its one-year anniversary. The addition of a paid service and advertising model to the once entirely free site was hoped to be a way to provide consistent cash flow and profitability for SoundCloud, but some analysts are casting doubt on whether the program has been the needed help. CEO Alexander Ljung has continued to talk a positive game though. In this interview with Fast Company, he said 2017 would “be a big year, especially in terms of revenue growth.”
Vinyl sales could break $1 billion: Consulting firm Deloitte included a forecast for vinyl in its 2017 predictions. Vinyl has been a bright spot in physical music sales in recent years, posting growth as CDs and download revenue declines in many markets. Deloitte projected that global sales of vinyl, turntables, and other accessories would surpass $1 billion this year.
Gracenote presents car radio tech at CES: Audio news was a little quieter than usual at this year’s CES show, but one of the developments came from metadata specialist Gracenote. The company, newly acquired by Nielsen, showed off its solutions for improved in-car radio listening through a combination of GPS with its existing data troves.