France’s music trade group SNEP reported that the nation’s digital revenue surpassed physical revenue last year. Overall, the French market posted 1.8% growth for its recorded music market in 2018, reaching €735 million. Continue Reading
Anghami, an on-demand streaming platform centered in the Middle East and North Africa, has expanded its content offerings to include podcasts. The company has added more than 250 podcasts to its library, including a blend of regional and international creators. Continue Reading
Google Podcasts and PRX announced plans for a second round of their podcast creator program. The pair introduced their plans to launch an accelerator project for aspiring creators in October. Continue Reading
At the RAIN Podcast Business Summit on March 5, keynoter Zack Reneau-Wedeen (Founder and Head of Product, Google Podcasts) spoke with Steve Pratt (Principal and Co-owner, Pacific Content) about doubling worldwide podcast listening — Google’s podcast mission. Click through to hear the conversation. Continue Reading
Podtrac has posted its ranker of the top 20 podcsats in February 2019. The chart has a few new appearances, with The Ron Burgundy Podcast on iHeartRadio debuting at No. 6. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: A collection of features and data points related to radio listening on smart speakers. More action in the UK with Bauer. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Voice assistants struggle with discovery. The new journey for indies. What if Google buys UMG? Continue Reading
Warner Music Group has signed a direct licensing deal with Boomplay Music, a leading music streaming service in Africa. Under the terms of their agreement, Boomplay will be able to distribute WMG’s catalog of more than 1 million songs to its listeners Continue Reading
Magellan has published its list of the top 15 podcast advertisers from February. Last month’s ranker includes first-time appearances from 1-800-Flowers and BetterHelp, after both brands have been buying podcast ads since December 2017. Continue Reading
The BBC World Service has introduced a new app in partnership with Zeno Media. Their app relies on Zeno’s call-to-listen function that helps people stay connected to radio stations in other markets around the world, especially in areas where mobile data is expensive or unavailable. Continue Reading
The RIAA is filing an appeal in a court case against the Russian operator of two stream-ripping websites. Judge Claude M. Hilton of the Eastern District of Virginia determined that he lacked jurisdiction to take on the case against Tofig Kurbanov in a January ruling. Continue Reading
Facebook has made music licensing a high priority in the past few years, and the company’s most recent moves are taking those aspirations international. The social media network now has partnerships with music rightsholders in 40 countries, with the latest moves focused on India and Thailand. Continue Reading