Spotify announced that it is going to buy back some of its shares. “The repurchase program will be executed consistent with the company’s capital allocation strategy of prioritizing investment to grow the business over the long term,” the company said in a statement. Continue Reading
Universal Music Group has licensed its catalog to Boomplay Music, a top streaming service in Africa. Boomplay will add UMG’s library to its current catalog of 2 million tracks. The company currently boasts more than 36 million listeners across Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: A Cape Town radio station that’s thinking positively. How Ofcom’s new localness rules will impact radio in the UK. Continue Reading
Anchor has released data about how and where people are tuning in to podcasts created on its platform. Following several pivots, Anchor is now a service for free and fast podcast recording and distribution. Continue Reading
Apple reported its financials for its fourth quarter, which ended on September 29. The tech company posted quarterly revenue of $62.9 billion, up 20% from the same period last year. Net income was $2.91 per diluted share, an increase of 41% on-year. Continue Reading
Sonos has released new hardware in the smart speaker space, but its software options have thus far been limited to Amazon Alexa. The company had previously stated that it was working on adding support for Google Assistant this year. Continue Reading
Spotify’s revolving door act continues for personnel. Last week, the company announced that Doug Ford would leave his post as a senior director and head of music culture and editorial. On the other side, Spotify is currently recruiting for two senior roles in original content. Continue Reading
Italian digital audio firm DIGITALMDE has launched an unusual (probably unique) venture to demonstrate the appeal and value of branded podcasts. The company is launching a new content branch called MYVOXES, which will produce eight fiction series to demonstrate the power of audio storytelling. Continue Reading
Global continues to stay true to its name with the acquisition of Canadian audio streaming solutions specialist leanStream. As a result of the purchase, Global will launch DAX Canada, bringing its digital audio expertise and providing an ad sales foothold for a new market. Continue Reading
Apple could invest in iHeartMedia, according to a new report in the Financial Times (paywall). Sources familiar with the proceedings told FT that Apple has held talks with the legacy broadcaster about purchasing a stake. Continue Reading
Spotify has posted its results from the third quarter of 2018. Despite several positive metrics for the period, including a long-awaited net profit, the company has had a rough ride with Wall Street this week. Continue Reading
SoundHound is blending the old with the new in its latest announcement. The company is integrating the SoundHound music identification service that first launched it into the tech world is now available for license on its Houndify voice AI platform. Continue Reading