ARIA, a music industry body for labels in Australia, reported that total music sales in the country rose 6% to A$195.6 million ($140 million) in the first half of 2018. Digital platforms contributed positive growth, with a 14.2% spike to A$162.5 million ($116 million) during the period. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia announced plans to acquire Stuff Media, the publisher behind HowStuffWorks and other premium podcast content. As a result of the deal, iHeart will be able to leverage Stuff Media’s original content, programming, and podcast management team to continue growing the joint operations. Continue Reading
Announcing the inaugural RAIN Summit Canada. The half-day event takes place October 10, 2018 at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. Feature presentations, discussion panels, and new research. Registration now open. Continue Reading
Monthly streaming music subscribers in the United States now number 51 million, according to a new report from MusicWatch. The report, provided exclusively to Billboard, found that the subscriber base has nearly doubled from the end of 2016. However, MusicWatch did provide a few caveats for the growth. Continue Reading
European Parliament has voted to adopt a sweeping copyright reforms, including big changes to enforcing copyright infringements and unlicensed music on digital platforms. Despite efforts to overhaul EU copyright law falling short earlier this year, the governing body voted heavily in favor of the changes this time, 438 to 226. Continue Reading
Podtrac has released its list of the top podcast publishers from August 2018. The ten companies making the list are the same as the ones from the July ranker. Continue Reading
E.W. Scripps is embarking on a rebrand of its podcast departments. Stitcher will be the new lead name for its podcasting, and the branch will get a new logo to accompany its new position. Midroll Media, the former parent company, will now be nested within Stitcher. Continue Reading
Twitter’s video livestreaming app Periscope has launched an audio-only option. The service is a mobile app that allows anyone to record and broadcast live video and interact with viewers through a chat system. Now it also includes the option to exclude the video component from broadcasts on the iOS versions of both Periscope and Twitter. Continue Reading
On Monday, Sonos posted its first quarterly financial update since the company listed on Nasdaq. The day was a rollercoaster for the wireless speaker company’s stock prices, with a 13% spike ahead of the announcement and a 15% drop after it. Continue Reading
Spotify is turning to data to strengthen its case to advertisers. The streaming audio company will use the Nielsen Brand Effect in multiple regions, and the platform can help brands analyze how their content connects with audiences. Continue Reading
The IAB Australia Audio Council announced that Richard Palmer has been elected as the group’s co-chair. Palmer is Triton Digital’s director of APAC market development, and was previously head of digital at Macquarie Media. Continue Reading
New research from Adobe Analytics adds to a healthy picture for smart speakers. The firm’s data found that 32% of consumers owned a smart speaker as of August 2018, up from 28% in January. The product segment posted 14% growth between those months, a period that didn’t include any major shopping events. Continue Reading