Deezer has raised €160 million from a mix of new and ongoing investors. The deal brings the Paris-based streaming company’s total valuation to €1 billion. In addition to the fundraising, Deezer and Rotana have inked a deal that will see Rotana’s digital audio and video content distributed through the Middle East and North Africa. Continue Reading
The rapid-fire journey for Musical.ly, a short video and lip sync app, is coming to an end. The app is getting merged with TikTok, a similar program from the portfolio of its Chinese parent company Bytedance. Both video apps are now available exclusively under the TikTok name. Continue Reading
Zeno Media, an aggregator of broadcast stations specializing in niche a diaspora communities, has launched a new strategic thrust with an agreement with about a dozen Haitian radio brands. Those stations are bundled into an app which provides streaming, Call-to-Listen (Zeno’s founding technology), on-demand content, subscription options, and intellectual property protections. Continue Reading
We received a note from Earth Rangers, a Canadian organization seeking to activate kids’ interest in conservation, about a new podcast called The Earth Rangers Podcast. Three business entities are involved. Continue Reading
If you weren’t able to attend Podcast Movement in Philadelphia, you can still catch up on a few of the top takeaways from the keynote by Edison Research SVP Tom Webster. The talk, titled The Next Frontier in Podcasting: 100 Million Listeners, explored the gap between the high rates of people who are familiar with the term podcasting and the lower rates of people who have actually listened to a show. Continue Reading
Australia’s government is considering new rules that would set quotas for supporting domestic artists on both broadcast radio and streaming music platforms. The Australiasian Performing Right Association (APRA AMCOS) and the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) appeared before a Senate inquiry in support of setting a 25% quota of Australian content. Continue Reading
Apple has released yet another quarter of big financial results, but its fiscal Q3 report also included some notable milestones for its streaming music service. “We’re thrilled to report Apple’s best June quarter ever, and our fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit revenue growth,” CEO Tim Cook said. Continue Reading
“We’re still in the early innings and the market is growing rapidly,” said Pandora CEO Roger Lynch at the top of yesterday’s Q2 earnings call. He deployed the “early innings” metaphor in Q1 also. This time, Wall Street took a swing at that pitch, sending P stock up 20% in Wednesday morning’s early trading. Continue Reading
Acast, podcasting host and audio company, announced a deal with UK broadcaster ITV. Under this partnership, Acast will host and expand ITV’s podcast lineup, which includes Love Island: The Morning After, Tour de France Podcast and World Cup Podcast. Continue Reading
Australian digital audio company Whooshkaa has inked a deal to connect local advertisers with the HowStuffWorks podcast network. The network already boasts more than 50 million global downloads each month, including at least 2 million in Australia and New Zealand. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia announced that Bobby Bones has been promoted to the role of VP, creative director of iHeartCountry. The radio personality hosts The Bobby Bones Show and Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones, and will continue to lead those programs following the promotion. He’s also an established podcaster. Continue Reading
Sony has released its latest quarterly earnings. In its fiscal Q1 (calendar Q2), Sony’s revenue from recorded music and music publishing reached 121.3 billion yen ($1.11 billion), with operating income of 32.1 billion yen ($294.3 million). Continue Reading