Apple is reportedly looking to renegotiate its deals with record labels in a move that could reduce the share of revenue it needs to pay out to those industry players. Unnamed sources told Bloomberg that the talks cover both Apple Music and iTunes. The current deals are slated to expire in June, but could be extended if new terms are not reached, according to the sources. Continue Reading
Spotify has shaken up it board of directors. Two long-time members — Sean Parker and Klaus Hommels — have exited the board. With those two departures, four new directors were added. The individuals joining the board are the same ones first rumored to be new directors in May. Continue Reading
Pandora has announced a special campaign in honor of Pride month, with a station recognizing the many contributions of the LGTBQ+ community to music. The Sounds like Pride station highlights those performers. Many performers have also used Pandora’s Artist Audio Messages to contribute statements calling for tolerance, human rights, and inclusion. Continue Reading
Spotify secured a tighter tie with Facebook Messenger last year for sharing music with friends. Now, the music features have been expanded to add group playlists. With this update, multiple people can develop a single shared playlist through the social network. Continue Reading
Media company HowStuffWorks announced that Jack O’Brien is joining its podcast team. O’Brien will be launching the company’s operations on the west coast, including a new comedy division. He brings more than a decade of experience as founder and editor-in-chief at Cracked to HowStuffWorks. Continue Reading
Fox News show The Five has launched a new podcast through a partnership with TargetSpot. The involvement of digital audio ad company TargetSpot means that The Five audio show will be free to listeners and supported by advertisements. All of Fox News’ other program podcasts are available only by paid access. Continue Reading
USA Today Network announced the addition of investigative journalist Robin Amer to its podcasting lineup. Amer will be hosting a new show called The City, which was the winner of the WNYC 2015 Podcast Accelerator competition. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: A deep dive into composing podcast music. A year of Apple Music for $99. Apple hires Breaking Bad duo. Continue Reading
Westwood One announced that it is launching a new audio data management platform backed by tools from Nielsen. Westwood One is using the Nielsen Marketing Cloud and Nielsen’s own DMP to offer advertisers resources to make better buying decisions across the company’s over-the-air radio and streaming audio channels. Continue Reading
Google is strengthening the ties between its music platform and the Samsung smartphone family. When the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus launched, Google Play Music was announced as their default music player. Now, those mobile devices are getting an exclusive feature within that music service called New Release Radio. Continue Reading
Nobex Partners announced a collaboration with 113FM Radio, creating a custom app for the global online radio company. The app is designed to provide listeners with a comprehensive station experience. Continue Reading
Spotify has been testing out sponsorship models in its music product for some time. The latest feature under consideration is Sponsored Songs. Although the name is similar to the outside branding features of sponsored playlists, this seems focused within the music industry. Continue Reading