The timeline for Spotify’s long-anticipated IPO launch may have encountered another setback. Sources have told TechCrunch that the streaming company could push the IPO back to 2018. The unnamed sources said waiting yet another year would give Spotify time to have a stronger balance sheet and revamp its label licensing deals. Continue Reading
Sony Music Entertainment is seeing growth not just in its overall financial performance, but also in the bottom-line contributions from streaming. The company took in 40.65 billion yen ($372 million) from streaming in the fourth quarter of 2016 and 134.83 billion yen ($1.24 billion) for the whole fiscal year. Continue Reading
Saavn, an India-centric streaming and digital media company, has partnered with AdsWizz and Omnicom Media Group to launch programmatic audio advertising in India. Omnicom and its clients will have access to Saavn’s digital audio ad inventory. AdsWizz will provide the ad solution technology. Continue Reading
Spain’s recorded music industry saw the digital business exceed the physical side for the first time in 2016. According to industry group Promusicae, digital holds a 61% share of the industry and the country has more than 1 million streaming subscribers. Continue Reading
In an answer to the industry-wide question of how CBS Radio will separate from parent company CBS, we learn today that it will merge with Entercom. In this venture, CBS Radio abandons the much-speculated IPO path. Entercom, now the fourth-largest U.S. commercial radio group, will grow to 244 stations. Continue Reading
A new study from the National Association of Broadcasters’ Pilot program found that among the top-selling smartphones in the U.S., the FM chip is activated by at least one major carrier in 44% of them. Continue Reading
SoundHound is putting more money into voice recognition and artificial intelligence. The company raised $75 million to support its efforts in that field, with the end goal of taking on current industry leaders such as Amazon and Google. Continue Reading
SOCAN, Canada’s licensing and collection society, posted an 8% increase in revenue for 2016. It was a record-breaking year for the group’s revenue collected and for payouts distributed. Continue Reading
Russ Crupnick of MusicWatch discussed data around the Amazon Echo voice-activated personal assistant/WiFi speaker. Which streaming services are winning on the device so far? Continue Reading
Apple’s fiscal Q1 earnings report, characteristically, did not break out specific numbers for its Apple Music service, but did refer to it optimistically. To hear CFO Luca Maestri tell it, Apple’s music mojo is back. Continue Reading
In this guest post by Thomas Mancusi, VP of Sales & Development at audioBoom, he talks with a podcast advertiser and media buyer about why the category works. Continue Reading
SoundExchange issued $883.9 million in royalty distributions during 2016. That result marked a nearly $80 million increase over its previous record-setting performance from 2015. It was another year of solid growth for SoundExchange payouts. Continue Reading