The Japanese music industry posted increased digital revenue in the first half of 2016. According to the Recording Industry Association of Japan, digital revenue for the first six months totaled $255 million. Physical formats remain a strong factor in Japan’s market. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Insights into the inner workings of the iTunes podcast chart. Responses to BBC licences and ‘snooping’. Much more from around the world. Continue Reading
It seems that each week kicks off with some new development in exclusive releases. The distribution approach has strong advocates and critics, and today’s news demonstrates just how controversial the path has quickly become for the music industry. Continue Reading
A new report found that digital radio has drawn ahead of FM in Switzerland. This radio format has been seeing more traction in the nation in recent months. Switzerland remains one of the leading digital radio markets in the EU. Continue Reading
Apple Music has its first UK telecom deal. Six months of free access to the streaming service will be available to new or upgrading customers of mobile operator EE beginning Sept. 1. Continue Reading
We’ve seen lots of artists putting their new albums exclusively on one streaming service. Country performer Jason Aldean is taking that a step further, withholding his next album from streaming services altogether for the first month after its release. Continue Reading
Universal Music Group’s first-half results showed continued growth and dominance for streaming as a revenue source. Total recorded music revenue in the half was €1.83 billion ($2.07 billion) and streaming was responsible for 36% of it. Continue Reading
Spotify has amped up its partnership with Songkick, bringing Concerts tabs to all artist pages on the streaming platform. Songkick’s data includes listings and ticket links. The two parties have been working together since 2013. Continue Reading
One of Spotify’s latest hires announced that the streaming service now has 39 million paid subscribers. Troy Carter, global head of creator services, told Billboard that Spotify has added 9 million paying customers since the last audience update in March. The interview also touched on the streaming sector’s current race for exclusive releases. Continue Reading
DGital Media has partnered with the Collegiate Sports Management Group to launch a podcast network centered on Division II and Division III NCAA sports. The network is slated to launch the week of Sept. 5. Continue Reading
Boulder-based Clip Interactive announced that Entercom Communications, the nation’s fourth-largest radio group, will use Clip interactive radio players for its mobile and web streams. The agreement throws Entercom’s 129 radio stations onto Clip’s interactive platform. The deal follows a year-long engagement of Entercom’s seven-station Portland cluster on Clip’s platform. Continue Reading
YouTube is exploring the addition of some social features which could help music owners get more value from the video platform. The feature set currently in development is known as Backstage. It’s a move to be more competitive with the likes of Facebook or Snapchat, but the music industry should also keep tabs on what the plan says about YouTube’s next directions. Continue Reading