At the beginning of the year, CÜR Music laid out plans to become a player in the social, mobile music streaming space. Part of that plan involved hefty licensing fees to be paid to all three major labels. It seems that the best laid plans are already going awry. Continue Reading
Naxos Music Library World has debuted a new way to explore its newly-launched catalog. As befits a world music specialist, it’s an interactive map. The breadth of Naxos’ metadata makes the interactive map a fun new tool for world music discovery. Continue Reading
Spotify has released a new advertising campaign with a series of three quirky video clips. The spots are meant to capture the idea of a story behind each of the songs we listen to, according to agency Wieden+Kennedy New York. Continue Reading
Yesterday’s announcement that Pandora switched out its CEO, replacing Brian McAndrews with Tim Westergren, was startling both in unexpectedness and lack of explanation. Tim Westergren is Pandora’s founding visionary, a musician with technology chops. What does this change signal? Continue Reading
SoundCloud unveiled a subscription tier for its online audio platform. SoundCloud Go will give members an expanded catalog, including “the full repertoire of artists signed to independent labels and major labels alike,” clocking in at more than 125 million tracks. The tier will also allow offline access and ad-free listening. This is a move that we’ve been expecting ever since SoundCloud completed the trifecta of major label licensing deals. Continue Reading
Among the many topics and discussion formats featured at RAIN Summit West this year, podcasting will have a special focus with two dedicated onstage sessions. A “FIreside Chat” interview with the founder of PodcastOne is followed by a panel discussion of podcasting at a pivot point. Continue Reading
We received word from AudioHQ of a new on-demand audio series to start this fall. It is the first original podcast program developed by the digital audio ad sales company. Partnering with AudioHQ are Laurence Fishburne through his Cinema Gypsy Productions company, and Larenz Tate’s TateMen Entertainment company. Continue Reading
Sony announced a title shuffle among its top leadership, including some updates for its music division. Four of the company’s top executives have been promoted to corporate executive officers, with executive vice president titles added to their existing roles. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: James reviews the LG Stylus 2 with its DAB+ receiver. Also a look back at Capital Radio, deep debates of video vs. radio, and much more. Continue Reading
AdsWizz has a new programmatic deal with Varick Media Management. Under this partnership, AdsWizz will be supplying an audio-centric solution for efficient digital audio inventory buying. It will also provide new ad formats and targeted access to premium publishers. Continue Reading
After all the big statements about his new album “never” going to appear on Apple, Kanye West appears to have changed his mind. For one song, at least. The track “Famous” arrived on other streaming services, including both Apple Music and Spotify, over the weekend. Continue Reading
Pandora founder Tim Westergren has assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer effective immediately, the company announced this morning. Former CEO Brian McAndrews is leaving the company. Continue Reading