Flo & Eddie, representing The Turtles, have been cutting a legal swath through audio publishers of late. Most of its lawsuits have focused on Sirius XM, but Pandora was also on the receiving end of a suit seeking royalties and damages for playing songs recorded prior in 1972 when U.S. federal copyright law took effect. Continue Reading
One of the most intractable issues in music licensing is broadcast radio’s exemption from performance royalties to artists and labels for the use of recorded music. The exemption has the weight of history: It has always been so in the U.S., though not in most other countries with government-regulated music licensing. The situation’s rarity is not of concern to advocates of radio’s licensing privilege, who assert that radio’s traditional role in driving awareness, success, and sales of music performers is as vital today as ever. Continue Reading
Spotify began rolling out a new update to its desktop listening platform this week. The big change is the addition of lyrics. This feature is powered by Musixmatch, and you can access the lyrics by clicking the new button next to the play bar. Continue Reading
Pandora announced in December that it would have a native app on the Xbox One, the latest game hardware from Microsoft. That app is now also available to Xbox One owners in Australia and New Zealand, Pandora’s two other markets outside the U.S. Continue Reading
Brian Lakamp, who guided the rise of iHeartRadio, will leave iHeartMedia. Lakamp confirmed with RAIN News that he is exiting the company to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. Continue Reading
SoundExchange filed its rebuttal document with the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), part of the “Webcasting IV” proceeding which will set music licensing rates that govern online radio royalty payments to artists and labels for the 2016-2020 period. Pandora filed its… Continue Reading
The Download on Podcasts is a new weekly feature sponsored by PodcastOne.
New and unusual programs you might not be familiar with. Continue Reading
Internet media brand Slate has launched a new podcast network called Panoply. We spoke with Andy Bowers, Executive Producer & Creator of Slate Podcasts, about the Panoply portfolio, business model, and the user experience he is striving for. Continue Reading
Music and business mogul Jay-Z made an offer to buy Aspiro, parent company for the Tidal and WiMP streaming services, back in January. Although Aspiro encouraged its shareholders to accept the roughly $56 million offer, the response from those shareholders has been lukewarm. Continue Reading
The recorded music industry in Denmark posted a record year on the back of a 50.5% increase in revenue from streaming services. With streaming accounting for 58.5% of the market’s total revenue, that boost helped secure industry growth of 1.8% for the year to 437 million Danish kroner (about $66.5 million). Continue Reading
In the early days of streaming, it wasn’t uncommon for big-name musicians to withhold their catalogs from online services. Led Zeppelin was a famed holdout, to the point where the band giving exclusive rights to Spotify back in 2013 was groundbreaking. So it’s a sign of the times that the Zep is expanding where you can hear its music. This week, the band opened up its library to listeners on several more platforms, including some that specialize in hi-def listening, such as Tidal and Deezer Elite. Continue Reading
RAIN Summits announces the “Streaming Audio’s Startup Economy” discussion panel at RAIN Summit West, April 12 in Las Vegas.
Early-stage startups — this is your invitation to apply for a chair on the panel. Present your early-stage business at the premiere information and networking event for the streaming audio industry! Continue Reading