Joyride is a service designed to improve the business options available for podcasts, particularly for in-car listening. The platform, which was initially a voice-activated service for navigating mobile apps in a car, now aims to help listeners find more shows that they will enjoy while helping the show creators to make money. Continue Reading
Studies, surveys, and metrics abounded in 2014. RAIN News readers demonstrated acute interest in research which attempted to tease out trends in the fast-changing field of streaming audio. Click through for a rundown. Continue Reading
Deezer has inked a partnership with Cable & Wireless Communications, a telecom in Latin America and the Carribean. According to the CWC press release, music is the second most popular feature for the region’s mobile users. The telecom will be offering the Deezer Premium+ standalone service. Continue Reading
Streaming is the present and the future, but sometimes it circles back to the past. A story of music discovery in the newest major music service, illustrating that the streaming lifestyle has many dimensions. Continue Reading
Sony experienced a debilitating hack on its confidential information earlier this month, with hackers publishing reams of email correspondence between the company’s leaders online for public viewing. Some of these emails revealed that Sony Corp. was considering selling off the music publishing arm because of concerns over its growth prospects. Thanks to a 2012 acquisition, the music publishing arm includes Sony/ATV Music Publishing and EMI Music Publishing. Continue Reading
Music recognition and discovery app SoundHound is adding its voice to the year-end roundups. It named Pitbull as the top artist of the year. Not only did he have several popular tracks under his own name, including the official song of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but he was also involved in several collaborations that boosted his ranking. Continue Reading
We had heard about SoundCloud’s skippable audio ads, and were on the prowl to see one in action. We struck gold in the new Gimlet Media site. There, we found the unique ad technology used by SoundCloud to present a 30-second pre-roll audio ad. Continue Reading
Are lyrics the new hip feature for music services? Hot on the heels of Deezer announcing the addition of Lyrics to its streaming service, Google is now displaying the words to certain songs in its search results. For the tracks getting the lyric treatment, a large number of the lines will appear at the top of the hits with a link to the full lyrics on Google Play. Continue Reading
Pandora has entered the ring to defend itself against the lawsuit filed by the Turtles, which seeks royalty payments for songs dating to before 1972. The online radio company filed a response in California, claiming that the lawsuit infringes its freedom of speech and asking that the court block the band’s demands. Continue Reading
Media management company WideOrbit has acquired the audio/video publishing platform Castfire, adding a new dimension to WideOrbit’s ad-insertion solutions. WideOrbit plans to position Castfire with its Abacast Clarity product, which it obtained with the Abacast acquisition in June. Continue Reading
British streaming music platform 7digital announced a technology partnership with Meridian Audio, and is the launch partner of Meridian’s MQA high-res audio format. MQA stands for Master Quality Authenticated, and delivers high fidelity audio in a streamable file size. We spoke to 7digital CEO Simon Cole about the importance of streamable high-res music. Continue Reading
In a leaked internal memo published by Billboard, CEO and Chairman of Universal Music Group, Lucian Grainge, promised a continued commitment to artist development, and pledged to “re-design business models” as necessary. The memo comes at a time when major labels are engaged in publicized contract renewal discussions with Spotify. Continue Reading