Rdio announced a new feature in its partnership with music-identification app Shazam, raising the game in an escalating rivalry with competing service SoundHound. The new feature enables users to take any song from Shazam’s Pulse service, which is a trending chart of popular song IDs, and throw it into an Rdio playlist. Continue Reading
Today XAPPmedia, a leading audio ad technology company, will announce the launch of XAPP Ads, which the company describes as “the first interactive audio advertising service for Internet radio publishers.” RAIN got an advance look/listen, and chatted with XAPPmedia CEO Pat Higbie. Continue Reading
With the demise of the unique but little-used Twitter Music app, the micro-blogging service lost no time announcing its next foray into music. Twitter and Billboard announced a partnership to create the Billboard Twitter Real-Time Charts. The alliance is a “big data” play, but there’s a big question about how different it will be. Continue Reading
Weekend Perspective is a quick and concise catch-up of the week’s news. This week: Pandora’s unique deal … Larry Rosin’s stern warning in Europe … Michael Robertson’s $41-million verdict … Mark Fratrik’s prescription for radio revenue … the remarkable Radio League app … and news bites from the music services. Continue Reading
RAIN Hotspots: the five most-read article this week. Pandora’s deal with Peet’s Coffee, and the man who programs their new stations … Larry Rosin issues a stern warning to European broadcasters … iHeartRadio gets it right with mobile notifications … Michael Robertson ordered to pay $41-million. Continue Reading
Podcasting is in a resurgence. In addition to the popular directory in iTunes, other podcast showcases and listening platforms have sprung up. This poll is simple: Share whether you listen to podcasts. Then, in the comment box, you can promote… Continue Reading
Further leveraging in-car listening as its primary customer acquisition funnel, SiriusXM will begin offering three-month trial subscriptions to used-car buyers. Naturally, the offer applies in cars equipped with a SiriusXM receiver. The initiative is enabled by AutoManager, a dealership solution provider. Continue Reading
Some rumors are quickly borne out as fact. Others are just residue of the speculation factory. This week, Amazon and SoundCloud are in the news. Continue Reading
Continuing along a path which has seen Last.FM reduce its features and concentrate on its core asset, the company is ending its subscription streaming radio plan as of April 28. The announcement cited “very difficult decisions” required by a changing music landscape. Continue Reading
Public libraries have moved into the digital/Internet age with reasonable alacrity, digitizing their card catalogs, stocking their buildings with connected computers, and offering e-books alongside paper books. Now, some public libraries offer free streaming as a mode of borrowing, thanks to hoopla. Continue Reading
“It’s Thursday morning. Play music for…” That’s the type of greeting Songza users see when they open the listening app. Songza’s music curation is fashioned around time of day, activity, mood, and genre, with the intent to serve up music that fits the listener perfectly. Now there is a new component in that curation equation — the weather. Continue Reading
“Hit” and “slammed” are the descriptors you see everywhere today, conveying the court decision in the Capital Records vs. MP3Tunes lawsuit. A milestone in the years-long trial, the jury found MP3Tunes founder and CEO Michael Robertson personally liable for music copyright infringement. Click through for old screenshots and a 2005 conversation with Robertson. Continue Reading