"https:" - RAIN News

Along with baseball, basketball, and nearly everything else, “Infinite Dial” live is off — webinar still on

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Brad Hill

In a day when baseball, basketball, hockey, Disney, schools and many other cultural institutions were suspended, yesterday also brought an announcement closer to RAIN home: Edison Research and Triton Digital have canceled the first live-audience presentation of The Infinite Dial, the annual public snapshot of American listening. The webinar is a go; click through for the registration link. Continue Reading →

Spotify’s head for Australia and New Zealand exits

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Spotify’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand is stepping down. Karen Lawson took on the role last June, and has not shared reasons for her departure. Continue Reading →

Amazon Music launches artist data dashboard in beta

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Amazon is launching analytics for performers using its streaming service. Amazon Music for Artists is available as an app for Android and iOS devices, with a companion website. The app is launching as a beta. Continue Reading →

Apple secures music licenses, but with no bundle subscription option

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Apple has reportedly signed new licensing agreements for its streaming service. Financial Times reported that the company secured multi-year deals with the three majors. Continue Reading →

Quick Hits: Digital AM radio. Rolling Stone industry profiles. Tencent in the Cayman Islands.

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Radio World tracks the digital AM push stateside. Take your Rolling Stone reporter to work. Tencent’s not-so-Chinese roots. Continue Reading →

Disgraceland is getting a TV adaptation from Nashville producers

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Disgraceland is the latest podcast making the leap to the small screen. The show, hosted and launched by Jake Brennan in 2018, has told the tales of scandal and drama from the music industry. Continue Reading →

Audio ad for killer clown invades Spotify classical lullabies playlist

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Brad Hill

A frightening audio commercial for the movie’s sequel wasn’t expected to play during the “Classical Lullabies” playlist on Spotify. At least, the mother who was soothing her young child didn’t expect it. Ad targeting gone awry? A poorly classified playlist? Or was it the sponsor’s fault? Continue Reading →

Spotify receives patent for voice AI to recognize user emotions

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Voice assistants have been a growing topic of interest for the audio industry, and businesses are still finding ways to further develop the technology. Last month, Spotify received a patent on a new way to make a voice assistant that can be responsive to human emotions. Continue Reading →

RAIN Predictions winners (challenge #1): Steve Pratt and Alexis van de Wyer

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Brad Hill

RAIN published our annual Predictions feature in the first week of January. We challenged participants to predict a key metric in the RIAA 2019 report of streaming music revenue. Alexis van de Wyer and Steve Pratt were both right to a half percentage point. Continue Reading →

Podcast startup Sounder raises $1.8M in seed round

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Anna Washenko

Many business are trying to make a move into the world of podcasting infrastructure, and several have been successful in attracting financial support. The latest is Sounder, an end-to-end podcast management and monetization platform. Continue Reading →

HiStudios splits from Himalaya, rebrands as Notorious

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Anna Washenko

HiStudios is going through a rebranding. The business was initially spun out from podcast company Himalaya last August. Now it is separating itself as an independent entity and will be renamed as Notorious. The split from Himalaya is effective immediately and, according to the press release, will allow both businesses to pursue their own strategic priorities for growth. Continue Reading →

7digital borrows £500K to aid its move back to stability

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Anna Washenko

7digital, a digital music B2B company, has borrowed £500,000 from an unnamed lender. The loan is intended for working capital purposes, according to the company, which is recovering from a challenging 2018 and 2019. Continue Reading →