SoundCloud announced that it is bringing its subscription listening plan to several markets in Europe. SoundCloud Go+ is rolling out today in Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland. Continue Reading
Ole Obermann is departing his role as chief digital officer of Warner Music Group. He is exiting after three years with Warner, where he helped secure deals with many online platforms for the label. WMG will appoint an interim leader for this team until a permanent replacement is selected. Continue Reading
Digital audio ad platform Targetspot has partnered with Signal, a provider of data onboarding and real-time identity resolution technology. Through this partnership, Targetspot will launch a new Identity-Driven Listener ID that will help U.S. advertisers to target their audio messages. Continue Reading
Marketers spent an estimated $479 million for advertisements on podcasts in the United States in 2018. The figure comes from the IAB and PwC’s third annual investigation into advertising for podcasts. The total marks 53% growth from $314 million in 2017. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio has entered a new partnership with Surf Media to bring its audio content to ridesharing services. Drivers for Lyft and Uber who have a Surf rideshare entertainment tablet can now access live radio, artist radio stations, playlists, and podcasts from iHeartRadio. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: James turns to the FM chip topic in his column. Other news includes French radio stats and video on demand in the UK. Continue Reading
The Vox Media Podcast Network announce its new updates for the spring. The network covers the audio content for a suite of media properties including tech site The Verge and real estate blog Curbed. Continue Reading
Spotify has another new feature idea being tested by some of its employees. The tool is called Social Listening, and its a way for a group of people to share control of their playback. Continue Reading
Dubset, a company offering rights management and royalties services, has secured a new partnership with Pioneer DJ. The deal will allow DJs to clear mixes and sets for select streaming services through the DJM-REC iOS app. Continue Reading
by Dan Misener
This very interesting (and seemingly labor-intensive) research by Dan Misener of Pacific Content analyzes the use of colors in podcast “cover” art. His giant montage is must-see. Continue Reading
MusicWatch has released its new annual study into piracy in the United States, and found that stream-ripping remains a major issue in the country. The report estimated that the U.S. had 17 million stream-rippers in 2018, a rise from 15 million in 2017. Continue Reading
Amazon released a new version of its display smart speaker as well as new privacy updates to its Alexa voice assistant. On the hardware side, the company launched the Echo Show 5. Amazon Alexa has also received new updates to reflect other privacy concerns. Continue Reading