Quick Hits: Sony and Spotify
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. First, Sony would consider its own streaming service one day. Second, Spotify celebrates its 10th birthday. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. First, Sony would consider its own streaming service one day. Second, Spotify celebrates its 10th birthday. Continue Reading
One of the oldest digital music operations is planning a reboot to reflect the streaming-centric times. Winamp began its life as an MP3 player. It has not been officially updated since 2013 and was acquired by Radionomy in 2014. Now, the company is working on relaunch for 2019 that will combine Winamp’s legacy as a platform for owned libraries with features that have become standard for modern music platforms. Continue Reading
RocĂo Guerrero is departing her role as head of Latin music at Spotify. She joined the streaming service in 2011 and played a critical role in building the cultural cache of the platform’s Viva Latino and Baila Reggaeton playlists. Continue Reading
Podtrac has posted its list of the top 20 podcasts for September 2018. The chart is ranked based on internal data for shows that are Podtrac clients and by publicly available data used in the company’s algorithms for non-clients. September features another new top podcast. Continue Reading
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Australia has announced the appointment of Gai Le Roy as CEO. In accepting the role, Le Roy she sheds the Interim title that she took in June when the previous chief executive, Vijay Solanki, left the organization. Continue Reading
Naxos of America has withdrawn its catalog from eMusic, claiming “continued non-payment” from the platform as its reason. Effective immediately, music distributed by Naxos will no longer be available on eMusic. The move includes both Naxos’ library and the libraries of third-party label partners that the company distributes. Continue Reading
Reality shows have long been the domain of television, but one podcast called The Brights is ready to tackle the genre. British TV personality and fashion designer Lydia Bright is releasing a weekly program that may be the first structured reality show podcast. Continue Reading
Apple has reportedly acquired a machine learning music analytics company called Asaii. Axois first reported the deal, which would bolster the back-end offerings for artists in Apple Music. Asaii specializes in the discovery of new and emerging artists based on its assessments of music service and social media data. Continue Reading
Universal Music Group has signed a licensing agreement with Mixcloud. The global agreement covers use of UMG’s music in markets excluding China and Japan. The deal includes payments for past uses of UMG’s catalog. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Several posts from James covering the drama around the Apple Podcast charts and the options provided by new technologies. Continue Reading
Show Shouts highlights noteworthy new and upcoming podcasts from across the vast and fast-growing category. Today’s developments include two macabre additions to the true crime genre, as well as a bipartisan look ahead to the midterm elections. Continue Reading
Tencent Music Entertainment was slated to launch its highly anticipated IPO in the United States this month, but the latest rumors are that it has opted to postpone the action at least until November. Sources familiar with the music group’s plans told The Wall Street Journal that the company chose to wait in response to an unsteady market that would have a negative impact on the pricing. Continue Reading