Global streaming revenue was up 60% in 2016, according to the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) annual report. Streaming revenue nudged the industry upward as a whole. Within that good news, a centerpiece of the report is an analysis of the “value gap,” emblemized by YouTube. Continue Reading
The Webby Award season concluded last week. Here are the winners in the “Podcasts & Digital Audio” group, across 15 categories. Though some are well-known, and most are from leading networks, the winners (official and People’s Voice) make a good discovery list. Continue Reading
Guest columnist Mark Ramsey weighs in on a hot debate in podcasting: How long is the best podcast length? Continue Reading
SoundExchange, which collects and distributes label royalties from streaming music, released its Q1 2017 report this morning, citing growth statistics compared to Q1 2016. It’s a growth story of participating musicians, even as Pandora — the largest single contributor to label royalties from webcasting — reduced its involvement in this particular payment system. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: An Apple Music interview on its video future; ongoing FM shutdown in Norway; mobile leading digital ad spend. Continue Reading
RAIN News received a note from Roger King, Producer and Director of I Am What I Play, a documentary about radio DJs. The film was completed in July, 2014, has been playing in the documentary circuit, and is available to stream or download on Vimeo starting today. Continue Reading
Australia’s SBS Radio announced a campaign centered around the Eurovision music talent competition. SBS Eurovision Radio will be a round-the-clock station on digital radio, online, and mobile that features hits from the international competition. It will also have a live simulcast of the semifinal and grand final performances next week. Continue Reading
Russian social media platform VKontakte has successfully launched a built-in music service. The company has been working toward this goal for some time, and now it has secured licensing deals with all three of the majors and with indie label network Merlin. The service, which often draws comparisons to Facebook, had 410 million accounts as of January 2017. Continue Reading
Ezra Kucharz, previously the President of Local Digital Media at CBS, and more recently Special Advisor to CBS, announced today that he is leaving CBS Corporation entirely at the end of business today. He disclosed his departure in a LinkedIn post. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Lyrebird and voice synthesizing. FIX Radio lauches in London. The UK’s first podcasting awards. Much more. Continue Reading
Sony Music Entertainment’s latest financial results showed an overall decline this fiscal year despite streaming growth. Annual revenue for the recorded music division totaled 388.95 billion yen ($3.5 billion), down 5.8% from the year-ago period. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia is partnering with Insomniac for the launch of a dance music station tied to the Electric Daisy Carnival event, happening June 16-18 in Las Vegas. The EDC Radio station, debuting April 28, will be exclusive to iHeartRadio. It will feature 24/7 programming focused on the dance genre alongside original content. Continue Reading