Often the most interesting parts of an earnings call are beyond the numbers, especially in the investor Q&A which follows the prepared statements. We took a deep dive into the unscripted portions of last week’s Pandora Q2 results. Continue Reading
Universal Music UK has introduced a new brand focused on playlists and compilations. Universal Music On Demand is a response to the importance of playlists in the streaming music economy and could look to protect the role of professional curators. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Steve Goldstein talks podcast run times. Also features about programming, advertising, and the state of media. Continue Reading
We’d heard rumors that Apple was considering a purchase of Tidal, and at least one person is adamant about making that idea a reality. On Saturday, Kanye West posted a series of tweets pushing for an end to “beef” between the two music services. Continue Reading
Sony Music Entertainment’s latest quarterly results show the continued importance of streaming in the company’s financial health. Quarterly streaming revenue from audio and video sources increased 39% from the year-ago period to 30.67 billion yen ($300 million). Continue Reading
China-based streaming service QQ Music has reportedly turned a profit. One of the platform’s general managers shared the update at an event this week, although owner Tencent has not made any formal statement confirming it. This is a noteworthy development both for the Chinese market and for streaming at large, where many western companies have struggled to get into the black. Continue Reading
New Edison research commissioned by NextRadio investigated why listeners are so dedicated to radio, even as digital music services gain traction. The central reasons for radio’s continued presence are portability, community roots, and music programming. Continue Reading
Omny Studio and RAIN News are partnering to produce a free webinar: Beyond the Download: A Deeper Understanding of Podcast Listening. Register now for Tuesday, August 16 at 4pm EDT. the illuminating session will be presented by Matt Saraceni, Head of Content at Omny Studio. Continue Reading
Pandora has announced a technology solution to the problem of in-stream video and display ads being delivered to listeners who aren’t watch their screens. Through partnering with technology provider Moat, Pandora can assure advertisers of 100% in-view impressions in mobile and desktop listening, in accordance with MRC (Media Rating Council) standards. To understand just what this means technically, and to Pandora advertisers, we spoke with Chris Record, Pandora’s VP of Revenue Operations. Continue Reading
MIDiA Research has released a report on YouTube and the video platform’s impact on the music economy. With YouTube commanding a massive audience, but still drawing criticism and skepticism from artists and labels, the report adds much-needed data to explain the service’s role. “Safe Harbour-enabled UGC is no longer the threat it once was, with just 2% of music video views from unofficial uploads,” it says. Continue Reading
France’s industry body SNEP announced that its albums chart will begin counting streams. All plays from both ad-supported and subscription tiers will be included in the calculation, although the most-streamed track from an album will be down-weighted to half its streaming total. Continue Reading