Digital Radio Austria pushing civic uses of DAB+

Wolfgang Struber, vice chairman of Digital Radio Austria, made statements supporting the adoption of DAB+ technology in the European nation. “Radio is the last broadcasting format in Austria to convert to digital, and Digital Radio Austria wants to follow the trend set by some other European countries to make the switch to DAB+,” he said. Continue Reading

Spotify/TNS study measures Spotify Free listening compared to radio, targets brand advertisers

The result of a large-scale consumer survey commissioned by Spotify was released today, assessing how consumers in 10 European countries listen to terrestrial radio and Spotify’s radio-like freemium platform. Called “The New Audio,” the study is positioned to brand marketers. Continue Reading

RIAA: First half revenues from streaming exceeded $1B for the first time

Streaming had a strong performance in the first half of 2015, according to the latest RIAA report. Overall wholesale revenue rose 0.8% to $2.3 billion compared with the year-ago period, and overall retail value inched down 0.5% to $3.2 billion. While those percentage changes are small, they do still mark a contrast from the group’s 2014 mid-year report, where the market’s wholesale revenue dropped 2.5% as streaming growth wasn’t enough to balance the losses in other sectors. Continue Reading

Pandora’s Merlin deal affirmed as admissible benchmark for CRB rate-setting

The U.S. Copyright Registrar issued a decision to the Copyright Royalty Board, ruling that Pandora’s use of its licensing deal with indie group Merlin was admissable evidence. It’s important because the Merlin deal is a lynchpin in Pandora’s argument for lower royalty rates starting in 2016. Continue Reading