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The Summer of Copyright Part 2: The “Music Bus”

Posted on by David Oxenford

Broadcast law attorney David Oxenford continues his “Summer of Copyright” series with Part 2, covering the second Judiciary Committee hearing of music licensing issues. This extraordinary summary, and identification of key issues, is a must-read. “These are significant issues that affect all of the music industry. And they are issues that are not easily resolved, as many stakeholders have differing and sometimes inconsistent and contradictory positions on these issues.” Continue Reading →

Why Google Bought Songza

Posted on by Kurt Hanson

In a move that’s been rumored for several weeks now, Google announced yesterday that they’re buying the personalizable multichannel webcaster Songza. The purchase seems like an odd one for Google, given its historical preference for algorithmically-created products. The problem, however, is that music is difficult to program on a purely algorithmic basis: An intense Seals & Crofts song, for example, may sound acoustically similar to a mellow Led Zeppelin song, but an experienced music programmer (i.e., a human being) would be able to discern that they’re culturally very dissimilar.

RAIN founding editor Kurt Hanson explores why the Songza acquisition might be a smart investment for Google. Continue Reading →

Putting Millennials in the Driver’s Seat

Posted on by Jennifer Lane

According to a Zipcar study released earlier this year, Millennials — that generational segment born after 1980 or so who are adults now — think that having a smartphone is a lot more important than having a car. Meanwhile, only 16% of persons over 35 would rather do without their phone than their car, and 40% of that age group put the car at the top of things they would not want to do without.

This wide discrepancy in the need to own a car has the auto industry back on its heels. It’s a sea change that has implications for all kinds of other business segments as well – including radio. Guest columnist Jennifer Lane proposes an opportunity for radio to engage with Millennials. Continue Reading →

Radio’s Brave New World

Posted on by James Cridland

by James Cridland

James Cridland, U.K.-based radio futurologist, delivered an opening-day speech at Radio Days Johannesburg. He examined the threats radio faces in the digital era, including shifting demographics, reduced time spent, and competition in the car. He also notes radio’s built-in advantages, but ends with a warning against complacency. Continue Reading →

The impact of mobile at RAIN Summit Indy

Posted on by Brad Hill

When Jason Calacanis delivered his powerful keynote address at RAIN Summit West in April, he ended with a declaration: “Mobile is the only thing that matters. Mobile is the only thing that matters. Mobile is the only thing that matters.” Calacanis was projecting into the future, and his conviction is documented in the present, with trendlines showing that audio is increasingly a walk-around activity.

RAIN Summit Indy will bring these trendlines and much more to the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis on September 9, in the Mobile Is the New Black panel. Continue Reading →

Curation: The programming buzzword for 2014 which drives acquisitions

Posted on by Brad Hill

by Brad Hill

Google’s acquisition of Songza is widely regarded as a buy-in of Songza’s unique “Concierge” delivery of personalized music, based on each user’s activity and mood combined with other data signals. The backbone of Songza programming is assembled by a team of 60 music specialists, and their work is supplemented by a Big Data-fed algorithm which refines the output based on the listener’s history of song votes and song skips.

Songza’s formula, and those of other music services, which determine what a listener hears, all fall under the broad term “curation.” All music services that provide some degree of interactivity deploy a curation strategy. The underpinning of that strategy is subject to trend and vogue. How has music curation evolved, and what is the trend this year which is driving acquisitions?
Continue Reading →

Google acquires Songza

Posted on by Brad Hill

After a few weeks of speculation, Google has acquired Internet radio platform Songza. Financial details have not been disclosed.
Google’s announcement says that no immediate changes will happen to Songza, but “Over the coming months, we’ll explore ways to bring what you love about Songza to Google Play Music. We’ll also look for opportunities to bring their great work to the music experience on YouTube and other Google products.” Continue Reading →

RAIN Internet Radio Awards are for broadcasters, too

Posted on by Brad Hill

Nominations are flowing into the five award categories of the Fifth Annual RAIN Internet Radio Awards. The nomination deadline, July 20, is approaching. As in previous years, broadcasting brands are included in the Best Streaming Broadcast Station category. This award is for the single broadcast station that has executed the best streaming strategy. Nominate your station now! Continue Reading →

The Songza business: Conversation with Elias Roman, CEO

Posted on by Brad Hill

Internet radio platform Songza has built its reputation on the so-called Concierge method of music curation. The Concierge service seeks to understand the user’s mood and activity, match it to time of day, local weather, and other signals, combine all that with historical music preferences, and deliver a perfect soundtrack (playlist) for the moment.

This method of playlist discovery has been imitated, most recently by “The Sentence” in Beats Music. Rhapsody, iHeartRadio, and others have also gone down this path to varying extents.

Wanting to know more about the anatomy of Songza Concierge, and also how it ties into monetization through ad sales, we spoke with Elias Roman, CEO. Continue Reading →