A collective of record labels, streaming platforms, and advocacy organizations leveraged the CES spotlight to announce a commitment to high-resolution (hi-res) audio streaming. The loosely-articulated mission continues an industry trend whose mileposts have been as varied as Neil Young’s Pono venture, Tidal’s hi-res streaming subscription service, and the small but notable resurgence of vinyl records. Continue Reading
Yesterday we posted the #1 story for 2016, based on readership of our articles. Today, the RAIN News roundup of how the online audio industry evolved in 2016. Seventy-four articles show the development of internet radio, music services, small webcasting, podcasting and the business ecosystem surrounding all of it in 2016. Happy browsing! Continue Reading
Russ Crupnick of MusicWatch discussed YouTube’s recently released figures about the revenue it puts into the music industry. He also covered several aspects of the ongoing value gap debate. Continue Reading
Sirius XM has settled its California royalty case with two members of The Turtles. The parties have been locked in legal proceedings for years about the treatment of recordings made prior to 1972, when federal copyright law was enacted. Continue Reading
Drake has been a huge force in the U.S. music scene this year with the release of new album, Views. Music Ally made some calculations and determined that the Canadian rapper’s latest album has hit some impressive milestones on both Spotify and YouTube. The numbers this album is putting up are yet another reminder of how critical it is for charts to consistently account for streaming data in assessing an album’s success. Continue Reading
The U.S. music industry is petitioning its European counterparts to make copyright reforms that would address royalty payments made by online music distribution services. Several music industry organizations signed an open letter about the value gap in services that do a great deal of user traffic but make comparatively small royalty payments. It asks U.S. government representatives in Europe to support Article 13 of the Copyright Directive proposed by the European Commission. Continue Reading
Many reports and statistics over the past year have pointed to a demonstrable shift in music consumption toward access via streaming and away from ownership, either in physical or digital formats. The latest data point in this ongoing trend comes from Billboard’s charts. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia is reportedly planning to launch new paid streaming services. According to Claire Atkinson of the New York Post, the media conglomerate is working on an ad-free radio product and an on-demand music service. CEO Bob Pittman is reportedly going to make the formal announcement this week. Continue Reading
RAIN Summit Nashville and the RAB/NAB Radio Show are taking over nashville this week. RAIN’s event, which starts tomorrow and runs all day, brings industry-leading knowledge and networking to nearly 300 attendees gathered from over 120 companies. Continue Reading
The National Music Publishers Association and the Nashville Songwriters Association International have moved to block Sony Music Entertainment from participating in the new round of Copyright Royalty Board proceedings. After setting webcasting rates for the 2016-2020 period, the CRB will next consider mechanical royalties that will apply to interactive music services for 2018-2022. Continue Reading
“Music subscription economics continue to hit the wrong note […] the main culprit for all the red ink is licensing fees.” That is the leading executive summary point of SNL Kagan’s new edition of its annual Economics of Mobile Music, which documents fast growth of music subscriptions, but worries about financial sustainability. Continue Reading
One of the recent developments in pre-1972 copyright protection was a win by video hosting service Vimeo in June, where the court ruled that the company could apply safe harbor provisions to those songs. That appeal ruling is now facing a fresh attack. A2IM, the RIAA, and Concord have filed an amicus brief in support of original plaintiff Capitol Records and requesting that the full New York federal appellate court rehear the case. Continue Reading