Intellectual property attorney Angus MacDonald examines the 2014 royalty collections by SoundExchange, and Pandora’s earnings reports, to determine that Pandora accounts for more than half of all SoundExchange revenues distributed to artists and labels. What does the future look like as the Copyright Royalty Board prepares a ruling of webcaster royalty rates for 2016-2020? Continue Reading
The recording industry has always been troubled by free music, understandably. Yet the progression of disruptive technology has made music an Internet commodity. Spotify is arguing that free listening is necessary to scale streaming revenue. Continue Reading
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A six-minute blast of news you need to know in streaming audio.
THIS WEEK: Streaming surpasses CD sales in 2014 RIAA report; iTunes Radio goes to programmatic sales; Rdio’s new social features; Rhapsody plays on Twitter; BBC seeks to reinvent radio. Continue Reading
Broadcast attorney David Oxenford digs into the Songwriter Equity Act in this comprehensive analysis of proposed legislation. “This is perhaps one of those questions that can never be answered — which is more important, the song or the singer?” Continue Reading
Double-digit growth in all forms of streaming buttressed the U.S. music industry against the continued slide in music purchases, holding the industry’s total value steady at 7-billion dollars. For the first time, streaming revenue surpassed CD revenue. Continue Reading
The Internet Radio Rewind podcast is an audio recap of recent news, featuring RAIN editor Brad Hill, a splash of music, and a dash of humor. Sponsored by AudioBoom Unlike chatcasts, Internet Radio Rewind is quick and to-the-point, with concise need-to-know… Continue Reading
As we reported last week, the U.S. Copyright Office released a comprehensive review of music licensing, and made recommendations for changes. Broadcast Law Attorney offers this thorough analysis of the report’s contents.
“The report tees up many issues for consideration. So now, let the debate begin!” Continue Reading
Apple released some mind-boggling financial figures from the first quarter in its latest SEC filing. The company’s net income for Q1 was $18.02 billion on net sales of nearly $74.6 billion. Underneath the huge revenue, though, the news was not so good for iTunes. Continue Reading
A new report from SNL Kagan estimates mobile (smartphone and tablet) entertainment revenue for 2014, breaking out the gaming, video, and music categories. Total mobile entertainment revenue was $9.1-billion, and music accrued $1.8-billion. RAIN News spoke with John Fletcher, who authored the report. Continue Reading
Now that we’ve set off on a fresh new year, we’re getting some interesting and insightful perspectives on everything that transpired in the music world during 2014. Data scientists have had the time to collect final numbers and finish analyses. On Jan. 2, we got a preliminary look at the work of Nielsen SoundScan team, which showed a general trend of increased streaming and decreased sales. Today, we have the 2014 Nielsen Music U.S. Report to expand on those first finds. Continue Reading
ReelRadio has obtained pro bono legal assistance in its argument with the RIAA. ReelRadio streams vintage radio airchecks, some of which include music, and the RIAA says the site is out of complicance. The law firm of King & Spalding has agreed to partner with the ReelRadio and handle the case. Continue Reading
Warner Music Group posted its financial report for the year ending Sept. 30, and the results included some impressive figures related to streaming. The company’s revenue rose 5.2% to $3.02 billion, it’s highest number since 2009. That total was bolstered by an increase of $150 million in revenue from streaming music. Continue Reading