Xbox Music will be getting an update in a few weeks, according to tweets from a Microsoft exec. Joe Belfiore, vice president for Windows Phone program management and design, said on Twitter that the service would be getting an upgrade in performance, fixes, and new features shortly. The news will come as a relief to fans of the service, which seemed like it could be on the chopping block based on Microsoft’s plans to streamline its in-house music and video teams. Continue Reading →
In Association With... For sponsorship info, contact Brianna Pulliam Brianna@rainnews.com Join us for our third annual European conference! Tuesday November 4th, London, England RAIN Summit Europe is the largest meetup of Internet radio and online audio professionals! Hosted by RAIN…
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Apple’s acquisition of Beats brought out more anticipation, speculation, and commentary than any business or product news story since the launch of iTunes Radio in September. It’s as if a unique two-headed creature rose out of the earth for all to wonder at. As the dust settles, a few points are worth noting. Continue Reading →
British music service Bloom.FM has failed to lock in new investment, and is unplugging for good. It’s a story we have been following closely, notable for its quick ups and downs, and the incisive commentary of the company CEO. “Legal music needs to be more affordable,” Bloom’s official announcement concluded. Continue Reading →
We spotted a tweet from media licensing attorney and RAIN Summit participant David Oxenford, indicating that an operating-system push from AT&T turned on the FM chip in his trusty Q10 phone. He sent us his review, which includes raves for ultra-fast tuning and good reception. Continue Reading →
According to an executive at the British office of OMD, the global ad agency, Apple is prepping the agency on iAds in iTunes Radio, presumably for a soon-to-be U.K. launch of the Internet radio service. Hannah Allen of OMD tweeted a visit from Paul Wright, who runs Apple’s ad platform in Europe. Continue Reading →
Bloom.FM, an on-demand music app, report-tweeted it has been knocked out of the iTunes Radio ad rotation after spending 2,000 British pounds a month on commercials for its service. Bloom.FM spokespeople are enjoying their new image as a prospective iTunes Radio killer. Continue Reading →
With the demise of the unique but little-used Twitter Music app, the micro-blogging service lost no time announcing its next foray into music. Twitter and Billboard announced a partnership to create the Billboard Twitter Real-Time Charts. The alliance is a “big data” play, but there’s a big question about how different it will be. Continue Reading →
The head of Britain’s Radio 1, George Ergatoudis, announced that U.K. top-40 music charts will “soon” include streaming data. The range of services to be measured, and how the streaming consumption will be weighted alongside song purchases, is not disclosed. Continue Reading →
They did it. Two-hundred Australian commercial radio stations shut down their online streams in a dispute with record labels over additional license fees. The government refuses to intervene. The radio station lobbying group tries to whip up public support. Continue Reading →
A social manager gone rogue? Drunk tweeting? We don’t know, but Mashable was keeping a sharp eye on Spotify’s Twitter feed during the couple of days last week when Beats Music was down and out with connection problems. Continue Reading →