8tracks, the venerable, crowdsourced, highly differentiated streaming music service which shut off at the end of 2019 is back. Thanks to a new investor who acquired some of 8tracks’ assets, the web app has reopened, with a promise to activate mobile apps next. Jeff Treichel is the new CEO — he has a Harvard MBA and a varied background in investing and board directorship. Continue Reading
Venerable streaming music service 8tracks will close on December 31, SF-based Founder and CEO David Porter announced. This ends an 11-year run of a streaming music service notable for its innovation, loyalty of its contributing users, and unique product. Continue Reading
8tracks announced a new partnership that will see audio ads roll out on its service in Canada. The audio platform will be exclusively represented by leanStream, Canada’s largest ad marketplace. Available ad units include pre-roll, mid-roll, or special sponsorships such as branded playlists and first impression takeovers. Continue Reading
8tracks announced that it is removing the weekly listening caps it had placed on people in its free access tier. The company initially instituted a limit on free listening in 2016 to counteract the high costs of music licensing. Continue Reading
8tracks has announced a new integration with Spotify. In the latest version of the 8tracks iOS app, listeners’ favorited tracks can be automatically saved to a dedicated Spotify playlist. With this “8tracks Discoveries” playlist, people can revisit their finds on-demand. Continue Reading
Playlisting service 8tracks has been gradually pivoting its business model over the past year, and has been offering listeners transparency into the decisions every step of the way. The latest move is no different, as the company announced the introduction of audio ads and why they made the move. Continue Reading
B2B music provider 7digital announced last week that it has signed on to power playlisting platform 8tracks. The companies have agreed to at least one year of collaboration. Under these terms, 7digital will provide hosting and streaming for all of 8tracks’ directly licensed music. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Audiobooks versus podcasts; Rap Caviar gets video; happy birthday to 8tracks! Continue Reading
In a revealing blog post that transparently reveals company financials while explaining economic realities of the music streaming business generally, 8tracks Founder and CEO David Porter has announced that his company has “nearly wrapped our deal with the first of the major labels.” Along with that revelation, Porter says that 8tracks will start its subscription service in the new year. Continue Reading
8tracks shared a blog post detailing how it will roll out its previously announced subscription plan. It’s a transparent discussion of why and how the company is altering its business model. Continue Reading
8tracks, a unique playlisting service that has moved in and out of profitability during the last several years, sent an email to investors yesterday disclosing results of a funding campaign, and announcing an upcoming shift of its business model. 8tracks will move away from ad-supported listening, becoming mainly a subscription service. Continue Reading
Guest columnist David Porter, Founder and CEO of 8tracks, looks back at eight years of developing the platform. It’s a mix of challenges and triumphs. “Internet radio could well become the most ubiquitous form of media mankind has known.” Continue Reading