Quick Hits: App Store fees, trial-hopping, new CD Baby exec
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Apple revising some App Store fees; rates of trial-hopping; former ASCAP exec joins CD Baby. Continue Reading
Apple
Apple reportedly acquired Omnifone tech and talent in August
Apple allegedly played a part in the shut-down of Omnifone earlier this year, hiring 16 of the B2B music company’s employees and snapping up some amount of its technology assets. TechCrunch reported that Apple made the purchase and talent acquisition back in August. Continue Reading
Apple hits record-high service revenue in Q4
Apple released its fourth quarter financial results for the three months ending Sept. 24, 2016. The company posted quarterly revenue of $46.9 billion, down from $51.5 billion in the year-ago period. Continue Reading
Apple’s texting service adds Pandora song-sharing
Apple users have a new way to soundtrack their texts. Pandora is the latest app to have iMessage integration in iOS 10, Apple’s latest mobile operating system. The free extension to iMessage allows a person to share a track from the Pandora library by text. Continue Reading
Apple to sell select Sonos speakers
Apple will begin selling Sonos speakers on Oct. 5. The tech company will have the wireless speakers for sale in its brick-and-mortar stores and on its website. Sonos’ PLAY:1 and PLAY:5, two of the company’s most popular products, will be sold by Apple. Continue Reading
Apple’s audio ambitions and the headphone jack fiasco
We already discussed the minor updates to Apple Music numbers emerging from Apple’s recent keynote. But the real upheaval at the event was the company’s choice to remove the standard headphone jack from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. It’s a big deal, but not necessarily a bad idea. Continue Reading
Amazon planning two music streaming services (with one at half-price)
Amazon has been showing interest in launching a standalone streaming music service for months, but according to the latest reports, the tech giant won’t be happy with just one. Amazon appears to be considering two services: one that would match the industry standard of unlimited on-demand access for $10 a month; the other would be half the price and would only work on the company’s Echo home speaker hardware. Continue Reading
Kanye West takes to Twitter about Tidal-Apple-Spotify triangle
We’d heard rumors that Apple was considering a purchase of Tidal, and at least one person is adamant about making that idea a reality. On Saturday, Kanye West posted a series of tweets pushing for an end to “beef” between the two music services. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Quarterly results for Amazon and Apple, plus industry snapshots
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Amazon Q2 results stay strong; Apple’s Services revenue on the rise; Apple vs Spotify. Continue Reading
Apple pitches flat rate for on-demand songwriter royalties to CRB
Apple has proposed a new royalty structure for streaming music, one that would be simpler but could create a financial pinch for freemium services. In a proposal to the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board, Apple recommended a system where all on-demand streaming services would pay songwriters a statutory rate of 9.1 cents per 100 plays. Continue Reading
[UPDATE] Spotify accuses Apple of using App Store approval “as a weapon;” Apple responds
Following on yesterday’s barbs, Spotify is making another, more aggressive attack against Apple Music. A lawyer from Spotify sent a letter to the rival streaming service stating that Apple Music is causing harm to Spotify and its customers by rejecting an iOS update to its app. [Update: Apple responds.] Continue Reading
Quick Hits: Wireless headphones; streaming needs age; and live podcast shows
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Apple’s lack of jack not the end of headphones; streaming needs older listeners; live podcast tapings create community. Continue Reading