Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Podcast trends from Infinite Dial. EU to rule on Apple/Shazam next month. Anchors aweigh for social podcast videos. Continue Reading
Apple’s Eddy Cue shared some updates and milestones about the tech company’s streaming music service at SXSW. The senior vice president for Internet software and services announced that Apple Music now has 38 million subscribers. That’s 2 million added to the audience in just over a month. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Apple developing high-end headphones. Growth of branded podcasts. AI creates an infinite podcast. Continue Reading
Apple has been closely tied to music’s journey into the digital realms from the beginning. That journey has gone to many new places, but Apple is still keeping pace with the changes and doing its best to stay ahead of the game. That’s the takeaway from an interview CEO Tim Cook gave to Fast Company about Apple’s position as a tech innovator and where music fits into the picture. Continue Reading
Apple HomePod is still making headlines as the newest contender in the smart speaker space. Loup Ventures conducted some insightful research comparing Siri on the HomePod with rival voice AI systems. Although Siri fell short, there are some quick ways for Apple to improve the score for its voice system. Continue Reading
Multiple music and audio platforms are making aggressive starts to 2018. Spotify and Apple Music have recently shared plans to expand their user bases. Although the end goal of growth is similar for each of the platforms, their exact circumstances are quite distinct. Continue Reading
Apple’s HomePod launches today, joining the already-crowded and still-growing field of smart speakers. Given the existing competition, a delayed debut, and some critical reviews, how will the HomePod do in sales? Continue Reading
Apple’s purchase of Shazam is getting some additional scrutiny in the EU. The European Commission announced that it has accepted requests from multiple nations to review the proposed acquisition. Austria, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Spain, and Sweden sent the requests. Continue Reading
After a delay, Apple has released its first entry into the smart speaker space. Reviews are now out for the Apple HomePod, and there’s a large amount of consensus about the device’s strengths and weaknesses. Continue Reading
Apple shared its financial results for the fiscal first quarter ending December 30. Quarterly revenue totaled $88.3 billion, up 13% on-year to reach an all-time record. The period was boosted by iPhone performance, and the company’s active installed base of devices grew 30% over two years to 1.3 billion. Continue Reading
Apple rolled out the beta version of its hotly-anticipated podcast analytics in December, meaning show producers have had about a month to collect and assess new amounts of data around how their work performs in one of the most important podcast platforms. Wired spoke to several industry leaders about Apple Podcast Analytics, and their early findings support the anecdotal evidence that podcast listeners are indeed deeply engaged with and supportive of their shows. Continue Reading
Billboard has released its Power 100 list for 2018, a ranking of the most influential leaders in the music business. The list includes several executives from streaming services alongside the stalwarts from major labels, talent management, and concert promotion. Continue Reading