Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Questioning the top Podtrac “Snackable Podcast.” Big holiday download numbers for Alexa on Android. Start 2018 right with a hilarious podcast parody. Continue Reading
SoundHound has revamped its mobile app to place a heavier focus on music playback and voice controls. The company’s software was a long-time rival to Shazam, but more recently SoundHound doubled down on the development of its Hound voice assistant program. The new features still complement its core function of identifying audio. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Stationhead blends playlists and radio. Gig.fm for music livestreaming. MUSO secures financing. Continue Reading
Social video app Musical.ly is now creating original shows. The platform emphasizes user creativity, and has become a hub for lip syncing and other fan music videos. The planned episodes will run just two to four minutes and will feature content from NBC, MTV, and Hearst. Original content has become a core marketing promise for companies across the entertainment and media landscapes. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Believe Digital for sale? A2IM launches celebration of indies. Stand-up comedy app tries niche audience. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Shared music streaming apps taking off; branded podcasting continues to grow. Continue Reading
Mobile analytics specialist App Annie has published its 2016 Retrospective. The report tracked another year of growth for the app industry, growth in worldwide downloads and time spent in app. Many other reports last year pointed to mobile as a key source of listeners for streaming music services, but this retrospective revealed that it can also be a big revenue driver. Continue Reading
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
Bumpers is the newest mobile app exploring the podcast space. It allows people to record their own podcasts directly on their phone. The company secured $1 million in seed funding and its app is currently available on iOS. Spark Capital led the round, and Twitter co-founder and Medium CEO Evan Williams is involved as a strategic angel investor. Continue Reading
A mobile music app dubbed Soundtrap has finished a $6 million funding round. The company is developing a cloud-based music-making platform that allows for easy collaboration. The latest funding will go toward accelerating product development and rolling out in new markets. Continue Reading
We see lots of intriguing partnerships happening among streaming services, but this is a spicy one. Spotify is now integrated into mobile dating app Tinder. Continue Reading
Smartphone apps now account for half of time spent on digital platforms in the U.S. The July 2016 data from comScore confirmed the trend of smartphone dominance, with the mobile devices securing 50% of digital time for the U.S. audience. Continue Reading