Apple Music has entered into a deal with an Australian telecom company to offer a 12-month free trial of the streaming service as part of a mobile bundle. Apple Music has also signed with AMRA, the digital collections society owned by Kobalt. There are also rumors of Beats 1 producing more video content. Continue Reading
Australian Minister for Communications Malcom Turnbull released a report with recommendations for creating a digital radio planning committee in charge of rolling out DAB+ outside of the major metropolitan areas. Commercial Radio Australia and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia voiced support for this step toward increasing DAB+ coverage. This new report sees digital radio as a supplement to broadcasting rather than a replacement, at least for the near future. Continue Reading
Spotify said that it adds nearly 60,000 new users per week in Australia and about 20,000 new users a week in New Zealand. It also said that a quarter of Australian’s population has at least tried out the platform. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, 30% of Spotify’s Aussie users pay for the premium subscription. The streaming service has been active in the Australian market for three years. Continue Reading
Australia’s music industry is adding a new weekly chart to reflect the popularity of streams. The Australian Recording Industry Association will launch the Top 40 Audio & Visual Streaming Chart on Monday, May 18. It will incorporate plays from all official music videos on YouTube. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Vox on how radio plays into music’s future; Australia’s challenges with a digital radio rollout. Continue Reading
New Zealand owners of Samsung Galaxy mobile devices will now have access to the tech company’s Milk Music streaming service. The free, Slacker-powered app has about 150 radio stations and includes options for personalizing the listening experience. Continue Reading
The Sydney Morning Herald interviewed Pandora Australia CEO Jane Huxley for insight about the streaming environment down under. Pandora is reportedly adding between 20,000 and 30,000 users a week, and has already passed the 2 million members milestone. Even though additional services have entered the streaming space in Australia, Huxley told the Herald that those companies were creating additional interest in the music platforms. Continue Reading
Australian owners of Samsung Galaxy mobile devices will now have access to the tech company’s Milk Music streaming service. The free, Slacker-powered app has about 150 radio stations and includes options for personalizing the listening experience. Continue Reading
The Australian Recording Industry Association shared its 2014 wholesale figures from the country’s music scene. The end of the year charts found that revenue from streaming music subscriptions rose 111% compared with 2013. Online subscription and ad-supported services now account for more than 10% of the total Australian market value. Continue Reading
Australian telecommunication company Telstra announced that it is shuttering Bigpond Music, its online music download store. “The download-to-own music market has changed a lot,” a rep from Telstra said. “We believe the best way for us to continue to provide great music services to our customers is via a partner model.” Continue Reading
Mobile streaming of radio stations cannot replace digital broadcasting in Australia — that’s the message from Commercial Radio Australia (CRA), which commissioned a whitepaper study from broadcast technology expert Professor Reg Coutts. Continue Reading
Streaming just got a little more legitimacy from industry leaders in Australia and New Zealand. Singles charts in both countries announced that they will factor streaming numbers into their calculations. Both the Australian Recording Industry Association and the New Zealand Top 40 said streaming data will help determine the No. 1 songs. Continue Reading