As we reported on March 17, SoundExchange and National Public Radio (NPR) reached an agreement for webcast music licensing in the 2016-2020 royalty period. NPR agreed to increase the number of stations providing detailed census reporting of the music they play in webcasts. We spoke to Rusty Hodge of SomaFM about whether those reports are difficult to produce. Continue Reading
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An eight-minute blast of news you need to know in streaming audio.
THIS WEEK: The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. THIS WEEK: Tidal relaunch makes it seem new; DASH Radio; Spotify’s new Canadian deal; revenue forecast for Internet radio advertising; who wants connected cars? Continue Reading
EMI Music has won a summary judgement against Grooveshark’s parent company on charges that the streaming platform infringed on its copyrights. There is a court date set for May 8 to determine the final damages, but they could end up being as high as $420 million for the 2,807 copyrighted tracks EMI found on the streaming service. Continue Reading
Sponsored by AudioBoom
An eight-minute blast of news you need to know in streaming audio.
THIS WEEK: Beats Music leaks; new startup merges listening and broadcasting; new podcast company Amplifi Media; Android Auto hits the road; new AMP bill benefits music producers. Continue Reading
An influential legal panel will highlight RAIN Summit West, April 12 in Las Vegas. The RAIN Legal Panel, well-known at RAIN Summits for illuminating complex issues of music licensing, will be moderated by David Oxenford and feature the RAIN Summit debut of Alex Luke. Continue Reading
Broadcast attorney David Oxenford digs into the Songwriter Equity Act in this comprehensive analysis of proposed legislation. “This is perhaps one of those questions that can never be answered — which is more important, the song or the singer?” Continue Reading
Pandora has hired Elizabeth Moody as vice president of global content licensing. She will be responsible for all content partnership strategy and negotiations. Music licensing is an imperative for Pandora and its investors, never more than this year. Continue Reading
The Download on Podcasts is a weekly feature sponsored by PodcastOne.
Micro-subscriptions on specialty crowdfunding platforms like Patreon and Recurrency offer independent podcasters a real chance at self-sufficiency. Success stories reveal an audience willing to pay for unique, personal, on-demand programs. Continue Reading
RAIN News has learned that NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting have agreed to a 17% music licensing rate increase for the 2016-2020 royalty period. The new rate anchors an agreement between the nonprofit public media outlets and SoundExchange, the royalty collection and distribution entity representing artists and record labels to webcasters. Continue Reading
Pandora’s NYSE_traded stock jumped over seven percent on Friday, an unexpected upward spike generally attributed to buyout rumors. Even as those rumors circulated, they were discredited by some analysts. Continue Reading
The Download on Podcasts is a new weekly feature sponsored by PodcastOne.
In the Infinite Dial 2015, an ongoing research project produced by Edison Research and Triton Digital, the metrics and consumption behavior of podcast listeners are portrayed sharply. Podcast listeners are voracious! (They also trend toward affluence.) Continue Reading
The Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights held a hearing this morning to debate arguments for and against so-called Consent Decrees — decades-old laws which govern how ASCAP and BMI represent songwriters and publishers for music licensing. Here, summary and quotes. Continue Reading