General Motors has announced a plan to thwart in-car audio generated from connected personal phones, in the company’s electric vehicles. In place of that common type of listening, the car manufacturer will develop its own platform of audio and navigation. With this change, GM aspires to provide its own subscription revenue, potentially reaching $25-billion by 2030. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: GM tracking consumer listening behavior in cars. London’s radio pirates changed music; then came the Internet. Does music’s Q4 matter anymore? Continue Reading
General Motors is reportedly adding podcasts to the dashboard of about one-million cars. Only a handful of podcasts will be included in a proprietary selection. The most interesting aspect of this venture is GM’s recognition of podcasting as a worthy audio category around which to build business relationships and proprietary distribution products. Continue Reading
GM and AT&T have partnered to provide in-car WiFi across the GM model line of cars equipped with OnStar 4G LTE WiFi hotspot technology. The headline is the price: $20 a month for unlimited data. That dollar number is a milestone that could accelerate the challenge faced by terrestrial radio in connected cars. Continue Reading
The music industry entered a new automotive battleground. The Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies filed a lawsuit against several car companies, including General Motors and Ford Motor Company, seeking damages for vehicles equipped with what it believes are digital audio recording devices. Ford has filed a motion to dismiss the case. The argument hinges on a key definition. Continue Reading
In a partnership that was announced over a year ago, automaker GM and telecom giant AT&T are starting to roll out product — cars with built-in online connectivity. With announced prices, these cars and data plans help shape consumer understanding of an important question: What is the monthly cost of connecting a car? Continue Reading
National Public Radio has scored a distribution victory with an agreement to make the NPR listening app available to drivers of GM’s Internet-connected cars. The digital dashboards of those cars will offer to download the app and make it a featured selection. Continue Reading