One aspect of the music licensing ruling expected from the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) has been delivered, as an answer from the Register of Copyrights to a question posed by the CRB. The question? Whether webcasters could pay different royalty rates to major labels and non-major labels. Continue Reading
Part of Pandora’s exclusive deal with the second season of hit podcast Serial, announced earlier this month, is streaming rights to the first season. That started on Tuesday, and gave us a preview of the unique presentation planned for the… Continue Reading
In the wake of Pandora’s announcement that it would acquire Rdio assets in a bankruptcy auction, which included a general reference to Rdio “winding down” under the stewardship of CEO Anthony Bay, Rdio has put more specifics into the plan. Continue Reading
Pandora and iHeartRadio sent us music metrics for 2015 — perhaps on the premature side, considering three huge releases (Justin Bieber, One Direction, Adele) in the past two weeks. We’re betting that audience preference data will be significantly altered by December 31. Continue Reading
Warner Bros. and Esurance will sponsor Pandora’s presentation of the first and second seasons of hit podcast Serial. Earlier this month Pandora announced that it had agreed to be the “exclusive streaming partner” for a rerun of Serial’s first season, and the release of season two. The programming starts Tuesday. Continue Reading
Monday’s news that Rdio had declared bankruptcy, with Pandora purchasing the company’s remaining assets and making big future plans, turned the tech, business, and music media on its head. The major consolidation in the streaming music space sparked lots of features and think pieces. Here, we’ve collected some of the more useful and insightful writing on the subject. Continue Reading
“We believe we can compete in this space because we come from such a position of strength.” Pandora CEO Brian McAndrews and CFO Mike Herring answered questions in an investor call about the acquisition of Rdio, and Pandora’s ambitious 2016 plan. Click through for voluminous quotes. Continue Reading
Yesterday’s announcement that Pandora intends to acquire Rdio assets in a bankruptcy auction focused attention on Rdio’s unpredicted demise.
CEO Brian McAndrews used the Rdio acquisition as a pivot point to sketch a dramatically enlarged strategic vision for his company, one which contained specific answers to two topics he has skirted during this year’s earnings calls: global expansion, and on-demand service. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Alibaba buys China’s YouTube; Sony/ATV CEO reassures songwriters on Pandora deal; Amazon Prime and a casual listener strategy. Continue Reading
Pandora has long been a top dog in the streaming world despite its presence in only three global markets. But new rumors point to that number potentially changing. Unnamed sources have told Bloomberg that the online radio service has started early negotiations with rights holders to take its music access international. Continue Reading
Pandora has launched its first local integrated ad campaign for the Australia and New Zealand markets. The ads made their debut across TV, digital, and outdoor in those regions on Saturday. The concept is firsts, with people talking about the musical accompaniments to various milestones, such as first kisses or first jobs. Continue Reading
Pandora and Sony/ATV have entered into a direct publishing deal, marking a breakthrough marketplace development between one of the biggest streaming companies and a major music publisher. Continue Reading