RAIN Hotspots: Jan. 27-31
The five most-read posts of the past week. Apple ignores iTunes Radio; SoundCloud raises cash and competes with YouTube; guest columns by Kurt Hanson and Patrick Reynolds; Continue Reading
SoundCloud
SoundCloud introduces “visual player,” inching closer to YouTube
Yesterday we wondered whether SoundCloud could live up to its investors’ aspiration to be the “YouTube of Audio.” The new visual player is an excellent first step in that direction. Click through to see it in action. Continue Reading
SoundCloud’s new $60M funding: Can it be the “YouTube of audio” when YouTube is already the YouTube of audio?
Although the deal closed last year, the news is breaking only now: SoundCloud scored $60M of new funding from Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) and the Chernin Group. Investors call SoundCloud the YouTube of audio. Isn’t YouTube already that? Continue Reading
Viral Audio
Why is audio less viral than video? Audio has to work harder to be good. But when it is, it’s almost better. What are the elements that make great audio that people will want to share online? Continue Reading
Soundcloud celebrates five years; releases impressive stats
SoundCloud, the audio upload site sometimes positioned as the audio version of YouTube, turns five years old this week. The company blog celebrates the milestone, and mentions a few eye-opening usage statistics. Upload traffic is intense, with an average 12… Continue Reading
Listn gets funded for social music listening
Listn is a music app owned by MFive Labs that expands the social possibilities of music listening by connecting people, and their music collections, across platforms and services. The company received $500-thousand in seed funding this week, giving it a… Continue Reading
Pureplay of the Day: Cafe Cody
Wednesday lies at the week’s fulcrum point, and can make you feel stranded in a dim purgatory between weekends. At those times Cafe Cody (www.cafecody.com) is the pureplay music station of choice, able to carry you away sonically. Emanating from Palma… Continue Reading
RAIN Weekend Perspective: Week of Oct. 28 – Nov. 1
RAIN’s Weekend Perspective summarizes the week’s important events for a weekend catch-up, and revives your blasted synapses for coming week. PARTNERSHIPS The Echo Nest partners with Getty Images: Music services that use The Echo Nest’s intelligence technology will be able… Continue Reading
SoundCloud reaches 250-million listeners
While Pandora’s “active listener” metric hovers around 73-million (72.7M reported in September), and iTunes Radio brags of attracting 20-million unique users in its first month, SoundCloud is quietly rolling up an impressive user base. TechCrunch reports from its Disrupt Europe… Continue Reading