Spotify is reportedly working on raising $400 million in funding, unnamed sources told The Wall Street Journal. This funding round values the company at $8.4 billion. Industry leaders have been speculating as to when Spotify may pursue an IPO for a long time, but the streaming service has not given any hint about a plan to sell. Continue Reading
The European Commission, Europe’s main regulatory agency for business competition, has requested information from music labels about their agreements with Apple, according to the Financial Times. The inquiries are related to the planned relaunch of Beats Music this summer. Continue Reading
Spotify has entered into another telecommunications partnership. This one is with Rogers Communications and it brings a free subscription to the streaming service to Fido customers for an impressive 24 months. Spotify has engaged in several deals with telecoms across the globe, partnering with mobile and wireless carriers in France, Australia, and Ireland, but none have offered the subscriptions for as long as two years. Continue Reading
With podcasting top-of-mind in the online audio industry, a potential new player is Spotify, according to unnamed sources reported by Bloomberg Business. Competition with Apple? Catching up to Deezer? Continue Reading
Sony has launched its new music service for PlayStation video game consoles, completing a previously announced integration of Spotify into the gaming console. The so-called PlayStation Music platform is a close collaboration between Sony and Spotify. Continue Reading
Today’s brief news items feature some unexpected combinations. Continue Reading
The recording industry has always been troubled by free music, understandably. Yet the progression of disruptive technology has made music an Internet commodity. Spotify is arguing that free listening is necessary to scale streaming revenue. Continue Reading
Spotify has hired Seth Farbman to serve the streaming service in a top marketing position starting April 6. His experience will likely be focused on growing Spotify’s audience of listeners and guiding the company’s general service marketing. Farbman most recently worked at clothing retailer Gap, where he joined as its first global CMO in 2011. Continue Reading
Today’s brief news items are all about Apple: Beats Music royalty payouts; the future of car radios; UMG ready to settle musician lawsuit. Continue Reading
RAIN News founding editor Kurt Hanson traveled to Milan for Radiodays Europe 2015. This bulletin covers a fascinating research session called “Stream Battle.” Continue Reading
Month-over-month webcast listening grew by five percent in December, according to Triton Digital’s monthly Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. The lift came despite lower listening during Christmas week, compared to the three previous weeks. Big gains for streaming in 2014. Continue Reading
Spotify has allegedly projected that it will pay Universal Music Group $1 billion over the next two years. Internal emails obtained by the New York Post detailed the streaming service’s financial predictions. The $1 billion figure covers music royalties, ad revenue, and subscription fees. Continue Reading