In joint press release, Spotify and The Echo Nest announced this morning that Spotify has acquired The Echo Nest. Spotify is a leading interactive, on-demand music service. The Echo Nest is the leading music intelligence tech company, providing technology that powers song recommendations to over 400 listening platforms. Continue Reading
UPDATE: The two sides of this dispute have reached an out-of-court, non-financial settlement. The Spotify playlists in question, which replicate compilation albums produced by British label Ministry of Sound, will be removed from Spotify’s search engine, but not removed from the service. Continue Reading
Dave Allen, iconic musician and participant in the “Spotify debate,” announced in the Beats Music blog that he has accepted the position of Director, Artist & Music Industry Advocate. “I am back in the music business after 13 years,” Allen enthuses. Continue Reading
In what appears to be a targeted competitive thrust, song-identification platform SoundHound announced an app update that connects more substantially to music subscription service Spotify. Competitive strategy against Shazam and its recently completed deal with Rdio? Continue Reading
Yesterday afternoon, Reuters spotted a Spotify job listing containing language which implied that the music subscription company was preparing to go public with an initial public offering (IPO). The buzz building around this speculation today is an extension of past predictions from many quarters. Continue Reading
RAIN Hotspots: The five most-read articles of the week. Pandora vs. ASCAP trial; how millennials listen; the inaugural RAIN Poll; spotify launches a radio-like hosted program; Pandora accepts open music submissions. Continue Reading
Paris-based international music subscription service Deezer will close its Australian office. Thomas Heymann, who ran that office, will leave the company. Heymann oversaw Deezer’s Australian launch in 2012. Deezer’s Australian service will continue, undisturbed by the structural change, managed from Paris. Continue Reading
Spotify announced a new programming tactic it calls a “radio show,” starring singer/songwriter Billy Bragg. A monthly production, the first episode will appear tomorrow, February 11. The program’s hook is a “talking playlist.” Continue Reading
As expected, Beats Music made its TV-ad debut with a Super Bowl commercial starring Ellen DeGeneres. It hit Beats’ consistent marketing angle of delivering music that is just right for each listener. How does Spotify’s marketing contrast? Continue Reading
The ultimate in music discovery? Forgotify is based on a startling Spotify factoid that was revealed in the service’s fifth birthday anniversary last year: 20 percent of its vast music catalog goes unheard — not even a single play. Continue Reading
In a frank and concise interview with Hollywood Reporter, Spotify founder Daniel Ek volleys a series of questions about his competitors. He denigrates Beats Music, and makes a mistake about Pandora, but, more interestingly, defines Spotify in a meaningful way. Continue Reading
When Spotify and Topspin announced today that bands would be able to sell t-shirts and other branded merchandise through the music service, it hit four birds with one stone. Continue Reading