Due to budget restrictions, the BBC has said it will not fund the digital radio switchover for its stations. “We are not convinced of the value for money case for any further such investment, particularly while digital listening remains below 50%, with DAB listening only a proportion of that.” Continue Reading
New provisions in the UK’s Consumer Rights Act took effect as of Oct. 1. The revamped law includes some rules governing digital retailers such as the iTunes store. Streaming platforms would also be covered by the rules about quality and customer expectations. Continue Reading
Jazz FM and the BBC are working together to create a pop-up digital radio station called BBC Music Jazz. The two broadcasters are usually competing for ears, and this is their first collaboration. It will air on DAB radio sets, online, and on the iPlayer from Nov. 12-15, the dates for the EFG London Jazz Festival. Continue Reading
Deezer has created its first ad spot for UK televisions. The colorful ad shows a series of characters that rhyme with the streaming service, such as geezer and crowd-pleaser. This spot is the first in a series of four, which promise to get ever-zanier with the rhymes. Continue Reading
Earlier this week, the BBC unveiled its commitment to making its service more Internet-friendly, including plans for a streaming music service. Geoff Taylor, CEO of the BPI, addressed this as-yet non-existent streaming service by demanding that it pay to license the songs whenever it does come to be. “The starting point for some of the BBC’s suggestions around how such a service might work involved launching such a service but paying no money for it – and I just don’t think that’s viable,” Taylor said. Continue Reading
We’ve seen some trend pieces in the past month discussing just how important it is for artists’ success to secure spots on streaming services’ popular playlists. The indie community has recognized this and is preparing to jump on the bandwagon. The Association of Independent Music in the UK has issued a request for proposal seeking an entity to operate a streaming music playlists brand focused on indies. Continue Reading
TuneCore has announced its formal expansion into the UK. The publishing administrator has been serving UK-based artists for some time, but the new change will allow those performers to continue collecting licensing revenue in their local currency. Continue Reading
Yesterday, we reported on PRS for Music’s lawsuit against SoundCloud. Today, the plaintiff got a statement of support from their fellow Brits at BASCA. “We acknowledge that streaming is a fantastic means of listening to and enjoying music but SoundCloud’s intransigence in refusing to be licensed through PRS For Music means their model financially damages our members,” CEO Vick Bain said. Continue Reading
We heard rumblings that SoundCloud might face legal action from the major labels, but the one to strike first is actually a UK collection society. PRS for Music is suing the online audio platform because SoundCloud does not have a license for the UK or Europe to play tracks that include material it represents. Continue Reading
The BBC Trust, governing body for the BBC, recently provided guidance on what content the organization’s radio stations can put online prior to the actual broadcasts. Based on the new rules, the BBC can put speech-based programs online up to one week ahead of their air time. However, music radio programs will not be allowed to appear online first. Continue Reading
UK Minister of Culture, Communications and Creative Industries Ed Vaizey spoke recently on BBC 4 about the potential FM radio switch-off in favor of DAB. “When we reach a certain target of listening on digital—and we’re very close to that target at the moment—we’ll take a view on what the appropriate next step will be,” he said. Continue Reading
BPI and the Official Charts Company reported that weekly audio streams in the UK have exceeded the 500 million milestone. It’s the first time to reach that metric. The country is now forecast to reach 25 billion audio streams by the end of the year. Continue Reading