Tidal has published a year-end video that promotes the exclusive-release strategy the music service followed in 2016. While exclusive album releases have gotten the most attention (and there have been 32 of them this year), Tidal touted exclusives in other categories. Continue Reading
When it comes to music, news, and podcast listening, Amazon Alexa (in the Echo and Dot devices) is far less equipped than you might think from all the buzz. But the promise is that Alexa will get smarter over time, as new skills are learned. Even now, the experience is compelling. Continue Reading
Guest columnist Corey Layton of Australian podcast company Whooshkaa looks ahead to podcasting in 2017, with predictions about sports shows, podcast discovery, monetization, and technology. Continue Reading
The final week of the year is a good time to reflect on what was, and look forward to what will be. Today, the most-read articles and the #1 story of 2016. In an unprecedented concentration of interest, RAIN News readers drove our coverage of 2016’s most important news event to the top five most-read articles of the year. Continue Reading
As 2016 crawls to a close and 2017 emerges on the horizon, it’s time for that most time-honored of traditions: the year in review. Music companies of all stripes have released their assessments of top performers from the past twelve months. Here’s a collection of the high points from 2016. Continue Reading
The velocity of change in podcasting this year has been non-stop. All of those events are significant and clearly illustrate the momentum in podcasting, but the year appears to be closing with potentially the biggest announcement of all. Facebook is rolling out “Live Audio.” Continue Reading
Google is creating a podcast series for agencies in its Partner program. The shows will educate Partner participants in skills related to digital advertising, business, agency life, and Google products. Continue Reading
Mood Media has entered a partnership with Denon Electronics to make its Mood Mix available on the HEOS wireless multi-room sound system. This means that Mood Media’s commercially licensed streaming music service can be used more easily by businesses that own HEOS systems. Mood Mix is specifically designed for use as a soundtrack in retail environments. Continue Reading
One year ago this column complained about Facebook’s lack of native audio — a feature for users to post an audio file directly to Facebook, rather than linking out to it. Facebook’s slight has been the world’s biggest example of how audio takes a back seat to video. This week, Facebook abruptly turned its face toward the light (well, the sound). Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: NPR boss talks podcasts and radio; digging in with Deezer; all about Apple Music. Continue Reading
Facebook has posted job openings centered on sound design, indicating that the social media company may have designs for more original music creation. The latest posting is for an in-house music composer, a role that requires at least 10 years of professional experience in the industry. Continue Reading
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released its annual report of ‘notorious markets,’ a listing of the areas posing the greatest risk to American creative industries. The report specifically details the recent trend of stream ripping as an issue focus. Continue Reading