SFX Entertainment has had a tumultuous year thus far, but it seems some of the recent decisions around its Beatport brand have had positive impact. The company opted to take the EDM specialist off the auction block in May and removed the streaming components of that brand to focus on the download store. Continue Reading
Darren Herft has stepped down from his position as CEO of Guvera. The co-founder left the leadership role more than a week ago following the streaming service’s rejection from listing on the Australian Securities Exchange. Continue Reading
National Public Radio Digital Services (NPR DS) will move its streaming technology to Triton Digital this fall, transitioning its member stations from Limelight Networks, the current streaming technology provider. An email notifying stations of the change was sent last Thursday. Continue Reading
The BBC iPlayer Radio app has made its stateside debut. Listeners in the U.S. can now download iPlayer Radio for free on both iOS and Android. Continue Reading
Spotify has lured yet another team member away from the BBC. This time, it’s Austin Daboh, who is departing BBC Radio 1Xtra to take on the role of Senior Editor, Content Programming UK. Continue Reading
VKontakte, a Russian social network, is planning to add a paid subscription tier for its music service. The update is slated to occur in early 2017, according to the Moscow Times. Continue Reading
In a startling announcement that apparently hopes to drive a wedge into the radio audience measurement field, five broadcast groups have created a partnership with Shazam at the center, to develop what the announcement calls a “groundbreaking new audio measurement solution.” Continue Reading
Pandora released its second-quarter earnings yesterday, splitting Wall Street bets. Pandora delivered red ink earnings of -26 cents per share, against expectation of -30 cents. Investors liked that, but didn’t like a missed revenue estimate. As always, a closer look at the balance sheet deepens context. Continue Reading
Just hours ahead of its second-quarter earnings call, we’ve learned that Pandora has reportedly turned down a proposed bid from Liberty Media. The owner of Sirius XM allegedly floated an offer to buy out the online audio company for $15 per share, valuing Pandora at more than $3.4 billion. Sources are saying that Pandora board rejected the informal bid, citing the price as too low. Continue Reading
Pono Music has suspended operations of its online store due to content provider changes. The specialty hi-res music platform had been using Omnifone as its exclusive content provider, but is in the process of transitioning that work over to new partner 7digital. Continue Reading
Canadian collection society SOCAN has acquired U.S. digital rights specialist Audiam. Founder and CEO Jeff Price will remain at the head of Audiam and will collaborate with SOCAN’s leaders moving forward. Continue Reading
Shazam has entered a partnership with several broadcasting groups with the goal of creating an audience measurement solution for broadcast and digital audio. The new partners are iHeartMedia, Cumulus, Entercom, Cox and Sun Broadcast Group. Continue Reading