Local broadcaster’s geo-fencing lawsuit recommended for dismissal

Posted on by Anna Washenko

A Virginia magistrate recommended dismissing the lawsuit filed by VerStandig Broadcasting against SoundExchange. Magistrate Judge Joel Hoppe suggested the dismissal due to a lack of controversy between the two parties, according to Radio World. VerStandig filed a suit against the royalty collector on claims that its use of geo-fencing should exempt it from needing to pay copyright royalties. The broadcaster claimed that it could use this technology to cap streaming content within 150 miles of its transmitter. Continue Reading →

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The “Me” Generation: Why Music Curation Isn’t the Answer

Posted on by Michael Spinelli

This guest column was contributed by Mike Spinelli, a third-year law student at Quinnipiac University School of law, where he is studying music transactions and music licensing. He previously worked at SoundExchange. Where does the future lie for music services — human curation of playlists, or data-driven music selection? Continue Reading →

Music apps post biggest spike in mobile use, according to new research

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Research from Localytics confirmed that mobile is still the rising trend for music services. In the company’s analysis of app usage over the past year, people spent 79% more time in their music programs, which translates to 64 more minutes per month. Compare that with the average increase of 21% for time spent across all apps. The next closest category to music was health and fitness, which posted a 51% rise for time spent in-app. Continue Reading →

What do college students listen to? (Spotify Insights)

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Spotify introduced its Insights blog earlier this month, and its creative take on data has already been taking the music world by storm. The latest missive delves into the listening habits of college students. Spotify listed the top 40 schools with the highest rates of sign-ups for its student deal last semester, then ranked them by number of song plays. Arizona State University secured the top place on the Most Musical Universities in America list, followed by Auburn University and Brigham Young University in second and third, respectively. Continue Reading →

Tidal gets new marketing head, places focus on luxury message

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Tidal, the hi-fi streaming service from WiMP slated to arrive soon in the U.S. and UK, has a new head of marketing. Daniel Green assumes the top marketing job, joining Tidal after five years as director of digital strategy at Viacom International. In discussing the new appointment, Tidal CEO Andy Chen highlighted the company’s stance for offering a hi-fi service, noting that Green’s past experience covered the “consumer lifestyle” and “luxury” fields. Continue Reading →

Bop.fm links up with four more music platforms, including Pandora

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Bop.fm announced the addition of several music services to its agnostic listening platform. Pandora, Xbox Music, Rhapsody, and Napster are now a part of the program. Bop.fm allows its members to share songs across platforms, and to create playlists from music. This makes the Pandora relationship particularly interesting, since it’s a lean-back service. Continue Reading →

Podcasting patent decision goes against CBS

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Personal Audio won its patent infringement lawsuit against CBS. The company is commonly seen as a patent troll, holding intellectual property rights for what it claims is an essential part of podcasting. A jury in Marshall, Texas, supported Personal Audio’s claims and awarded it damages of $1.3 million. The company has outstanding patent suits against the FOX and NBC networks. Continue Reading →

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Kurt Hanson’s “State of the Industry Address” identifies digital opportunities

Posted on by Brad Hill

RAIN News founding editor Kurt Hanson delivered his semi-annual State of the Industry Address at RAIN Summit Indy last week. In addition to expected Star Trek references, and a disconcerting Star Wars mention, Hanson drew trendlines, isolated an important consumer demand across all media, targeted problems with certain industry products, and suggested solutions. Continue Reading →