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Sonos Beam soundbar brings agnostic voice assistant to the living room for an entry-level price

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Sonos has taken its ambitious next step into the smart speaker space with a new product that supports multiple voice assistants and changes the form factor. The Sonos Beam is a sound bar, a much larger device than the most popular tabletop smart speaker designs currently on the market, that’s capable of providing quality audio for a range of entertainment purposes in small- or medium-sized rooms. Continue Reading →

The Pandora/AdsWizz combination: A chat with the execs about programmatic

Posted on by Brad Hill

In 2018 there is a fresh sense that programmatic audio is coming into an era of recognition and marketplace maturity. RAIN spoke with Scott Walker, Pandora’s SVP of Programmatic Sales, and Alexis van de Wyer, CEO of AdsWizz. The conversation touched on Google’s entry into programmatic audio, predictions of the future, and Pandora’s acquisition of AdsWizz.
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Spotify is reportedly offering hefty advances to land more direct licensing deals

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Spotify is reportedly offering advances to managers and indie artists as an incentive to consider direct licensing deals with the streaming service. Billboard reported that the company is offering up to several hundred thousand dollars in advances for managers that agree to license a particular number of tracks by indies directly to Spotify. On the platform, the managers and acts could then earn 50% of the revenue from those songs being streamed. Continue Reading →

PwC outlook forecasts streaming domination in digital music revenue by 2022

Posted on by Anna Washenko

PwC has published its annual report of projections and predictions for the international media industry. The Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2018-2022 valued the music, radio, and podcast sector in the U.S. at $40.7 billion in 2017. The industry is projected to see a 4% compound annual growth rate to reach $49.5 billion in 2022. Continue Reading →

Cadence13 partners for podcast investigating Robert F. Kennedy’s death

Posted on by Anna Washenko

Cadence13 is partnering with a pair of true crime storytellers for a new podcast investigating the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier, who also co-created the Crimetown podcast and The Jinx television series, will be working on the new show, titled The RFK Tapes. The first episode is out today, on the 50th anniversary of his death. Continue Reading →