At WWDC last month, Apple did announce plans to add a new social layer to its streaming music platform. The company’s previous efforts to add connection features in the app have been shaky at best. But Apple Insider has posted some screenshots from the beta of iOS 11 showing the social tools in action, and so far it seems like a more manageable and less obtrusive implementation. Continue Reading
Barely a week has gone by this year without some development from SoundCloud. Today, the news strikes a somber tone. Founder Alex Ljung posted to the SoundCloud blog announcing that the company has cut 173 jobs. Continue Reading
Nielsen has published its mid-year report analyzing music consumption for the first six months of 2017. The report traced many of the same trends as other major industry organizations, including a continued rise in the performance for streaming while sales numbers keep declining. Continue Reading
Forbes has published a new list, this time revealing the 100 highest-paid celebrities. The list has a heavy lean toward musicians, and while many of those performers are still securing a large share of income from other branding and business enterprises, the entire ranking reflects how much creative enterprises have changed with the advent of digital tools. Continue Reading
The New York Post’s Claire Atkinson has put SoundCloud back into headlines. The streaming platform has been rumored as a sale target for months on and off. The Post is now reporting that “a host of players” are currently interested in taking over the company. Sources have most recently pointed to Deezer and Apple as possible buyers, with private equity firms also allegedly in the running. Continue Reading
The White Night Festival in Tel Aviv was a “silent disco” attended by 30,000 people. Music was blasted out — rather, was blasted IN via personal headphones, powered by the custom-built Nobex app for Tel Aviv Radio. Continue Reading
Last week marked the release of 4:44, the much-anticipated new album from Jay-Z. The work was released as an exclusive to Tidal, which is owned by Jay-Z and Sprint, which bought a 33% stake at the start of 2017. The release has not been the smoothest of sailing, an indicator that exclusive album releases are still a contentious approach to distribution that require careful planning to be successful. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Smart audio study from Edison. No more Pandora down under. Radio 1 Vintage. Much more. Continue Reading
BuzzAngle Music has published its mid-year report, reflecting six months of growth for the U.S. music industry. Total consumption increased 9.9% over the same period in 2016. Audio streams grew 58.5% on-year to 179.8 billion. Continue Reading
The recent Infinite Dial Australia report from Edison Research shared some data points about the position of podcasts in that nation. The audio format was known to 72% of respondents, while 29% of Australians have listened to a podcast. We compare key metrics with the U.S. version of The Infinite Dial, released in March. Continue Reading
Amazon announced that July 11 will be Prime Day, a promotion where the online retailer offers a swath of big discounts. For RAIN readers, the notable deals include cheaper access to some of its subscription services. Continue Reading
Sony Music is opening an in-house vinyl-pressing plant. The new facility could open as soon as March 2018. The announcement marks Sony’s return to vinyl operations after nearly three decades; the label had shuttered its last vinyl operations in 1989. Continue Reading