Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Pandora CEO at Midem; some context on the vinyl resurgence; Spotify’s millennial listeners; Kanye and Tidal sued over “exclusivity.” Continue Reading
SoundCloud has expanded its licensing agreement with Sony/ATV to include Europe. After much back and forth, the two parties signed a deal for the U.S. in March. The broader deal could signal interest from the company in rolling out its SoundCloud Go subscription to other regions. Continue Reading
Spotify often has a healthy sense of humor in how it engages with listeners. The latest example is for anybody concerned about the outcome of the U.S. election in November. Welcome to Canadify. Continue Reading
YouTube has unveiled a new talent development initiative called Foundry. This project will act as a springboard for upcoming artists, granting them access to production facilities and support as they make content for the service. The project could also be seen as a path toward bolstering YouTube’s cache of exclusive content. Continue Reading
Pandora announced that it has paid out a total of $2 billion in artist and songwriter royalties. The streaming platform just hit the $1.5 billion milestone nine months ago. “The rapid acceleration of royalty payments from internet radio is very promising news for the industry,” Founder and CEO Tim Westergren said. Continue Reading
Ginny Morris, CEO and Chair of Hubbard Radio, faced a surprise audience question during her appearance as keynote speaker of RAIN Summit West yesterday. Her reply quelched any rumor of Hubbard Radio taking an interest in buying CBS radio stations on the market. Continue Reading
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On a cross-country plane with in-flight entertainment, what are the options for podcast listening? Not many, but they do exist. It’s a toe-hold to what could be an opportunity to spread even more awareness of podcasting among hundreds of millions of annual flyers. Continue Reading
Another voice joined the debate over YouTube, this time from the EU government. Andrus Ansip, former prime minister of Estonia and current vice president for the digital single market on the European Commission, said YouTube’s lower payments made to the music industry give it an unfair advantage over services that focus on subscriptions. Continue Reading
The saga continues! A new song from Kanye West briefly emerged on Apple Music then disappeared again. The track, called “Saint Pablo,” showed up in a user’s profile on Apple Music and quickly circulated on Reddit and through the music media. Continue Reading
Sony’s PlayStation consoles rolled out a new music feature, powered by Spotify, last March. The partnership kicked off strong, with an impressive 785 million tracks streamed on the PlayStation 4, the company’s latest gaming hardware, in less than three months. Continue Reading
Indonesia has launched its first DAB+ digital radio. The broadcasts, the first DAB+ services for a market Asia Pacific market, are being operated by Radio Republik Indonesia. Continue Reading
RAIN Summit West, the leading knowledge and networking conference of the online audio industry, is this Sunday at the Westgate Hotel in Las Vegas. Co-located with the NAB Show, many people attend both. Save money and reserve your place now for a full day of insights and networking. Continue Reading