RAIN Summit West: Knowledge, networking, and fun
RAIN Summit West is this Sunday in Las Vegas, and there is still time to register before the price goes up. Here, a complete rundown of the day’s agenda. Continue Reading
Gen Media Partners brings on Jim Brandt as digital SVP
Gen Media Partners announced the hiring of Jim Brandt as its new senior vice president of digital. In this position, Brandt will be tasked with capitalizing on revenue opportunities in digital platforms ranging from radio and streaming to TV and mobile. Continue Reading
SoundCloud’s audio cards get Twitter Moments support
SoundCloud has tightened its integration with Twitter. The online platform’s audio cards can now be embedded into tweets that appear in Twitter Moments. Continue Reading
Gracenote founder Ty Roberts joining Universal Music Group
Gracenote founder and chief strategist Ty Roberts is leaving the company he founded to join Universal Music Group as the company’s first chief technology officer. Gracenote was founded in 1998 as CDDB (Compact Disc Database) and built its reputation on its waveform-based identification of titles and other metadata of CD tracks. Continue Reading
Music consumption explodes worldwide, powered by streaming (IFPI)
The IFPI has released its 2016 global report, which points to streaming as the key reason behind music’s first year of significant total revenue growth since 1995. Global revenue rose 3.2% last year to $15 billion. Digital outperformed physical revenue for the first time, a result that echoes the U.S. trend highlighted by the RIAA’s annual report. Within that strong performance, streaming emerged as a powerhouse, accounting for 43% of the year’s digital revenue. Continue Reading
Quick Hits: YouTube vs the majors; worrying about NPR’s future; Spotify CMO interview
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. TODAY: YouTube is facing contract renewal with major record labels. Slate publishes a deeply revealing look at NPR in the podcast world. Spotify’s CMO is interviewed. Continue Reading
Drake’s new album will be an Apple exclusive and this one matters more
Apple Music is getting another exclusive, and while it isn’t a surprise, it is a big one. Drake’s upcoming project, Views From The 6, will only be on Apple’s platform when it drops on April 29. The scope of this exclusive release will make it a telling sign of the where the current streaming market is headed. Continue Reading
Steve Goldstein: Amazon Aims to Conquer Podcasting
by Steve Goldstein
Audible announces a new audio initiative, and guest columnist Steve Goldstein notes that Audible’s scaling of podcast content will have a profound effect on the larger podcast industry in multiple ways. Continue Reading
State of Streaming: Continued growth and an identity crisis [RESEARCH]
Midia Research released a new data report called State of the Streaming Nation, a comprehensive analysis of the audience and economics of streaming music globally. The report positions itself at a pivotal point in the evolution of streaming, marking 2015 as “the year in which streaming music came of age.” At the same time, the conclusion fleshes out a cautionary reality. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Future of Radio: NYT invests in podcasts, US consultant shocked at US radio, work placements
by James Cridland
James Cridland’s Future of Radio is a column by the Australia-based radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Podcasting at the New York Times and radio outcry in San Francisco. Harsh words for U.S. radio and questions about unique content. Much more from around the world. Continue Reading
Billboard 200 gets first No. 1 from streaming performance
Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo has been a source of great interest to the music media in recent weeks, thanks to the rapper’s unique take on defining an album and his unusual approach to distribution. But the creation has also been very successful in attracting listeners. Pablo topped multiple album charts on the back of its strong streaming performance. Continue Reading
Aussie music market rebounds in 2015
Australia saw growth of 4.94% in its recorded music market over the course of 2015, according to industry group ARIA. After two consecutive years sliding downward, the nation’s market has rebounded to a value of A$333.5 million ($252 million). Continue Reading