Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Music science report from O’Reilly; the other side of playola accusations; interview with Mixcloud’s co-founder. Continue Reading
This week we are revealing finalists in the Sixth Annual RAIN Internet Radio Awards! Today we are pleased to announce the advancing finalists in the “Best Single Stream Webcaster” category. Continue Reading
The city of Chicago ruffled some feathers earlier this year with the announcement of an amusement tax levied against online entertainment services. The tax would cover video and audio platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, Hulu, and Xbox Live. However, the city has hit a snag in getting that tax off the ground. The Liberty Justice Center has filed a lawsuit in Illinois circuit court to challenge several aspects of the proposed tax. Continue Reading
Guest columnist Steve Goldstein takes at aim at overly-long podcasts, with an eye to average radio listening time. He also notes that podcasting is a commuter-friendly format, and that the average commute time is shorter than many podcasts. “The empirical evidence is overwhelming.” Continue Reading
Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet (the tech giant formerly known as Google), penned an article for BBC about artificial intelligence technology and how it might develop. The piece is mostly a surface discussion of this very complex technology, but it did pointedly touch on the role of AI in the music industry. Continue Reading
James Cridland Weekly Links is a column by the U.K.’s radio futurologist. THIS WEEK: Personal news about James Cridland’s relocation; the supposed death of AM in Europe; coverage of Radio X in the U.K.; DAB is London and Germany; more. Continue Reading
A new survey from European research reveals that Spotify’s freemium plan enjoys an 8.8% reach in Germany. The study was commissioned by Spotify, specifically to bolster its advertising business in Germany. The study compared Spotify’s reach metrics with traditional radio. Continue Reading
Morning drive team “Jeff & Jer” are departing the San Diego airwaves. Whatever the reason, says Kurt Hanson, stations should try hard to retain personality talent — a key strength of radio in its competition with satellite and Internet radio. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Cost analysis of Pandora’s anniversary celebration; Rdio on more Wi-fi speakers; HTC + Spotify + selfies; focus on podcasting in India. Continue Reading
Two leading podcast networks announced updates to their programming. PodcastOne has added six shows, largely focused on sports and fitness. Play.It also added new shows covering a range of topics across entertainment, politics, and sports. Continue Reading
Sponsored by AudioBoom
The weekly update of the streaming audio industry, from RAIN News. THIS WEEK: 200-page BBC report reinvents the mission; record-setting royalty collections in the U.S.; Pandora celebrates an anniversary; more. Continue Reading
MixRadio is setting its sights on the Indonesian market. In an interview with the Jakarta Globe, Asia-Pacific Director Jamie Robertson explained that the music service is making Indonesia one of its top three priority markets. Indonesia has a reputation as a market with extensive piracy, but Robertson does not see those activities as a threat to the legal streaming option offered by MixRadio. Continue Reading