Looks Like Qobuz’s US Debut Is Getting Off to a Slow Start

Hi-Res streaming newcomer Qobuz just launched in the US on Valentine’s Day, but the service appears to be having a rough start on Android devices. The US-based desktop and iOS versions of the HiFi music app operate just fine, but at least two of the An…

TIDAL Unveils a $1 Million Artist Grant Program — Starting In Detroit

TIDAL Unplugged will grant local artists a chance to pursue their passion for music. TIDAL has been rather busy lately. Two months ago, Serato integrated both SoundCloud and TIDAL’s massive catalogs for real-time online mixing. Then, last month, Jay-Z’…

Spotify Is Now Integrated Into Garmin’s VivoActive 3 Music Watch

When the Garmin Vivoactive 3 launched in June 2018, it was touted as a music-focused fitness watch. The watch hasn’t seen much success, partly due to lack of internal support for Spotify.  But Garmin announced today that the compatibility issue is bein…

Spoken Word, Non-Music Content Is Now a Serious Spotify Category — And a Serious Problem for Audible

Spotify is highlighting its Word category, a section that houses everything from audiobooks to poetry and guided meditations. Word is a category bucket for everything spoken on Spotify — with no accompanying music. With Spotify’s renewed focus on podca…

Tencent Music Confirms ‘Strategic Investment’ in Rival Douban FM

Tencent Music’s strategic investment may finally help Douban FM compete in the Chinese streaming music market. As of late, Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) has enjoyed a good ride. Two months ago, the music division of Chinese conglomerate Tencent Hol…

Settlement Reached in Rhapsody Napster Mechanicals Class-Action Suit

We now know more details about Rhapsody Napster’s settlement with David Lowery. Nearly three years ago, Cracker frontman and songwriter David Lowery took Rhapsody International to court. Lowery, along with David Faragher, Greg Lisher, and Victor Krumme…

SoundCloud Unveils Digital Distribution Tools

SoundCloud may now become a one-stop shop for every indie artist. SoundCloud CEO Kerry Trainor has been on the move. Following a turbulent 2017, Trainor made good on his promise.  The indie streaming music service brought in over $100 million in revenu…

Amazon Music’s ‘Reimagined’ Exclusives Roll On — This Time With Mumford & Sons

Amazon continues to roll out ‘exclusives,’ a strategy the music industry clearly despises.  But maybe this twist gets a pass. Following the launch of the fledgling streaming music service, former Global Head of Apple Music, Jimmy Iovine, unveiled a con…

Universal Music Group (UMG) Posts Over $3 Billion in Streaming Revenue in 2018

Streaming continues to strengthen Universal Music Group’s bottom line. Ahead of its proposed sale, Vivendi has posted a great profit from its subsidiary, Universal Music Group (UMG). Across labels, record sales, publishing, merchandising, tours, and mo…

Qobuz, an Unnecessarily Costly Streaming Music Service, Launches in the US

Qobuz executives fail to explain why you should pay up to $300 a year just to switch from Spotify or Apple Music to stream your favorite music. A brand new streaming music service has launched in the United States. Qobuz, a self-proclaimed platform for…