Universal Music Group announced it is expanding its presence in the world of podcasting via a new partnership with indie podcast publisher Wondery. Under the terms of the deal, podcasts produced by Wondery will have access to UMG’s catalogue and its roster of artists. The podcasts will be available globally…
Category archives: streaming
Amazon Launches Free Ad Supported Music Service
Amazon Music customers in the U.S. who do not have a Prime membership or subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited can now listen to a free ad-supported selection of top playlists and stations for free with Amazon Music on compatible Alexa-enabled devices. It is expected that Amazon’s free music service will…
SoundExchange Payments Up 16.2% In Q1 2019
SoundExchange distributed $220.7 million in payments to more than 185,000 payees in the first quarter of 2019. This represents a 16.2% increase in distributions and 17.3% increase in payees over the first quarter of 2018. In 2018, SoundExchange distributed a record $953 million in sound recording performance royalties to artists…
YouTube Music Launches Free Ad-Supported Streaming On All Google Home Speakers
YouTube Music has launched a free ad-supported streaming service, just days after rumors surfaced that Amazon is about to launch similar free music service. YouTube’s free tier is currently available on Google Home speakers and other Google Assistant-powered speakers. YouTube Music’s free service and Amazon’s pending launch mark the first…
Amazon’s Twitch Takes On TikTok With Karaoke Game and Deals With All The Majors
Amazon online gaming service Twitch has launched Twitch Sings, an interactive karaoke game aimed straight at the wildly popular TickTok app. The huge difference is that Amazon actually bothered to licence all the music it’s using. Amazon’s Twitch Sings is launching with the deals in place with all the major…
Amazon’s Ad Supported Strategy Goes Far Beyond Spotify
With Amazon reportedly close to launching an ad supported music service that directly competes with Spotify’s free tier, MIDiA analyst Mark Mulligan looks at the wider implications of the internet giant’s ad supported strategy ___________________________________ By MIDiA analyst Mark Mulligan from his Music Industry blog Amazon is reportedly close to…
The Week’s YouTube Music Charts: BTS, Blackpink, Muse, Soundgarden, Lil Nas X and More
K-pop dominated the YouTube Music harts with BTS breaking records and Blackpink taking over the #1 spot on the Global Top Songs chart, Muse and Soundgarden also saw a spike in views following last week’s first black hole photo, and Lil Nas X continues his ride with the “Old Town…
If Audio Is Hot, Why Isn’t Radio Partying?
While the massive uptick in the popularity of audio seems like it should be good news for traditional broadcast radio, the reality is that much of this resurgence has manifested in the form of podcasts and new forms of tech like smart speakers. _____________________________ Guest post by Fred Jacobs of…
iHeartMedia’s IPO May Demonstrate Future Of Music Radio
In an effort to pay down its massive debts, iHeartMedia is set to file for an IPO, a move by the bankrupt internet radio company which could be indicative of what the future may hold for other music companies involved in radio, and specifically internet radio, may do moving forward….
Apple Music Expands ‘For You’ Personalized Recommendations
Apple Music is improving its ‘For You’ section, and reorganizing it around personalized music themes that are updated more frequently. Apple Music once touted a curator-centric approach to music discovery, but the streamer has steadily shifted to embrace Spotify-like data-driven personalization. Apple Music upgrading ‘For You’ feature based on themes,…