Triton Digital has
released its monthly Internet audio Top 20 Ranker for September 2012, listing the
top-performing Internet audio stations and networks. Topping the charts are
Pandora, Clear Channel, Cumulus Streaming Network and Slacker. However the largest
webcasters witnessed very little growth month-to-month, as Pandora's “Average
Active Sessions” (defined as total listening hours divided by number of hours
in the reported time period) was up 3%, while CBS's AAS continued to drop; 11%
since August.
Yes, yes – we know. MTV may not be the same musical
force it once was, but it is still worth examining the timeline of an entity
that essentially changed the way we
enjoy music. When the first music debuted on the network (The Buggles'
"Video Killed the Radio Star"), it completely altered how gathered around
musical content. It wasn’t just about listening anymore; we also wanted to watch our music.
The Internet Radio Fairness Coalition, which has been assembled
by several Internet and broadcast radio services including Pandora, Clear
Channel and many others, officially launched last week. The Coalition comes
together with a mission of urging Congress to support legislation of the
Internet Radio Fairness Act of 2012 (IRFA), which they believe will bring the
royalty system for Internet radio into the 21st century.
Outspoken Sirius XM Radio CEO Mel Karmazin will step down on Feb. 1, 2013, after his contract expires, according to an official release by the company. The satellite broadcaster's board has formed a search committee to consider both internal and external candidates to replace him. Here is the full text of Karmazin's email to staff:
This week MTV announced the creation of a hip hop hub for their diverse programming across channels. Taking the name MTV Jams from their digital cable channel, a consolidating web presence will be launched October 22. In addition to gathering already existing hip hop programming, MTV Jams will include new content from music video premieres to live performances.
Making its entry into the music-streaming arena, the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has just launched a new music service of its own
called BBC iPlayer Radio. The new service allows users to listen to the BBC radio
stations and music offerings live or on demand either through their browser or
iPhone. An Android version is said to be coming soon, but there are no plans
for Windows or Blackberry versions of iPlayer Radio, and the mobile service will
only be available in the United Kingdom.
Products often start with a good idea, but a hypothesis is only the first stage of development.
In the music startup world, there needs to be an equilibrium between the fanatical visionary trying to enter a market niche, and the market itself, which is composed primarily of casual listeners that may not share the same vision as the founder.
(UPDATED) Social radio platform Jelli has closed a $9 million round of funding led by new investors Intel Capital and Relay Ventures, with participation from existing investor First Round Capital and individual investors including Roger Ames, the former chairman of EMI Music.
NPR has a well-deserved reputation for airing thoughtful programming and the occasional quirky personality, but it’s also the place where a wide array of albums can be heard first, on the First Listen section of its NPR Music website. This helpful resource for music fans has premiered everything from The Fall’s latest release to Grizzly Bear, Dinosaur Jr., The xx, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Deerhoof, and many more.
While
last week’s MTV Video Music Awards saw a significant drop in television viewers
compared to last year’s (6.1 million vs. 12.4 million – due largely to the
Democratic National Convention taking place the same night), the awards were the
top social media event of the year according research company Trendrr, seeing more
than triple the Internet conversation as last year’s awards. Despite the drop
in TV viewership however, performers at the VMAs saw highly positive impacts to
their music sales following the show.
Vadio is a streaming music video company that provides a unique service to radio stations. Vadio uses the radio station's music selections to program a stream of music videos on a station's website with additional local content when desired. Results so far have been positive including dramatic increases in viewing time on some sites.
As MTV’s highly anticipated Video Music Awards draws closer
(airing next Thursday 9/6 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles), the network
has begun to focus deeply on individual platforms within the digital sphere,
seeking to create a more unified experience among web and mobile users in hopes
of having them be as much a part of the show as its participants. While the
primary focus naturally rests within social media, MTV has seemingly pulled out
all the stops to make this year’s VMAs the most interactive one ever.
Nielsen's Music 360 Report, based on a survey focused on music consumption, discovery and related topics, struck a chord with the press this week. In particular, the finding that radio is the top music discovery tool and that YouTube functions for many young people as a music streaming service is news to some and confirmation to others. Also of interest is the confirmation that "positive recommendations from a friend are most likely to influence purchase decisions." Though limited, these findings do have possible implications for indie artists.
Wahwah.fm was a cool concept – turning the music stored on your iPhone into an online radio station that got broadcasted out to the world (or to just those near your location), and allowing users to create Facebook events to list their broadcasts for others whom they could interact with via the app. It was a cool idea, until the German company struggled with licensing issues so much that it ended up crippling them.
In May, the sale of Boston's alternative-rock station WFNX-FM to Clear Channel was announced and most of the staff dismissed. On Monday Boston.com announced the upcoming launch of a web radio statio featuring six former WFNX personnel. This news was soon followed by news that original FNX owner Phoenix Media / Communications Group had retained rights to WFNX intellectual property and would be launching its own web station.
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has announced the names of 8 companies who paid $185,000 each to compete to be the central registry for the new .music domain name. In total, 1,930 applicants are hoping to control hundreds of new top level domains including .radio and .tickets. .music applicants include:
Randy Goss is a musician and Business Development Manager at Earbits.
When a band first forms, the passion is high. Ready to take the world by storm, they have discussed their plan a million times in the practice room: write good music, play some great shows, get on the radio, and get famous! The truth is, this happens very rarely, and if you aren't getting help from a label or promotion team, you have even less of a chance of breaking into a major FM radio market.
(UPDATED) Big Machine Label Group, home to Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw has struck a precedent-setting deal with Clear Channel Media that makes it the first record company who, along with their artists, will directly participate in terrestrial radio revenue.
If you’ve ever tuned into terrestrial radio in your car, at home or at the office, then you’re well aware that commercial radio stations tend to play the same songs in rotation over and over again. Is it because these songs are so hot that people are just demanding stations play them? Hardly. The sad truth of the matter is that only six companies control 90% of the media: GE, Newscorp, Disney, Viacom, and Time Warner (compared to 1983 when roughly 50 companies owned the media).
Members of rock band Cab 20 and manager Tom Callahan took to the Shark Tank stage to pitch a deal to fund their band. When faced with the final decision, they turned down the offer, but gained a higher profile in the viewing audience and in the music industry. I spoke recently with manager Tom Callahan about Cab 20's experience on Shark Tank.
(UPDATED) MTV's O Music Awards will announce their latest nominees on Wednesday, but they've given us an exclusive advance look at the Most Extreme Fan Outreach category. It's a diverse group, ranging from major label stars to lesser knowns with a marketing budget smaller than your weekly Starbucks bill. As Shannon Connolly, MTV Network's VP of Digital Music describes the category: "The gap between artist and fan is getting smaller and smaller with the rise of social media. These artists got even closer to their followers using digital tools - perhaps too close." The O Music Awards Announces "Most Extreme Fan Outreach" Nominees:
At first glance, This American Life and OK Go don’t have much in common. The former is a talk radio show known for its funny and touching stories about human connection, and the latter is a rock band known for its sugary hooks and music videos about dancing on treadmills.
