hypebot

Spotify Adapts Audio Formats To Listening Platforms

By Eliot Van Buskirk of Evolver.fm.

Recently, CNET reported on an extension for Google’s Chrome web browser that let people scrape songs off of Spotify’s web player, for free, and save the music as MP3 files. This was obviously fairly problematic and possibly illegal, as far as browser extensions go, so Google hastily deleted the app from its Chrome app store in short order, and then Spotify closed the loophole.

REWIND: The New Music Industry's Week In Review

• Does iTunes' Daft Punk Album Premier Demonstrate Its Marketing Strength?
• Infographic: How We Discover And Consume Music
• Music Sponsorships Top $1.28 Billion In 2013
• With Murder For Hire Charges Looming, As I Lay Dying Cancels Tour
• Google Takes On Spotify & Pandora With New Streaming Music Service
• Kyle Bylin Releases Divergent Streams: Reflections and Explorations of the Modern Music Industry

Direct Licensing Is Key To Slacker's Success

By Eliot Van Buskirk of Evolver.fm.

When I broke the news (no, not this news) about Slacker Radio back in 2007 after receiving an amazing reader tip (I wish I could tell that story), it was still called Broadband Instruments. Part of its plan was to buy up Ku band satellite bandwidth so that it could load up its hardware players with music without relying on WiFi, USB, or cellphone towers.

Perils of Conflating Music Listeners and Music Fans

By Kyle Bylin (@sidewinderfm), founder and editor of sidewinder.fm, a music and tech think tank.

I’ve always been skeptical of how music startups view music listeners. There have been many times where I’ve read a press release or heard an elevator pitch and narrowed my eyes. The suspension of reality can be astounding at times. Music startups seem to think that people have an infinite capacity to discover music and spread their love for artists.

Divergent Streams: Reflections and Explorations of the Modern Music Industry

This is the preface for Divergent Streams, a collection of essays edited by Kyle Bylin (@sidewinderfm) and written by influential executives, startup founders, and thinkers in the music industry. Download a free copy of the e-book here.

I wanted something to read. Something that challenged me. Something that engaged me. Something that forced me to sit down and consider the writer’s perspective. What I found instead were news stories about trivial developments, blog posts with big headlines but small insights, and numbered lists lacking intellectual substance.

Why The Internet Is A Bad Place To Discover Music

By David Hahn (@davidjhahn), founder and editor of the blog Musician Wages.

Recording music was a stupid idea. I sometimes daydream about what would need to happen in order for all recorded music playback devices to all stop functioning at once. And then, if people wanted to hear music, someone would have to actually play it.

Spotify's Most Viral & Streamed Tracks [U.S. & UK]

The 10 most viral tracks on Spotify, based on the number of people who shared it divided by the number who listened, from May 6 - 12 on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify.

United States
1. Lorde, "Royals" (Lava Music/Republic Records)
2. Mariah Carey, "Beautiful" (The Island Def Jam Music Group)
3. Falling in Reverse, "Alone" (Epitaph)
4. Tamar Braxton, "The One" (Epic/Streamline Records)
5. Bingo Players, "Rattle (Sexy Lady)" (Republic Records)

MORE:

Google Takes On Spotify & Pandora With New Streaming Music Service

UPDATE: Google Play Music All Access is live here.

Google today launched a streaming music service that borrows from both Spotify and Pandora.  With the rather unwieldy title of Google Play Music All Access, the $9.99 per month music service includes curated playlists, Pandora-like song driven streams and acces to tracks from all the major labels.

Google Likely To Announce Subscription Music Services Today With Sony, Universal On Board

Google has completed deals with Sony Entertainment and Universal Music Group to launch two parallel streaming music services, according to several reports. Google appears likely to make the announcement at its I/O developer conference around Noon ET today.  A deal with Warner Music Group is reported to have been completed earlier this year.

10 Years of iTunes With Solveig Whittle [Part 2] — Upward Spiral Podcast #23

In the second part of the Upward Spiral podcast, Solveig Whittle joins Jason and Kyle again to take a look at iTunes' current status in the market, evaluate its streaming music competitors, and peer into the future of Apple's devices, such as iTV and iWatch.

Can Pandora Find A Business Model That Works?

By Kyle Bylin (@sidewinderfm), founder and editor of sidewinder.fm, a music and tech think tank.

Royalty payouts and the burden they impose have always been a strongly debated issue when it comes to Pandora. The company has pursued numerous routes to lower the cost of music streaming from listening caps to government lobbying — some of which have been more successful than others. In this interview panel on Pandora, four influential executives in the music and tech industry weigh in on whether they think Pandora can find a sustainable, profitable business model.

REWIND: The New Music Industry's Week In Review

• Pink In Open Letter To Fans: "Kiss My Entire... Ass"
• RIAA Revamps Gold & Platinum Certifications: 100 On Demand Plays = 1 Sale
• Infographic: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) For Musicians
• Soundcloud Takes Off, Traffic Jumps 26%
• Rhapsody Adds Liner Notes: A 1st For Digital Music
• Jack Conte's Patreon Unlocks SuperFan Revenue Streams For Web Stars

MORE:

Apple Completes iRadio Deal With Universal Music, Sony Stalls [REPORT]

(UPDATED) Universal Music Group has agreed to license it's catalog to Apple's iRadio streaming music services, according to reports. Apple has apparently dropped requests that it be charged a lower rate in exchange for a share of ad revenue, and opted for the .125 cent rate that Pandora pays, according the the Financial Times.

Stock Market Remains Unfriendly To Pandora

By Kyle Bylin (@sidewinderfm), founder and editor of sidewinder.fm, a music and tech think tank.

I've never taken a strong interest in Pandora’s performance on the stock market, because I mainly write about music products and behavioral trends. What I've noticed, though, is how the company's IPO changed how media outlets talk about digital music services. Rather than talk about the product features or listener trends, people often talk solely about the viability of the business model and debate whether the company can survive in an increasingly competitive landscape. The stock market appears to dislike any moment that a new music service debuts, because it raises doubt that Pandora can succeed. Once news that Twitter planned to enter the digital music sector broke, shares took a plunge.

RIAA Revamps Gold & Platinum Certifications: 100 On Demand Plays = 1 Sale

The RIAA today made a rare change to the formula used to certify Gold and Platinum awards to include on-demand music and video streams. Services that will now count towards certification include Spotify, Rhapsody, MOG, Muve, Rdio, Rhapsody, Slacker, Xbox Music, VEVO, MTV.com, YouTube and Yahoo! Music.

YouTube: Go To Discovery Source, Important Revenue Stream

By Frank Woodworth (@GlacialConcepts), Director of Business Development at Thrillcall, a concert discovery and ticketing platform for web and mobile apps.

The most interesting shift in listener habits to me is that YouTube has become the go to source for music discovery, and consequently an important source of revenue. In most of my conversations with labels and distributors YouTube is the number three source of revenue behind physical sales and iTunes.

Prediction: Apple, Google Finally Launching Subscription Services Will Be A Game-Changer

By David Dufresne (@DavidDufresne), CEO of Bandzoogle, a website builder and marketing platform for independent music artists.

I think when Apple and Google finally launch subscription music services (or partner up with an existing one), and bundle them with each iOS and Android device sold, this will be a huge game-changer. It will definitely be the tipping point towards massive adoption of on-demand music access, and it will accelerate the downfall of music ownership.

Rhapsody Adds Liner Notes, A 1st For Digital Music

At the Music Biz 2013 Conference today in LA, Rhapsody, announced that it is adding liner notes and credits to it's digital music offering. Credits for songwriters, background performers, producers and engineers are being added to the song title, album, and featured artist listed on other music services.

Spotify Acquires Music Discovery App Tunigo

(UPDATED) Now that a myriad of services deliver 10-15 million songs to our pockets, simple and personalized music discovery has become the music tech's holy grail. To add to their discovery efforts, Spotify has acquired Tunigo, a music discovery app that scours Spotify's library and playlists; adding news, new releases, and an advanced music player. 

Songza Releases Major Upgrade: Lean Back & Enjoy [A First Look]

Songza has always been about quickly finding a playlist that fits your mood and taste. With today's release of Songza 3.0 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, the fast rising music streamer has made that experience even simpler.  “This app update coincides with four new milestones for Songza," states Elias Roman, co-founder and CEO of Songza. "We’ve just had our 6 millionth App Store install and served over 560 million songs in the last 30 days. We’re now reaching 4.7 million monthly active users who spend more than 65 million minutes with Songza each day.” The company also recently completed a $3.8 million fund-raising round.

My First Look

Music Ad Watch: Jimmy Fallon Talks Up Spotify

Jimmy Fallon sang Spotify's praises during his late night show last week. But while there was a moderately clever comedy bit thrown in, the Fallon endorsement appears paid for as part of the music streamer's first ever $10 million ad campaign. Watch Jimmy Fallon Talk Up Spotify:

Earbits Online Radio Launches Android App, Reveals Success Of Social Currency

Online radio service Earbits today released an Android mobile app that mixes music delivered by Earbits with the music in listeners' collections. This expansion beyond the web means more discovery possibilities for indie musicians using the service. In addition, Earbits shares data on the increased fan engagement resulting from use of their new social currency called Groovies. I spoke earlier this week with Earbits CEO Joey Flores who filled in additional details on the news.

Challengers Strive To Knock Pandora Off Perch

By Kyle Bylin (@sidewinderfm), founder and editor of sidewinder.fm, a music and tech think tank.

Have you ever heard of Pandora? This is often the question that music and tech executives open a conversation with when they are talking to people that exist outside of their bubble. Everyone, it seems, responds that they use Pandora or nods in acknowledgement that they have heard of the Internet radio service before. Considering that Pandora recently surpassed 200 million registered users in the United States, with over 140 million of them tuning into the service via their mobile device, it’s not surprising that most people have top-of-mind brand awareness of the application.

N.Y. Court Rules Against Grooveshark In Universal Music Battle

In a major blow to Grooveshark, a five judge panel of the New York Supreme Court’s appellate division ruled that music recorded prior to 1972 was not covered by safe harbor provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Under Safe Harbor, sites are not liable for users' infringement, as long as they remove pirated material at the content owner's request.

Hands On Grooveshark's New Broadcast Feature: Exploring Your Inner DJ

Grooveshark continues its innovation streak with the launch of Broadcast, a new feature that turns any user into an online DJ. Grooveshark's Broadcast is much more than another playlist app. I addition to choosing songs and order without the usual shuffle option that can wreck a well chosen mix, there's a record button for Broadcast DJ's to add commentary.