Can Radio Survive Without Passion? A Cautionary Tale
There’s a furious debate taking place about the future of broadcast radio. Some pundits believe that music streaming services, podcasts and changing technology will render “radio” obsolete. Others opine that radio offers unique advantages that can be successfully evolved in a digital age. In a series of articles we will explore the arguments surrounding radio, read more »
Music Scores A Gold Record on The Social Media Charts
In a world where fame is fleeting, musicians have influence and staying power on social media. In an era when politicians are renowned for their use of Twitter, music is a primary driver of our interactions with social media. A new study from MusicWatch highlighted the contribution of music to engagement on social media platforms read more »
While World Awaits iPhone 8, Apple Music Gains Traction With iOS Users
September 12 is expected to bring us the latest iPhone; for those of us who use them it is difficult to recall a time without one. While the iPhone celebrates its tenth birthday in style, Apple Music is making strides among iOS users. Apple Music is the most popular paid music subscription service among iOS read more »
Saturday Night’s All Right For Buying: Celebrating Record Store Day
Saturday April 22 begins the second decade of Record Store Day, an event celebrating the independent record store. In a world of streaming, digital files and music discovery apps, Record Store Day takes me back to days of hopping on a bike for a trek to the record shop on Merrick Avenue (our Main Street). read more »
US Recorded Music Grows Customers; Spend Up 11%
Here Comes The Sun. The US Recorded Music industry is showing signs of recovery following a decade of mostly disappointing economic news. As reported by the RIAA, US retail revenues grew 11% and streaming revenues accounted for just over half of the $7.7B pie. Where is the music fan in all of this? Overall, in read more »
Thanks Alexa: “Friends With Benefits”
Based on the 15th edition of MusicWatch’s Annual Music Survey we were able to estimate that more than 14 million US consumers reported using an Echo device, including Tap and Dot. That’s users, not necessarily buyers. read more »
Pandora Wins Music Streaming Wars (for 2016 anyway)
Pandora held on to the music streaming crown in 2016 with a 28 percent share of music listening. This gave Pandora a slim lead over YouTube, who came in with a 27 percent share. The statistics are based on monthly consumer surveys that MusicWatch contracts from third party suppliers and are weighted and projected to read more »
Thanks YouTube, But There’s Still a Value Gap
In many ways, YouTube is the most valuable asset that the music industry has. It boasts the largest audience for streaming music—in the US MusicWatch estimates their audience at 120M active users read more »
Will iHeart’s Audience Pay? You bet, maybe!
As iHeartRadio rolls out the beta of its PLUS paid streaming service, it’s fair to ask if anyone will pay for it come the live launch in January. read more »
Orderly Transition: As Paid Music Streaming Escalates No Paying Downloader Can Be Left Behind
As rapidly as the music business is moving to paid streaming subscriptions from paid downloads there’s an argument to be made that it needs to move even faster. read more »