Tuesday, September 2nd,
Thoughts from the CEO:
As the summer waves goodbye, we will desperately hold on to things that remind us of the warm weather and cold drinks. Things like the latest #CRWN episode with DJ Mustard, the hit-making producer who dominated the sound of summer 2014. Check out Part 1 & 2
as Elliott Wilson talks with Mr. #10Summers about his inspirations, career let-downs, and why he premiered his first album exclusively on Google Play.
In other news, music and tech cross paths as James Murphy partners with IBM and The U.S. Open, in a plan to use the raw data from tennis matches to generate an algorithm that will transform each match into a unique song. Interested to see how this plays out and kudos to IBM for trying something fresh! What will a 5 set Nadal vs. Federer match sound like? Will we dance to a killer beating handed out by Serena?
We'll be keeping our eye on it and all the hottest trends emerging as we usher in the fall. New season, new releases, and constant excitement in music tech.
STREAMING & SUBSCRIPTION
VICE Stakes future in A&E Deal via
A&E to invest $250M
Company hopes to attract younger viewers with VICE
Money will allow VICE to make shows for mobile
CULTURE
EXCLUSIVE: DJ Skee Interview on DASH Radio via
Launched to create "the leading radio broadcast platform for the digital world"
Believes modern radio has lost its "fun" feel
Aim "to not only reinvigorate radio, but the music business as well"
TECH
Amazon Buys Twitch for $1B via
Twitch is most popular site for watching people play video games
Reflects new trend growing huge online communities
Jeff Bezos (Amazon CEO): "Watching gameplay is a global phenomenon"
Domino.fm, a Music Blog Aggregator, Lauches
Project aims to bolster Spotify's Discovery and Playlists
Aim to build curation of new music on expert opinion
Combine "music supply and service in one"
Universal Music Sues VH1 DJ Competition via
"Masters of the Mix" under fire for copyrighted material
New season uses mass unlicensed music
However, lawsuit against producer of show, not Viacom
Pandora to join Google Glass via
Created at a 72 hour hackathon
Voice commands select stations or create new ones
Other similar music "glassware" includes YouTube, musiXmatch, Google Play Music
Music Streamer KKbox Raises $104M via
Money will allow for international expansion
Currently based out of Taiwan
Expected to significantly expand catalog of music
Exploration Raises $5M for Advanced Royalties to Artists via
Currently operates with YouTube and SoundCloud
Artists will receive advanced check from Exploration
Financing from an unnamed source
T-Mobile's Music Freedom Releases Updates via
Now supports 7K terabytes of music
Adds 6 new services including Pandora, Spotfiy
No music streaming counts toward data plan