Blog

May 28, 2020

It’s Still Rock ‘N’ Roll To Me

Our favorite music genres- from different perspectives For decades “the charts” have been the arbiter of consumer tastes in music. That makes sense. What’s selling (in CD days) or what’s streaming (today) lubricates the engine of the music industry. The charts drive revenue allocation and help to sort out the winners when it comes to read more »

February 10, 2020

Music Account Sharing: Benign or Battleground?

Synamedia, a UK company announced this year at CES tools to help video service providers monitor and manage account sharing ( http://bit.ly/37S3dJn ).  Tom Rutledge, CEO of Charter Communications was quoted in Hollywood Reporter’s December 9 issue as suggesting that the video providers were “creating havoc” with lax security around passwords. There are a multitude read more »

December 19, 2019

Ten Years After: Music Consumers and the Decade of the Teens

At the close of the “aughts” few in the music industry looked back with nostalgia. The next decade appeared uncertain. Tom Silverman, a label executive, visionary and friend would talk about the billions of consumers around the globe who would soon pay for music. But it was hard to see that happening as we welcomed read more »

November 24, 2019

Who is Really Listening to Radio? Part Two

“Does anyone believe 90% of teens listen to AM/FM Radio anymore?” In Part One of this blog we explored radio listening by age demographic. Using new research from MusicWatch’s Monitor study, we concluded that 72 percent of Americans listen to broadcast radio in an average month. Just yesterday a reporter asked me, “does anyone believe that read more »

November 15, 2019

Who is Really Listening to Radio?

In the world of audio, the question about who actually still listens to broadcast radio is oddly controversial. For some reason, reaching a consensus on radio reach presents more of a challenge than agreeing on how many stream music. The radio industry promotes reports claiming 90 percent or more of Americans are listening to broadcast read more »

May 30, 2019

Thanks to Stream-Ripping, Music Piracy Still a Scourge

We are nearly a generation past the time when consumers bought stand-alone burners to copy CDs for their friends, or began downloading music on Napster.  Streaming, and easy, efficient access to music was supposed to have solved many of the issues around unsanctioned sharing and piracy. Unfortunately a segment of music fans continue to acquire read more »

February 28, 2019

It Was A Good Year To Be Spotify

Spotify’s financial results are widely available and carefully scrutinized. This is a different story. It’s a tale of Spotify’s listeners, at least those who living in the US, the most important global market for music. Here’s a few reasons why 2018 was a good year for Spotify: Spotify Premium extended its share lead There are read more »

October 16, 2018

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 »

August 6, 2018

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 »

September 6, 2017

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 »