News

Pandora Posts Second Quarter Results

GRAMMYs

Aug 26, 2011 - 9:43 am

Pandora Posts Second Quarter Results
Internet radio service Pandora has posted second-quarter financial gains with revenues of $67 million, a 117 percent year-over-year increase. Advertising revenue totaled $58.3 million, a 118 percent increase, and subscription and other revenues reached $8.7 million, a 112 percent increase compared to last year. Total listening hours reached a record 1.8 billion, a 125 percent year-over-year increase, with Pandora accounting for 3.6 percent of total U.S. radio listening, up from 1.8 percent last year. Despite the growing numbers, Pandora posted an overall $3.2 million loss for the quarter. (8/26)

News

FYI/TMI: Radio Fairness Coalition Formed, Noel Gallagher And Musicians Don't Mix

Clear Channel, Pandora form Internet Radio Fairness Coalition, former Oasis member thinks musicians are idiots

GRAMMYs

Oct 25, 2012 - 1:37 pm

GRAMMY.com

(In an effort to keep you fully informed, and fully entertained, below we present today's FYI and TMI — news you need and news that's, well, sometimes needless….)

FYI …

Clear Channel, Pandora Form Internet Radio Fairness Coalition
Radio conglomerate Clear Channel and Internet radio service Pandora are among the founding members of the Internet Radio Fairness Coalition, a group of companies, trade associations and advocacy groups that are advocating for lower webcasting royalty payments for sound recordings. The group derived its name from the Internet Radio Fairness Act of 2012, which was introduced earlier this month. In June and September, Clear Channel announced direct licensing agreements with Big Machine Label Group and Glassnote Records, respectively. On Tuesday at a GRAMMY Foundation event, Big Machine Label Group CEO Scott Borchetta stressed that his and other private sector deals should encourage, not replace, legislation. "Ultimately, it requires legislation [creating an artist performance right for broadcast radio]," Borchetta noted. "It may take several free market agreements to get to legislation, but I truly hope that it does land with legislation." The Recording Academy opposes the Internet Radio Fairness Act as it would substantially reduce royalty payments to artists previously agreed to by Pandora.

TMI …

Noel Gallagher: "Musicians Are F***ing Idiots"
When Noel Gallagher advised, "Please don't put your life in the hands/Of a rock and roll band who'll throw it all away," he was serious. According to a recent report, the former Oasis member and current frontman for the High Flying Birds doesn't put his life in the hands of any musicians other than himself. When asked in a recent interview if he'd consider forming a supergroup with other British musicians, the hot-tempered brother of Liam Gallagher replied, "Oh, f*** that. I don't f***ing mix with anybody — British or any other musicians. I tend not to hang out with musicians. You know why? Because they're f***ing idiots." It looks like there won't be an Oasis reunion in the near future. But that's OK, because brother Liam plans to rock pat retirement age. "As long as you look cool, have a good pair of jeans and a good head of hair then crack on with it, man. That's what I'll do," he said in a recent report.

News

Diving Into The Music Stream

From audio quality and functionality to catalog size and curation, GRAMMY magazine dissects what seven major music streaming services have to offer

Bryan Reesman

GRAMMYs

Oct 13, 2015 - 1:25 pm

GRAMMY.com

(The following is an excerpt from the "Diving Into The Music Stream" feature in the new fall issue of GRAMMY magazine.)

Similar to the explosion of vinyl, CDs and digital downloads in prior decades, music streaming is making a big splash, marking the latest format in the evolution of music listening. The statistics don't lie. Streaming is up 74 percent in the United States in 2015, according to Nielsen, and the Recording Industry Association of America expects streaming revenue to surpass that of digital downloads by 2016. Meanwhile, according to the Official Charts Company, music streaming reached a record high in the U.K. midway through 2015, with the number of songs streamed rising by 80 percent.

With the demand for streaming increasing, and competition for consumer dollars rising, a variety of players have emerged at the streaming table, from online radio services such as Rdio and Pandora to Spotify and more recent entries Apple Music and Tidal, among others. These services offer a wide range of music, features, discovery tools, and subscription models, all of which make choosing the service tailor-made to your music tastes challenging at best.

In addition, streaming services have raised some of the most serious issues regarding equitable payment to music makers since the advent of the recording contract (you can get a sense of these in GRAMMY magazine's overview of music-related legislation). Along with such criteria as song availability and curation, whether or not artists are paid fairly may factor into which service makes sense for you. GRAMMY examined seven major streaming services, offering key information to consider before diving headfirst into the stream.

Apple Music

Introduced in 2001, Apple's iTunes changed the music industry with its digital download model and the ability to buy individual songs, not just full albums. Launched in June 2015, Apple Music integrates the previously separate Beats Music, which Apple purchased in 2014. As of September, more than 15 million iPhone users signed up for a free Apple Music trial.

Price:

$9.99/month for single membership (three-month free trial available)
$14.99/month for a family of up to six (requires iCloud Family Sharing)

Catalog:
More than 30 million songs

Song Availability:
Apple Music offers a large catalog spanning every major genre. With a nod to traditional retail stores, artist selection is wide, which is especially helpful with deep catalog artists such as Johnny Cash, the Grateful Dead and Tangerine Dream. The service also includes exclusive streaming rights to Taylor Swift's 1989 and Dr. Dre's classic solo album, 1992's The Chronic.

Audio Quality:
256kbps

Ease Of Use:
Apple Music carries over the same simple but dynamic layout from iTunes, bringing a strong visual component to the music listening experience. Upon joining, the For You, New and Radio tabs allow users to explore. Hundreds of playlists are organized within genres and are easy to navigate. When using the search engine via mobile, both My Library (music in a user's personal library) and Apple Music options are available. On desktop, users may experience the occasional glitch of a song skipping to the next track or stopping when working on the desktop or surfing the Web.

Discovery/Curation:
Apple Music keeps the Radio area simple, breaking down genres such as pop, indie, workout, and Latin into three to six stations. Getting a list of recently listened to tracks is difficult, especially if skipping through. (There isn't a rewind option when using the Radio function.) Users can peruse hot new music and videos, playlists, and recent and best-selling releases, among others, in the New section, and can also explore by genre. The playlists proliferate more than the stations and are quite eclectic, including playlists from Apple Music editors and media outlets such as Mojo, Decibel Magazine and PopCrush. There are hidden gems to discover — for example, a blues-rock- and hard-rock-heavy playlist curated by Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton. The For You section suggests music and artist catalogs based on listening history.

Google Play Music

Seeking to try its luck with streaming the way it triumphed with video when it acquired YouTube, in late 2011 search engine behemoth Google unveiled Google Play Music. With its acquisition of Songza in 2014, Google has incorporated a plethora of playlist options into the service. In August, the Google Play Music app passed the 1 billion installs milestone.

Price:

$9.99/month for unlimited, ad-free access on any device (free 60-day trial available)
Free, ad-supported option (available only to U.S. users)

Catalog:
More than 30 million songs

Song Availability:
Google Play has a wide selection of mainstream and underground music and also offers some videos from Vevo and select audio tracks via YouTube for artists whose music is not otherwise available digitally, such as folk rockers Grace Pool, hard rock quartet Mary My Hope and singer/songwriter Wendy MaHarry, although the audio quality varies based on the upload. One advantage with Google Play is the ability to import an iTunes library (up to 50,000 songs) and consolidate a digital music collection.

Audio Quality:
"Up to" 320kbps

Ease Of Use:
The overall layout is simple and easy to learn, but requires a lot of scrolling on a home page full of album track lists. The uncluttered design translates well to mobile, and it is easy to scroll through album covers and find the function menus on each page. Artist page features such as biographies and related artist recommendations do not surface on mobile. Users may experience occasional audio hiccups online or via mobile phone. While other streaming services function well with multiple browser windows open, Google Play sometimes gets sluggish, although there are several online forum suggestions on how to rectify this.

Discovery/Curation:
While the home page promotes a variety of popular artists, there are deeper cuts to be found within, especially on colorfully titled collections/playlists such as Ambient Scandinavian Stargazing Radio and Cosmic Americana Radio. Google Play also offers daily playlists based on special categories. For example, one evening yielded playlists such as Starring In A Rom-Com (rock and pop love songs), Working Out (up-tempo electronic/dance music, pop, Latin, and country) and Making Dinner (mood-setting R&B, pop and rock). On the free ad-supported version, users can listen to radio stations organized by genre, mood, decade or activity, or search for a favorite artist, album or song to instantly create a station of similar music, but have no control over what songs are played.

For details on the other streaming services, read GRAMMY magazine

Photo Gallery

GRAMMYs On The Hill Awards Add Special Guests

GRAMMY winner Stevie Wonder among special guests to attend GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards in Washington, D.C., on April 13

GRAMMYs

Apr 7, 2011 - 10:54 am

GRAMMY.com

The Recording Academy will honor Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and eight-time GRAMMY winner and Recording Artists' Coalition co-founder Don Henley at the 10th Annual GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards at the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel in Washington, D.C., on April 13.

Biden and Corker will be honored with the GRAMMYs on the Hill Award for their commitment to improving the environment for the nation's music community, and Henley will receive the inaugural Recording Artists' Coalition Award for his work advancing the rights of music creators.

The event will be hosted by GRAMMY- and Oscar-winning songwriter Paul Williams, with special guests including three-time GRAMMY winner Bruce Hornsby; GRAMMY-nominated jazz artist Dave Koz; Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow; three-time GRAMMY winner Michael W. Smith; and 25-time GRAMMY winner Stevie Wonder, who will present the GRAMMYs on the Hill Award to Biden.

Described as "Washington's most interesting mix of music and politics," GRAMMYs on the Hill includes two days of music advocacy connecting top music makers with members of Congress in Washington, D.C., in an effort to inform policymakers of the important role the recording arts play in the nation's culture and economy. The Recording Academy's annual advocacy event honors outstanding legislators who work to improve the environment for music makers and artists who use the power of music to improve our lives.

GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards is sponsored by the Harry Fox Agency, National Music Publishers' Association, Pandora, RIAA, SESAC, and SoundExchange.

Photo Gallery

The New Transistor Radio

The combination of smart phones and radio apps is giving listeners a multiregional reach

Bill Forman

GRAMMYs

Jun 23, 2011 - 2:49 pm

GRAMMY.com

It's no secret that Federal Communications Commission deregulation and media consolidation has arguably wiped out any local or regional differentiation in commercial radio. More surprising, perhaps, is the fact that many college and public radio stations are following suit as they devote more and more hours to NPR offerings such as "Car Talk" and "A Prairie Home Companion With Garrison Keillor."

The irony is that no matter where you happen to live, it's easier than ever to find regionally focused stations. It's just that the regions these stations focus on might be thousands of miles away.

Digital broadcasting and the latest wave of smart phone apps have enabled people to listen to very local programming from very remote locales. And more and more smart phone users are tuning in. A recent survey by Audio Graphics and Borrell Associates found an increase of 48 percent across all age groups in mobile online radio listening from 2009 to 2011.

As a further testament to the growth of mobile radio's popularity, Pandora's customizable Internet radio app has been installed on more than 20 percent of all smart phones in the United States, according to Nielsen. And according to Pandora, nearly half of its daily streaming activity comes via smart phones.

In a sense, the combination of smart phones and apps has become the transistor radio of a post-modern era, a portable device that can tune in stations around the world and make you feel like you're living just down the street from them.

When country pioneer Charlie Louvin died in January, Nashville-based WSM-AM DJ Eddie Stubbs told listeners about visiting hours at the Harpeth Hills Memorial Gardens Funeral Home "out on Highway 100, just a couple miles past the Loveless Cafe, same side of the street."

A couple months later, New Orleans' WWOZ-FM rang in Fat Tuesday by playing Mardi Gras mambos and letting listeners know what time the Golden Eagles would be assembling outside Big Chief Monk Boudreaux's house in the 11th ward.

It's tough to get more local than that.

"We do our best to dance locally and advance globally," says WWOZ General Manager David Freedman. With that in mind, the station introduced its dedicated app for Apple platforms in February 2010, just in time for its live remotes from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

One year and some 20,000 downloads later, Freedman is bringing to fruition a dream that goes back to the year AOL started providing dial-up Internet access.

"Back in 1995, there was a quiet visionary at NPR by the name of Bill Bean," Freedman recalls. "He and I talked about the magic of being able to drop in any time — and from any place — and have a New Orleans experience through the Internet. I never forgot that, and it has always been my model."

Listeners can enjoy similar experiences tuning in to Austin, Texas' KOOP-FM or Kentucky-based WMMT-FM, which bills itself as "Real People Radio." But WWOZ does have a distinct advantage, which is New Orleans itself, a city with deep and varied musical roots.

Freedman says his goal is to provide an authentic New Orleans experience — to capture the vibrant culture and celebratory spirit of the people who inhabit the city and its surrounding areas.

It's an approach that seems to be paying off.

"As far as I know," says Freedman, "WWOZ is the only station that receives more listener support from outside its coverage area than from listeners who can tune us in on their FM radio."

Some 500 miles north of New Orleans is the other city that's inextricably linked with American music history. There you'll find WSM, which took to the Nashville airwaves back in 1925 with a radio "barn dance" that would come to be known as the Grand Ole Opry.

Even without satellite radio and Internet streaming, WSM's 50,000-watt signal is audible on a clear night throughout much of the United States. Last year, its digital outreach grew to include two mobile apps — one for the Grand Ole Opry and the other for the station itself.

On the basis of call-in requests, emails and Facebook fans, WSM Program Director Joe Limardi figures the station's global reach now extends from Norway to Afghanistan. As the host of the station's midday "The Classic Cafe" program, he gets requests from listeners ranging from 16–65.

"Nashville is unique in the sense that many types of country music originate from here, not just Top 40 country," says Limardi, whose station serves its traditional country offerings with sides of bluegrass and Americana. "The listeners like to test the WSM library to see just how much reach and depth it has. I would say we are able to fill about 90 percent of the requests that come in. Some are just too deep and obscure to play."

But none of those requests, one suspects, are too deep or obscure for Stubbs to know something about them. This July will mark Stubbs' 15th anniversary hosting the station's evening shift. He's also the voice of the Grand Ole Opry, and was asked by Louvin's family to read the eulogy at the legendary musician's funeral.

According to Stubbs, the early years of public radio were devoted primarily to classical music, along with news programs and talk, plus the occasional bluegrass and jazz programs on the weekend. As time went on, many public stations phased out classical programming completely.

"With classical music being largely dropped from public radio, it didn't paint a very bright picture for the other specialty music programs," says Stubbs. "At the end of the day, radio — public or commercial — is a business, and like any business it needs to be profitable. As difficult as it is for passionate music fans — and I'm one of them — the reality of it is that public radio can make a whole lot more money with news and talk programming."

As radio competition becomes increasingly fierce, Stubbs believes quality content is more critical than ever. For him, that means playing music he feels is "really good and really country," while contextualizing it in a way that might lead listeners to think differently about the artists and their musical contributions.

"More often than not, those old recordings have been a big part of my life for well over 35 years, and when they speak to me, I feel compelled to speak about them," says Stubbs, suggesting the kind of musical devotion that predates corporate takeovers and may ultimately outlive them. "I just say what's on my mind, and speak from the heart, about music that means something to me."

(Bill Forman is a writer and music editor for the Colorado Springs Independent and the former publications director for The Recording Academy.)