2019: the year podcasting broke
Like any burgeoning art form, podcasts have a complicated relationship with corporate America. The form’s appeal has long been its accessibility; for years, it’s been open to anyone with an… Read more »
Category: Spotify
Spotify spent a lot of money on podcasting, so it wants you to start listening, please
Listen. Spotify’s tired of screwing around here. The company spent a lot of money on podcasts. Like, a lot, a lot. And it really needs you to start listening to… Read more »
Apple and Spotify’s podcasts come to Echo devices in the US
Amazon Alexa can now play podcasts from Apple, making Amazon’s line of Echo devices the first third-party clients to support the Apple Podcasts service without using AirPlay. Before, this level… Read more »
Apple Music dives deeper into concert streaming with Billie Eilish
As music streaming apps struggle to differentiate, Apple is making concert video a more central part of its strategy with tonight’s big Billie Eilish show at its HQ’s Steve Jobs… Read more »
Atomico Partner Tom Wehmeier reviews ‘The State of European Tech’ 2019 report
Atomico, the European venture capital firm founded by Skype’s Niklas Zennström, has released its latest annual The State of European Tech report, published in partnership with Slush and Orrick. As… Read more »
Startups Weekly: Chinese investors double down on African startups
Hello and welcome back to Startups Weekly, a weekend newsletter that dives into the week’s noteworthy startups and venture capital news. Before I jump into today’s topic, let’s catch up… Read more »
Morgan Stanley’s ‘Teflon banker’ talks direct listings (and much more)
After landing a seemingly endless string of coveted deals for his bank, Morgan Stanley, Michael Grimes has been dubbed “Wall Street’s Silicon Valley whisperer.” Morgan Stanley has served as the… Read more »
Michael Grimes, “Wall Street’s Silicon Valley whisperer,” says direct listings are “absolutely” more efficient than IPOs
Michael Grimes has been called “Wall Street’s Silicon Valley whisperer” for landing a seemingly endless string of coveted deals for his bank, Morgan Stanley. In more recent years, it has… Read more »
Spotify’s free music service will now stream on Alexa devices, plus Bose and Sonos smart speakers
Spotify has worked with Amazon Echo since 2016, but only for premium subscribers. Today, that changes as Spotify says its free tier will now stream across Alexa-powered devices, as well… Read more »
Tesla V10.0 car software update adds Smart Summon, Netflix/YouTube, Spotify, karaoke and more
Tesla is rolling out a new software update that adds a slew of new features to its cars. These include the new “Smart Summon” feature, which will allow cars equipped… Read more »
Europe shows the way in online privacy
Alastair Mitchell Contributor Share on Twitter Alastair Mitchell is a partner at multi-stage VC fund EQT Ventures and the fund’s B2B sales, marketing and SaaS expert. Ali also focuses on… Read more »
Your guide to WeWork’s CEO shuffle
Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week Kate and Alex were back at TechCrunch’s San Francisco HQ to huddle over the… Read more »
Spotify adds two personalized playlists focused on your repeat listens
Spotify is expanding its selection of personalized playlists with this morning’s launch of two new additions: On Repeat and Repeat Rewind. Both are focused on helping you revisit the songs… Read more »
Spotify’s app for artists gets a big revamp, adds real-time stats for listeners
Spotify this morning is rolling out an updated version of its app for artists, across both iOS and Android. The new app includes a refreshed design, as well as new… Read more »
Startups Weekly: Upfront Ventures bets on a bus service
Hello and welcome back to Startups Weekly, a weekend newsletter that dives into the week’s noteworthy news pertaining to startups and venture capital. Before I jump into today’s topic, let’s… Read more »
Amazon launches Amazon Music HD with lossless audio streaming
Amazon has a new, high-quality streaming tier of its music service called Amazon Music HD. It’s priced at $12.99 per moth for Prime members ($14.99 per month for everyone else)… Read more »
How Kobalt is simplifying the killer complexities of the music industry
Backed by over $200 million in VC funding, Kobalt is changing the way the music industry does business and putting more money into musicians’ pockets in the process. In Part… Read more »
Mobile gaming is a $68.5 billion global business, and investors are buying in
By the end of 2019, the global gaming market is estimated to be worth $152 billion with 45% of that, $68.5 billion, coming directly from mobile games. With this tremendous growth… Read more »
Eminem’s publisher accuses Spotify of copyright infringement in new lawsuit
Eminem’s music publisher Eight Mile Style has filed a lawsuit against Spotify, accusing the service of “blatant copyright infringement” in streaming “Lose Yourself” and other Eminem songs. As explained by… Read more »
Revenue-based investing: A new option for founders who care about control
David Teten Contributor Share on Twitter David Teten is a Venture Partner with HOF Capital. He was previously a Partner for 8 years with HOF Capital and ff Venture Capital…. Read more »
How a Swedish saxophonist built Kobalt, the world’s next music unicorn
You may not have heard of Kobalt before, but you probably engage with the music it oversees every day, if not almost every hour. Combining a technology platform to better… Read more »
Earbuds lets audiences stream the playlists of athletes, entertainers and each other
Earbuds, a new startup from Austin founded by former Detroit Lions lineman Jason Fox, wants to bring the power of social media to your eardrums. The company is one of… Read more »
PodcastOne is launching LaunchpadDM, a free hosting platform for independent podcasters
PodcastOne, the celebrity podcasting network from the founder of radio powerhouse WestwoodOne, is launching a free hosting platform for podcasters. The Los Angeles-based syndicated podcasting platform, which counts athletes, politicians, talk… Read more »
Spotify hits 108M paying users and 232M overall, but its average revenue per user declines
Spotify added 8 million subscribers in the quarter that ended in June, slightly below the estimated 8.5 million figure, the streaming giant reported today. The top music streamer said it… Read more »
Google’s new version of Android Auto focuses on Assistant
Google is starting to roll out an updated version of its in-car platform Android Auto that aims to make it easier and safer for drivers to use. The version, which… Read more »
Startups Weekly: SoftBank’s second act
Hello and welcome back to Startups Weekly, a weekend newsletter that dives into the week’s noteworthy startups and venture capital news. Before I jump into today’s topic, let’s catch up… Read more »
Netflix will roll out a lower-priced subscription plan in India
Netflix said on Wednesday that it will roll out a cheaper subscription plan in India, one of the last great growth markets for global companies, as the streaming giant scrambles… Read more »
Apple reportedly planning to fund creation of exclusive original podcasts
Apple is said to be planning to bankroll the creation of original podcasts from third-parties that it will offer exclusively on its own streaming services, Bloomberg reports. The report says… Read more »
Spotify Lite for Android gets an official launch in 36 countries
Spotify’s Lite app is now official. The app has been in beta since last year, and now Spotify is officially releasing it in 36 countries worldwide. The app is designed… Read more »
Spotify needs to crack down on labels snatching user data
Spotify seems to have learned little from the Facebook developer platform’s scandals despite getting a huge boost from the social network in its early days. Spotify has been caught allowing… Read more »