Consumers That Stream Also Listen To FM In Cars
Nearly 40% of smartphone owners have used their device to listen to a streaming music service while in their car, according to new research by NPD Group on automotive connectivity. Devices and ways to connect them have become a serious focus for the auto industry. 79% of car owners are using a digital device in their cars.
It appears at this point that streaming in the car is used to supplement listening to traditional radio – according to NPD’s Ben Arnold, seventy three percent of drivers report still using their FM radio “always” or “most of the time” during car trips while more than half (57 percent) of vehicle owners say a CD player is vital in their decision to buy a car stereo or entertainment system.
The desire to consume connected content is a challenge for the auto industry as well – as they focus on best ways to integrate mobile connectivity into the car with minimal driver distraction. Apple’s voice controlled Siri and Microsoft’s motion controlled product found in Kinect are technologies that automakers are looking to integrate into the equation.
Meanwhile, in place of smooth integration, consumers are finding ways to connect their mobile devices using auxillary inputs (18%), USB ports (11%), and Bluetooth technology (56%). This fact – that consumers are so interested in developing workaround ways to use their connected devices in their cars, is a huge indicator of the desirability for a more connected dashboard.
“The key is for auto makers and traditional audio manufacturers to facilitate consumer use of connected devices in the vehicle, allowing content from the smartphone, tablet, or digital media player to easily stream or be controlled through the deck mounted in the dashboard,” Arnold said. “We’re only going to see greater consumer attachment to social media, streaming audio and video, and other services as content options grow.”
Mary Meeker: The Next Big Thing Is Online Audio
Mary Meeker is widely considered to be an expert when it comes to spotting trends online. A partner at venture capitallist firm KPCB, she was named one of the ten smartest people in tech last year by Fortune magazine. She’s a popular speaker and analyst who has a knack for spotting the next big trend in technology. Lately Ms Meeker’s specialty has been mobile and the way it is revolutionizing the way we do everything, from shopping to consuming media.
This week, speaking at Web 2.0, Meeker gave a fast talking presentation about Internet trends. In it, she predicts that the next big thing is online audio. Lots of new technologies are contributing to this emerging trend. For example, she points out that while twitter and facebook have enjoyed enormous success with their mobile apps, it’s Pandora that has the largest percentage of their audience on mobile devices.
Meeker went on to mention new technologies that are driving the new trend, including Bluetooth enabled wireless devices which permit hands free access, higher quality, more compact wireless audio speakers, connected car audio, sound recognition and understanding apps such as Apple’s new Siri, and sound creation and sharing platforms like SoundCloud and Spotify. 
The presentation is chock full of great info and perspective on the promise of mobile. There’s plenty of room left for growth for smartphones, mobile ad dollars are ramping up just fine, cpms are ramping too.
What’s more, the US has taken a leadership position in new mobile technology – thanks largely to Apple and Google. Innovation in Silicon Valley has never been more rapid.
And in case you missed this point a few paragraphs ago, Mary Meeker, one of my personal favorites in the biz, said that Online Audio is the next big thing…
You can watch her presentation online here.
Pandora’s Pushing The Privacy Envelope
The Securities and Exchange Commission has subpoenaed Pandora as part of an investigation into the way that certain popular applications that run on Apple and Android platforms share information about users. According to the Wall Street Journal, the investigation is centered on the question of whether certain popular smartphone applications used information about their applications’ users, without disclosing the uses properly.
This information follows a report by WSJ in December that Pandora and other popular applications were transmitting information obtained about user locations and preferences to third parties such as advertising platforms without permission. Pandora’s app reportedly fed info about the user’s age, gender, and location.
The news of the subpeona came to light when Pandora filed an amendment to its plans for an IPO. Supposedly other popular applications are included in the investigation – Pandora has said it is not the specific or sole target of the investigation.
Sometimes it’s not all roses when it comes to being the leader of the pack – in this case Pandora’s highly popular mobile apps are causing some higher profile scrutiny. And again, the industry will have Pandora to thank for pushing the envelope and finding the line in the sand. While advertisers demand more targetability, these functions can only be delivered with this kind of user data.
You can hear more about this topic at RAIN Summit West in Las Vegas on April 11th, especially on the Legal Issues panel hosted by David Oxenford and joined by experts from Rhapsody, Live365, SESAC, and EMF Broadcasting. You can register for that event here.
Amazon Launches Music in the Cloud
Amazon has launched a cloud based music service that allows users to store their own music in music lockers and then listen to it on computers and other streaming devices. It’s been rumored that both Google and Apple are readying similar services, so this move by Amazon puts them ahead of the pack. They’re hardly the first – services like MP3Tunes have been offering a similar service for over a year.
But moving early gave them the nifty name – they’re calling it Amazon Cloud, making it difficult for Apple or Google to use the word Cloud in their branding. I’m sure part of their thinking in launching early is to capture the word Cloud and associate it with their product.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this new service is the legal stand that Amazon took in launching it. While rumors of Apple and Google’s cloud based music streaming platforms have been brewing, supposedly delayed by tedious negotiations with the record labels, Amazon just went ahead and did it, taking the position that the music loaded in the lockers is owned by the user and no further licensing is needed.
Michael Robertson, Founder of MP3Tunes, has been in a legal battle over such issues with the record companies. His post about Amazon’s new service on his blog cheers Amazon’s entry into the space. “I must admit, it’s great to have a giant corporate ally in the battle against the record labels that are fighting against user’s storing their personal music libraries online.”
Amazon Cloud is definitely intended to increase sales from the AmazonMP3 store. Songs purchased through the store are automatically loaded into your personal music locker in Amazon Cloud. The service is well integrated with Android, and not integrated with iPhone. It does sync with iTunes. Several reviews point out that it seems to be pretty basic, look for further developments and improvements.
Apple Wants a Slice Of The App Pie
Image via Wikipedia
Last month Apple announced that the ten billionth app had been downloaded from the app store. Apple’s app store is a huge success that has revolutionized the way people use mobile devices, and the way online companies do business. Now every major mobile OS manufacturer has an app store, and Gartner recently predicted that 17.7 apps will be downloaded this year alone.
So it’s hardly a surprise that Apple wants a slice of the pie. They’ve announced big changes with regard to their app store that include, as the most controversial, their taking a 30% cut of all subscriptions that they drive to a company through their app store. Along with that, they are implementing changes in the platform that will make it much easier for mobile app customers to purchase apps from the store with one click. So, enhancements for the seller, enhancements for the buyer, and a cut for Apple.
Of course, the companies that had been enjoying lots and lots of app sales through the Apple app store without any rev share are not at all pleased. Rhapsody, as a subscription based on demand platform, was downright pissed off, calling Apple’s 30% share “untenable”, and adding that Google’s rumored-to-be-coming-soon 10% rev share was more reasonable.
So, the app party is kind of over, or at least the open bar has closed. I’m just not sure that it’s unreasonable that Apple wants a cut, a pretty big cut, of the money everyone is making off of their platform. If the improvements are so good that it’s as easy to subscribe as it is to download a free app I think companies will benefit. The problem now is that disappearing from the app store would be like cutting off a lifeline. Which may be the indication that Apple has earned a slice..
Emmis Launches Innovative iTunes Tagging on All Stations
Emmis has implemented technology on all of its stations that enables visual song ID and tagging on mobile Apple devices. The system, called TagStation, was developed by Emmis Interactive, the innovative online division of Emmis, and Broadcast Electronics. Basically, it enables iPod, iTouch, iPhone and iTunes listeners to Emmis’ FM and HD stations to get artist and title on the radio display info and iTunes tagging. 
What is iTunes tagging you might ask… According to info on the Apple website, it’s an easy way to hear a song on a station and click to tag that song – on a connected iPod device. Then when you sync the device with iTunes on a computer, a playlist of songs that you have tagged will show up, complete with handy links to download those songs on iTunes. Stations earn commissions on the songs sold through iTunes.
No doubt, stations also earn points with listeners for enabling this nifty technology that creates a much more interactive experience for FM and HD listeners. It is available to non-Emmis stations through either BE or Emmis Interactive.
Artists, Amazon Sell More Albums
Amazon is growing its share of the digital music download market but not at the expense of ITunes. According to NPD Group research data, ITunes has 66% of that market and Amazon has 13%. Growth may be coming instead from album sales, which dropped by 12% for 2010, according to WSJ.com. CD sales dropped by 20%, but digital album sales grew 13%.
A few artists have decided to forego selling individual songs on ITunes and insist on album sales instead. Billboard says this formula just might be working out for Kid Rock. He’s not selling his new album “Born Free” or the songs on it on ITunes. Billboard thinks he may have sold more, by a lot, by sticking to his guns, generating an estimated $3.3 million more by only selling his album in its entirety.
AC/DC and Garth Brooks are two other artists/groups that have refused to play the single song download sales game with iTunes, opting instead to only sell albums. No word on how it is working out for them.
Meanwhile, Amazon continues to try to put a dent in ITunes share of market by offering deep discounts of albums, something that may actually endear them to artists and labels by placing emphasis on album rather than song sales. They are known to absorb the price difference between the sale price and wholesale price, so it doesn’t harm actual revenues and it helps unit sales. It’s a strategy that worked for Kid Rock…
Single Station Apps Have Limited Value
You probably caught the hullaballo about Apple rejecting single station radio apps forevermore, which turned out to be a false rumor. In fact, Fred Jacobs of JacAPPS, told us via Twitter yesterday morning that one of the apps they developed for a station in Chattanooga was approved.
Yes, Apple IS approving single-station radio apps. We had J103/Chattanooga OK'd last nite. http://bit.ly/fpOX5M End of "controversy."—
Fred Jacobs (@fnjacobs) November 30, 2010
Dan Anstandig reports in his weekly Radio3D that “Trudy Muller, an Apple spokesperson, told Radio3D, “There are many unique radio apps on the App Store, and we look forward to approving many more. One developer has attempted to spam the app store with hundreds of variations of essentially the same radio app, and that is against our guidelines.’”
Other reports have it that Apple has become a little more discriminating in their app approval process.
Whether Apple is or isn ‘t approving single station apps is only part of the point here, and this should be taken as a shot across the bow by broadcasters. Building an app that is simply a stream starter for a simulcast is not a great idea. Listeners aren’t likely to love it, and maybe Apple won’t either.
I don’t really know what was wrong with the apps that DJBApps recently had rejected, except that they reportedly did not provide an enriching end user experience. So if you’re going to invest in an app for your single station, make it a good one that gives a person something to play with, look at, interact with. Hire someone who can put some of your station’s personality into the app. But don’t expect the app to bring you a whole new audience, this is mainly a tool for your current listeners to use to listen on their smartphones.
To expand their audience, stations should be working together and building apps that feature lots of broadcast stations. How about a Philly or Boston Radio App that offers all the stations in an area along with news and information, restaurant and shopping guides, and more? A portal to area radio stations!
Pandora became famous because of the enormous popularity of its iPhone app. One click and the listener has access to millions of listening choices. The radio industry should be working on a way to offer its content cohesively that makes listening to their stations as appealing as that…
Santa’s Shopping List
Image via Wikipedia
If you’re trying to think of a creative gift for someone this Christmas, streaming devices could be the way to go. Everyone’s buzzing about Pandora, and I find that when the topic comes up most people are interested in hearing about other ways to listen as well. Here’s a rundown of some options that are getting nice reviews.
Livio Radio. These radios are essentially plug and play Internet radio devices. You turn them on, they find the Internet and in a few minutes you’re streaming your favorite station. Pick a model that’s branded for Pandora or NPR, or one that isn’t (either way you can tune in thousands of stations). CNET and others give it high marks.
Chumby. This cute cube is really an Internet radio and more – it’s actually a tabletop internet ready device, designed to be a digital photo frame and alarm clock that also allows you to listen online, check news and weather, watch videos, play games. Sony liked it so much they licensed its dashboard for their own Sony Dash.
Motorola T505. How about a bluetooth device that enables streaming from your iPhone to your fm car radio? There are several, my husband uses this one and cancelled his Sirius XM subscription over a year ago with no regrets. Now he streams Pandora and other stations to his car stereo with this device. It clips to your visor, tells you where to tune in, and is very easy to use.
Apple TV. In case you haven’t read about Apple’s new AirPlay technology, it’s all about sending streams from handheld devices to home stereo equipment and it’s getting a lot of praise. The Apple TV costs just 99 bucks and it’s getting great reviews for easily connecting your iPhone, iTouch, iPad to your television or home stereo.
Give streaming music to everyone this year – it’s a hot gift that will make them happy and grow the user base at the same time…
In the interest of full disclosure I’d like to point out that I work with Livio Radio as a consultant. And I listen to one too!
Amazon Jumps Into Streaming
Image via Wikipedia
There’s definitely a trend among online behemoths (like Google, Apple) to purchase hip streaming music platforms (like Simplify, Lala) as tools for an upcoming entree into the streaming music marketplace.
Now Amazon buys Amie Street, an online music store that focused on independent musicians and worked on a unique pricing model based on demand for a certain song and artist.
Amazon will be shutting down the service and reportedly focusing on Songza, a recommendation based streaming service purchased by Amie Street in 2008. Customers who have credit at Amie Street can use it before September 22.
The company was started by several students at Brown University in 2006. Amazon invested in them in 2007. They’ve been kind of struggling since then, trying to be innovative, and work with the big labels, and hold true to independents, and make some money.
So now Amazon joins in the race to launch the perfect streaming music platform. There’s plenty of room in the pool..
JL NOTES: There are some reporting that Amie Street founders will remain independent and working on Songza and that Amazon takes over only Amie Street the download platform.
