Pay to play: Can YouTube succeed with its paid channel subscriptions?
YouTube started to offer paid subscriptions to select channels this week. But are people actually going to pay for their YouTube videos? Read more at paidContent »
Rhapsody exec: splashy ads and free streaming promotions don’t work
Rhapsody has some advice for its competitors Spotify and Rdio: Don’t invest in splashy ads. Focus on featuring your service instead. Read more at paidContent »
Spotify hits 6 million paid users as market for music streaming heats up
A report shows that music subscription service Spotify continues to grow at a rapid pace. The growth validates Spotify’s business model but is also inviting a growing cluster of rivals. Read more at paidContent »
Rdio expands global footprint, Spotify reportedly extends free mobile offering
photo: Shutterstock / Smith
Rdio is coming to Austria, Ireland, Italy and four other countries. Spotify, meanwhile, plans to offer free mobile radio around the world. Read more at paidContent »
The future of streaming video – four predictions for 2013
The streaming video industry continues to undergo radical transformation. Kun Gao, of Crunchyroll, points to four things to look for in the coming year. Read more »
Rhapsody releases new Android app, shows you all the songs you already know
Rhapsody’s new Android app features a bit of a different take on content curation: The app keeps track of what you like to listen to at certain times of the day, and then suggests you those exact songs at the right time. Read more »
Try-before-you-buy YBuy subscription services raises $1M from Eric Schmidt
YBuy, a Southern California company, has built a monthly subscription service around the try-before-you-buy model for gadgets, appliances and other products and it’s getting a big name backer in Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, whose TomorrowVentures is leading a $1 million Series A round. Read more »
Should Netflix buy Spotify?
Netflix wants to sell you and all-you-can-eat subscription plan for movies and TV shows, Spotify wants you to pay a flat monthly fee for music. What if the two companies joined forces and used each other’s strength to grow their markets? Read more »
Flattr: we’re victims of an ‘app dictatorship’
The founders of micro-payment service Flattr have said they are worried that their business could be seriously damaged after Apple rejected a podcasting app that integrated with the system. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Spotify, MOG demonstrate digital music flux
If the on-demand music streamer Spotify is worth $3 to $4 billion, why is MOG, a similar if much smaller service, reportedly being sold for $14 million? The digital music industry is in flux, but it’s showing positive signs of growth. Are those two players really ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Why do so many digital music services fail?
Although it’s now simpler and more efficient than ever to create a compelling music destination, only a few digital music outlets today are truly successful. Merlin’s CEO Charles Caldas explains why so many services fail, and so few succeed. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Patching the cord
In just the past few weeks, Barry Diller-backed Aereo launched a subscriptions streaming service in New York City, Cisco bought NDS for $5 billion, word leaked of Intel’s plans to create a nationwide virtual cable TV service and Netflix began chatting up cable operators about addings ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Spotify reportedly launching in Germany by mid-March
Spotify is launching in Germany within the next two weeks, according to German media reports. The streaming service already has an office in Berlin. It also recently hired a PR rep for the country, which in the past has been a difficult market for music services. Read more »
The rise of the subscription commerce startup
A number of companies are emerging to build businesses with recurring revenue streams based on serving up monthly packages of food, beauty, clothing and other products. The so-called subscription commerce market is expanding rapidly — but what’s behind the trend, and why are consumers signing up? Read more »
What’s next for Spotify: The ultimate rumor guide
What’s next for Spotify: An MP3 download store, a commercial API that could empower developers to bring the service’s music everywhere, music playback without the need to download any software – or maybe just an iPad app? Read all about the rumors ahead of Wednesday’s press conference. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
Connectivity changes everything. That’s the credo driving just about every corner of our day-to-day lives. As human beings, we are now connected to one another through not just our social networks but also our cars, the books we read, the albums we download and even our own health and wellness habits (to name just a few areas). With that in mind, GigaOM Pro has singled out certain areas in the technology industry where we see this shift to constant connectivity taking place most drastically. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Where Netflix wants to go next: India, Korea, Japan?
Netflix will launch in the U.K. and Ireland early next year, but where is it going after that? A recent job offer revealed a number of candidates, including countries like Korea, Germany, Russia and France. Now all Netflix needs is profits to make those plans happen. Read more »
Jason Kilar: Hulu Plus is becoming major money maker
Hulu CEO Jason Kilar thinks that Hulu Plus will bring in more than half of his company’s revenue within the next 12 months. Kilar made these predictions as part of his traditional quarterly report, which he also used to announce a content partnership with Univision. Read more »
Grey Lady's Troubles With the P-Word
Is charging users for online content an act of slow-motion seppuku? The New York Times may be about to find out. But the real risk is that it is neither a runaway success nor an abject failure, but rather a slow, steady decline. Read more »
