Mediagazer: Source: Google paid more than $39M for Songza (Ben Sisario/New York Times)

11:35 AM ET, July 2, 2014

Top News:

Source: Google paid more than $39M for Songza — Google in Deal for Songza, a Music Playlist Service — In a sign of growing consolidation in the digital music business, Google announced on Tuesday that it had bought Songza, a three-year-old app that competes with Pandora and others …

Discussion: Businessweek, RAIN News, The Daily Caller, CNNMoney.com, @scottahmed, VatorNews, Daily Dot, AVC, @pgib, @jherskowitz, @georgergatoudis, Guardian, FishbowlNY, Forbes, AppleInsider, Business Insider, VentureBeat, MacStories, Inc.com and WebProNews

Jordan Crook / TechCrunch:
Google acquires music streaming service Songza for undisclosed amount; product intact for now

Discussion: Songza Daily, Billboard, The Next Web, Softpedia News, Gigaom, Hollywood Reporter, Electronista, Variety, PandoDaily, Rolling Stone, MacRumors, Re/code, RAIN News, Forbes, Light Reading, TIME, Engadget, The Week, The Verge, Deadline.com, Mashable, @alexisohanian and AdAge

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Bloomberg set to launch digital multi-platform brands starting with a politics site Oct 6 — The new Bloomberg Media — Last weekend, Bloomberg L.P. held its annual company picnic, a seven-figure soirée on Randall's Island with the types of attractions you'd expect …

Discussion: FishbowlNY, @mlcalderone, @joepompeo, Talking Biz News and American Press Institute

James Ball / Guardian:

EU's right to be forgotten: Guardian articles have been hidden by Google — Publishers must fight back against this indirect challenge to press freedom, which allows articles to be ‘disappeared’. Editorial decisions belong with them, not Google — When you Google someone from within the EU …

Discussion: @rcolvile, @martinsfp, @marklittlenews, @celticrumours, @johnb78, @jamesrbuk and @chrismoranuk

Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg / Wall Street Journal:

Senior Amazon executive defends company against criticism it bullies publishers, says fight with Hachette is for customers — Amazon Defends Its Stance Against Hachette — Executive Says Fight Is for Customers, Denies Retailer Has Too Much E-Book Clout — A senior Amazon.com Inc. executive …

Discussion: Gigaom, The Awl, @dkberman, Business Insider, @davidmwessel, @sarahw, @jackshafer and Washington Post

Jeff John Roberts / Gigaom:

Do you have a fair use right to publish World Cup goals? ESPN takedowns raise questions — Bang! A beautiful cross and a header into the top corner of the net — it's the sort of moment that's perfect for World Cup fans to share on social media. Until, that is, the video disappears.

Discussion: Forbes, Techdirt, @xdamman, @xdamman, @fieldproducer, @xdamman, @corybe and @kevinablue

Alex Sherman / Bloomberg:

World Cup Mania Shows How Sports Driving Biggest Mergers — More Americans have watched the U.S. soccer team in this World Cup than ever before. The two biggest announced acquisitions in the world this year are for U.S. pay-TV operators. Yes, there is a connection.

Discussion: @larryreibstein

Andrew Beaujon / Poynter:

Media execs discuss how to close gender gap in journalism leadership at National Press Club — It's time for women journalists to ‘banish bashfulness’ when it comes to pay — The next generation of leaders at The New York Times is “not going to have careers like mine,” …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, American Press Institute and @sulliview

Caroline O'Donovan / Nieman Journalism Lab:

Gawker editor Max Read pushes internal staff chatter to a public channel at Disputations — Never go another day without knowing what Gawker's staff is eating for lunch — Once upon a time, I visited the Gawker offices in Manhattan, and I was struck first and foremost by the silence.

Discussion: @max_read, @tylercoates, @ceodonovan, @hamiltonnolan, @michelledean, @kevinmarks, @morisy, @jackshafer and @davidfolkenflik

Mike Masnick / Techdirt:

EFF Changes Position On Net Neutrality: Recognizes FCC Must Act, But Narrowly — For years, the EFF has pushed back against the FCC's attempts to preserve net neutrality, reasonably worrying that it might open the door to the FCC further meddling in the internet where it had no real mandate.

Paul Bond / Hollywood Reporter:

Most Major Media Conglomerates Underperforming at Half-Year Mark — Disney outperforms the broader markets, and Time Warner keeps pace. Video games are a hit while new media is a mixed bag. — At the halfway mark of 2014, the major media-entertainment conglomerates are underperforming …

William Turvill / Press Gazette:

Stuff magazine drops pics of scantily-dressed women from the front page after research shows they harm sales — Gadget magazine Stuff is axing scantily-dressed women from its cover 18 years after launching. — The Haymarket-owned title, which recorded a monthly circulation of 62,391 …

Discussion: @katebussmann and Guardian

John Plunkett / Guardian:

BBC News brings in no surprises rule after McAlpine and Savile scandals — Corporation says new regime, which aims to alert senior management to issues of concern, will not curb investigations — BBC News has instigated a “no surprises” rule in the wake of Newsnight's Lord McAlpine scandal …

Sara Morrison / Columbia Journalism Review:

Why sports media have always been newsroom innovators — The toy department shall lead us — Why sports media have always been newsroom innovators — Birth of an icon George Grande, left, and Bob Ley, right, on the SportsCenter set at the ESPN studios in 1980.

Discussion: @jimbradysp, @morisy, @clockwerks, @noahchestnut, @alexmcdaniel and @mattderienzo

Manuela Mesco / Wall Street Journal:

Mediaset Seeks Spanish Pay-TV Partnership with Telefónica — Mediaset to Respond to Telefónica's Offer for Its Digital Plus Stake Friday — Italian broadcaster Mediaset said late Tuesday it is confident it will reach an agreement with Spanish Telefónica SA …

Discussion: Reuters

Nicholas White / VentureBeat:

Caveat Emptor: Why the current VC/Media marriage may be bad for journalism — For years, all of us in digital media bemoaned the fact that you couldn't raise money from venture capitalists (VCs) for the endeavor. Now, all of a sudden, there is a kindling of interest in media companies among VCs …