Mediagazer: Most Major Media Conglomerates Underperforming at Half-Year Mark (Paul Bond/Hollywood Reporter)

9:50 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: FishbowlNY, @scottahmed, Guardian, VatorNews, Daily Dot, AVC, @pgib, @jherskowitz, @georgergatoudis, Forbes, RAIN News, CNNMoney.com, 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 — Google Buys Songza — Google has acquired music streaming service Songza after weeks of speculation around a potential buyout. — Songza uses information about the user and context …

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

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, 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, @kevinablue and Wall Street Journal

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: 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

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Discussion: @laurahazardowen, @raju, @desertbunny, @rafat and @joshdilworth, Thanks:@tched

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

Benjamin Mullin / Poynter:

Village Voice employees set strike deadline after negotiations break down — The Village Voice's union has set a strike deadline after a “13-hour marathon” negotiating session Monday that was unsuccessful, according to a press release. — This means that the union's bargaining committee …

Discussion: Street Fight, The New York Observer, The Wrap, @jason and Village Voice Union

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.

Andy / TorrentFreak:

Hackers Turn Music Industry Site into The Pirate Bay — There was a time when music and movie industry aggression against The Pirate Bay was met with aggression right back, with sites belonging to the MPAA, RIAA, IFPI and others targeted in retaliatory moves.

Discussion: Billboard and The Daily Caller

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, @alexmcdaniel, @noahchestnut, @clockwerks and @mattderienzo

Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:

Increasing numbers of journalism startups turning to non-profit model, with much success — Journalism's nonprofit surge — “It's starting to have that start-up feel,” said Bill Keller, stepping into his new office on the 25th floor of 250 West 57th Street.

George Monbiot / Guardian:

The real enemies of press freedom are in the newsroom — The principal threat to expression comes not from state regulation but from censorship by editors and proprietors — Three hundred years of press freedom are at risk, the newspapers cry. The government's proposed press regulator, they warn, threatens their independence.

Discussion: @themurdochtimes, @drbillyo_, @klockedthis and @emilybell