Top News:
Spotify Blog:
Spotify hits 20M paid subscribers, 75M total active users, has paid $3B in artist royalties — 20 Million Reasons to Say Thanks — What a difference a year makes! At the end of May 2014, we reached 10 million paying subscribers and 40 million active users.
Discussion:
Tech.eu, Re/code, The New York Observer, Guardian, Radio & Television …, Fortune, Business Insider, The FADER, Wall Street Journal, App Advice, TechCrunch, CNET, The Verge, The Next Web, Music Week, Business Insider, What Hi-Fi?, VentureBeat, AllAccess.com, GeekWire, Wired.co.uk, Digital Music News, VatorNews and TIME
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Douglas MacMillan / Wall Street Journal:
Spotify raises $526M at a $8.53B valuation, plans new forms of content to challenge rivals including Apple Music — Spotify Raises $526 Million Amid Battle With Apple — Spotify has closed a massive new round of funding from a wide range of global investors who are betting it can fend off a new threat from Apple.
Discussion:
ZDNet, The Wrap, Variety, Business Wire, The Verge, New York Times, Telegraph, GeekWire, Tech.eu, TechCrunch, Business Insider, RAIN News, Billboard, AppleInsider, Los Angeles Times, SlashGear, The Drum, Reuters, Reuters, Fortune, VatorNews, Engadget, MacRumors, Mashable, Business Insider, Wired.co.uk, VentureBeat, hypebot, Music Week and Associated Press
Joe Pompeo / Capital New York:
Wall Street Journal to roll out beta of paid, digest-style news app What's News next month — Journal to roll out paid mobile app — The Wall Street Journal is set to roll out its first mobile-only product, Capital has learned—a paid, digest-style news app that's said to be an ambitious project …
Discussion:
FishbowlNY, @s_m_i and The Next Web
New York Times:
Attorneys general in NY and Conn. investigating whether Apple, music labels violated antitrust laws in talking about competing freemium services like Spotify — Apple Music and Labels Investigated in 2 States — While Apple was preparing a splashy introduction for a new service …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Technology Chronicles, FACT Magazine, Fortune, SlashGear, Top Digital Journal News, PandoDaily, Forbes, @bordwood, Ubergizmo, Consumerist, TIME, Silicon Republic, TechWeekEurope UK, hypebot, Billboard, bizjournals, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, MacRumors, New York Times, Digital Media Wire and Business Insider
Kevin Donovan / Toronto Star:
CBC host Evan Solomon fired after Star investigation finds he took secret cut of art deals — CBC journalist facilitated sales of art to wealthy Canadians he dealt with in his job — including one buyer who had no idea Solomon was collecting a commission. — CBC
Discussion:
CBC News, Guardian, TheSpec.com, @charliebeckett, @jayrosen_nyu, Reynolds Center, CNNMoney, blogTO, Montreal, iPolitics, Macleans.ca, CJAD 800, Toronto Sun, Global News, The True North Times, Bloomberg Business, The Huffington Post, Poynter, Featured Articles, Globe and Mail, @doubleemmartin, iMediaEthics, AllAccess.com and Rehak/Stuebing Mostly Media
Richard Horgan / FishbowlNY:
Jim Romenesko confirms partial retirement, will no longer take job ads and sponsored posts at his site — Romenesko Confirms His Semi-Retirement — For those of us in the media-watch trenches, it amounts to a momentous bit of summer redaction: — But... what does it mean?
David Gonzalez / New York Times:
Photographer David Guttenfelder on using Periscope and Instagram in North Korea — Live, From North Korea — David Guttenfelder was recently on assignment in North Korea for The New York Times. He decided to bring readers on his journey by streaming live video on Periscope. — Video: David Guttenfelder
Discussion:
@davidc7
Joseph Lichterman / Nieman Lab:
Public radio is seeing a shift in digital listening: Live streaming is slowing, on-demand is growing — There are early indications that the digital listenership habits of the public radio audience are changing, as fewer people listen to live streaming audio and a growing number choose to tune in on demand.
Stuart Dredge / Guardian:
Interview with Eddy Cue and Jimmy Iovine on Apple Music, Connect, and the importance of a “human touch” in curating playlists — Apple Music interview: 'Algorithms can't do it alone - you need a human touch' — Jimmy Iovine and Eddy Cue train their sights on Spotify …
Discussion:
9to5Mac, Billboard, Business Insider, Create Digital Music, TIME, The Next Web, hypebot, MacRumors, Wall Street Journal, NME, Guardian and Rolling Stone
Associated Press:
Indian police investigate minister in death of journalist — LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Police on Wednesday began an investigation into the death of a journalist set on fire after he accused a state minister of being involved in illegal mining and land seizures in northern India.
Discussion:
Committee to Protect …, The Indian Express, dna, dna and dna