I. Music & Tech

Spotify iOS Messenger

Spotify continues to make competitive strides in the streaming space with their iMessage App. The purpose is simple. Make it as easy as possible for their existing users to share music and encourage people to join the Spotify. While recipients are only able to listen to 30 seconds of the track, they can choose to listen to the full track in Spotify. Check out more info and images here.

Find Waze with Spotify

Last week music streaming met safety when Waze integrated Spotify. The integration gives users the ability to access their Spotify music player without having to shift through other apps. With the tap of a Spotify icon the user is able to pause, play, skip tracks, etc….They can also, exit Waze and go directly to the Spotify App for full access. Check out the interface and feedback from the Waze team here.

Instagram 4 x 4

Last week Instagram users thought they were experiencing a glitch when their homepage changed to a four across layout. They later found out that IG was experimenting and considering a permanent change. This would definitely matter very much to everyone that takes pride in display of their home screen, treating it like a mosaic of sorts. Photographer Louisa Wells, a consultant to Instagram made formatting suggestions and recommended a few user friendly app solution. Check out the insights here.

HAAWK Monitoring Music Royalties

As the independent music market continues to grow there are many companies looking to manage, monitor, and pay artists for the music they make. One of those companies is Haawk media and last week they raised 2.5 million dollars in financing to fund their efforts. Haawk is led by founder Ryan Born, a serial entrepreneur who previously sold a digital rights management company AdRev/AudioMicro to Zealot Management for 20 million. For more about the stakeholders and Haawk’s business model check the story here.

Mid Year Streaming Revenues Are In

RIAA (The Recording Industry Association of America) recently delivered their mid year report and it seems that streaming revenues continue to increase. The number of streaming subscriptions is up to 30.4 million from 20.2 million last year. Spotify, Apple, and Amazon are responsible for $1.7 billion of that revenue, which is 43% of total total revenue. Similarly, vinyl sales continue to increase once again. For more info on the total of streaming and physical revenues check it out here.

Courtesy of LineForLine. Artists get started here.