News Archives

Qobuz releases CarPlay app

23/02/2019

Qobuz releases CarPlay app available now in beta on the AppStore. The beta version has a number of restrictions such as only being able to use Qobuz on CarPlay with albums, tracks and playlists pre-imported to your iPhone’s ‘offline library’. You can also play cached music by initially selecting ‘show cache music’ which can be enabled in the options menu under ‘storage’. How to use CarPlay with Qobuz Make sure you are in a location […]

French radio success with local content quotas

22/02/2019

French radio success with local content quotas as for the first time in 13 years, a French song by Maître Gims and Vianney reaches 1st place of the Radio Top 100. French radio has to meet quotas for locally produced content which is overseen by the Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel (CSA) – an independent public authority established in 1989 to guarantee the exercise of broadcasting freedom. The CSA is responsible amongst other things ‘for ensuring […]

Spotify ends 2018 in the black

20/02/2019

Spotify ends 2018 in the black with Q4 2018 outperforming expectations and delivering operating income, net income and free cash flow numbers which were all positive. The number of monthly active users (MAU) grew 29% year on year to 207 million which was above expectations mainly due to improved subscriber retention and strong growth in Latin America and emerging regions. Despite improved performance in every area and strong forecast growth in 2019 the company is […]

Young people in Spain are adopting streaming over physical formats

70% of Spanish music sales are now digital

19/02/2019

70% of Spanish music sales are now digital with streaming growing by 50% to reach 2.3 million users according to figures released by Promusicae, the Spanish record industry association. Streaming now accounts for 90% of the sector’s digital revenues ending the year with a small increase in sales. The growth in streaming is being driven by younger consumers taking up streaming subscriptions rather than buying physical formats. Provisional sales figures for 2018 show that revenues […]

Sunrise Records buys HMV UK chain from administrators

Third time lucky for HMV?

18/02/2019

Will it be third time lucky for HMV as the administrators KMPG announce that Sunrise Records, a Canadian firm that bought Canadian HMV stores, will buy the collapsed retail chain out of administration. The deal will result in 27 stores closing resulting in 455 redundancies but save 100 stores securing 1,487 jobs. HMV’s flagship Oxford Street store in London, opened in 1921, is among the 27 outlets set to close. Sunrise Records chief executive Doug […]

Francesca Lombardo - 200 millionth upload on SoundCloud

SoundCloud reaches its 200 millionth upload

17/02/2019

SoundCloud reaches its 200 millionth upload with Francesca Lombardo’s ‘Eye Ring’. Francesca Lombardo is a London-based DJ and classically-trained vocalist has performed at IMS Dalt Vila, Burning Man and Tomorrowland and is releasing her debut album, Life of Leaf on 15th February. Francesca has built up 50,000 followers on SoundCloud and in an interview posted on the SoundCloud blog she describes how she built up her following, “I’ve worked hard to keep a steady release […]

Qobuz on tablet, desktop and mobile platforms

Qobuz finally launches in US

16/02/2019

Qobuz finally launches in US after several false starts during the second half of 2018. Streaming subscriptions and downloads are available in MP3, CD and HiRes at varying price points to suit most budgets and audio aspirations. The HiRes Studio subscription at $24.99/month represents excellent value for audiophiles and for those who still prefer some of their music as downloads, then the streamer’s Sublime+ combined streaming and download package at $299.99/year is certainly worth a […]