 RAIN 4/14: Webcaster gets $16 million to build business ·Apr 14, 11:50 AM GOOM RADIO SCORES $16 MIL OF INVESTMENT Lean economy and outrageous royalty demands be damned! New York-based Internet webcaster Goom Radio has secured $16 million in funding from Wellington Partners Venture Capital, Elaia Partners and Partech International. Former Clear Channel New York market manager Rob Williams and former director of dMarc Broadcasting under Google Drew Hilles announced the launch of Goom Radio in the U.S. last month. The service’s strategic niche is apparently expert programming combined with customization. According to paidContent.org, “the proceeds of the funding will building up its sales team and technology.” Prior RAIN coverage is here. For more on the investment, read paidContent.org (in The Washington Post) here.
NET-ONLY STATIONS CAN CARRY SYNDICATED CBS NEWS CONTENT UNDER NEW DEAL Internet radio software firm Spacial Audio has announced a syndication partnership with CBS Radio News to offer Internet-only webcasters CBS content. Webcasters using Spacial’s SAM Broadcaster software can schedule CBS programs like CBS Newscasts, Tech News, Weekend News Roundup, World News Roundup, and “60 Minutes.”
iHEARTRADIO SECOND-MOST DOWNLOADED BLACKBERRY APP Blackberry users have downloaded Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio streaming radio service’s mobile app 25,000 times, bumping it to the number two spot in the Blackberry App World application store (making it more popular than the MySpace and Facebook apps!). RAIN reported yesterday, here, that Pandora’s app is the third-most popular free app on the iPhone platform. Slacker Radio is currently third on the Blackberry. The Blackberry app store launched April 1. For more, check out Twice.com here.
REHR ASKS APPLE FOR FM IN iPHONES, iPODSRadio Online reports that NAB President/CEO David Rehr is urging Apple to glom an FM tuner on to future iPhones and iPods. Rehr wrote an open letter to Apple COO Timothy Cook, in which he wrote, “With Apple as our partner, I am confident that we will be successful in convincing the U.S. mobile network carriers and their customers that FM radio is an indispensable feature for their mobile phones.” The NAB has stated it intends to convince mobile device manufacturers to include FM reception in their designs, apparently as a way to ensure a spot on the mobile platform.Interestingly, iPhones technically already include FM receivers, but their use is limited to communication with Nike accessories. Perhaps more troublesome for the broadcast industry will be the rumored ability of next-gen iPhones to wirelessly stream music content (Internet radio included) to FM radios (like the one in your car). More on this is in RAIN here. Radio Online’s coverage is here. share: del.icio.us.  Reddit  Digg  Yahoo  Wink  Windows  Google  Newsvine 
Comment Other stories RAIN 9/2: Apple makes iTunes experience more social, more "radio-like" RAIN 9/1: FilterMusic.net excels at helping you discover new streams RAIN 8/31: Pandora's Les Hollander to speak at RAIN Summit East RAIN 8/30: Former Forrester analyst to deliver second keynote of RAIN Summit East RAIN 8/27: Radio vet Bill Gamble to consult AccuRadio's country stations RAIN 8/26: Clear Channel's digital chief Evan Harrison to leave at end of year RAIN 8/25: Pandora spotlights improved "genre-based" listening options RAIN 8/24: NAB presents details of proposed royalty settlement to members RAIN 8/23: Mobile media growth will even outpace Internet, predicts Nielsen RAIN 8/20: New deadline for Internet Radio Awards is August 31 |
