Digital Digest – Sept. 26, 2013

iHeartRadio pacts with Hoyts 

Hoyts cinema chain will launch its own iHeartRadio station in the near future via the music streaming service Ad News announced. ARN national digital director Kate Beddoe told the site more brands were coming on, especially after the streaming of the IHeartRadio music festival in Las Vegas. The app version of iHeartRadio has been a huge success in Australia: it went to #1 on the music apps chart on the Apple App Store within 48 hours of launching. – CE

New head of music for Twitter 

Twitter named Bob Moczydlowsky as new head of music, to develop music-related partnerships and strengthen its relationships with influential artists. He was SVP of product and marketing at TopSpin Media. -CE

Robyn scores top digital award 

Pop star Robyn has won the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm’s Great Prize, due to her “artistic contributions and embrace of technology”. The prize is a significant one in Sweden, with previous winners including Spotify’s Daniel Ek, and Volvo founder Assar Gabrielsson. Robyn said: “I can honestly say that it is difficult to process. The fact that the jury finds that I correspond to the description of KTH’s Great Prize – it’s overwhelming to think about. I am truly humbled to be one of the winners for this amazing, fine prize.”

KTH President Peter Gudmundson said, after the announcement: “Through her music, her entrepreneurship, and her integrity, she is an amazing role model to many and she makes use of new technology in an exciting way. Music and technology have many similarities – both are borderless and affect people in their everyday lives.”

Spotify launches in Taiwan, Argentina, Greece and Turkey 

Further its global reach, Spotify has launched in four new territories, making their service available in 32 countries. The move into Taiwan comes after Spotify’s April push into new Asian markets, launching in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. The Taiwanese launch will not include a free mobile service, but rather a desktop advertising supported version. Mobile access will be limited to the premium service only.

Spotify announced its move into these new markets with the following statement: “Hello Argentina, Taiwan, Greece and Turkey – Spotify here! Do you know anyone in Argentina, Taiwan, Greece and Turkey that would love to have the best music for every moment? Send them a song today!”

Amazon launches MP3 store 

Amazaon are encroaching on iTunes’ market, just in time for Apple to focus on their new streaming service. This morning the online store implemented an update to their Cloud Player music app, with the inclusion of an MP3 store, which lets users purchase tracks within the application. All purchases are available within any device, and will point to recommendations on Amazon’s online store.

Deezer partners with EQuala 

Deezer have struck a deal with fledging social radio company EQuala, who claim to be the first radio station to allow users to personalise their playlists based on songs listened to by friends or users who have similar listening habits. The partnership will bolster EQuala’s user base to more than ten million listeners in 180 countries, although it remains unclear what the deal will do for the more-established Deezer, especially considering the fact that Rdio and Spotify already sport similar features to what EQuala offer.

YouTube launches offline access, but Vevo won’t be a part of it 

In what will prove to be a copyright nightmare, YouTube are planning to offer offline video access in November, however Vevo have announced that videos hosted on their site won’t be included in this package. The access is a short term thrill, however, with the videos unable to be accessed after 48 hours. They will still feature advertising, and content owners can, like Vevo have, opt out of the offline access option. It will be interesting to watch what legal issues this features throws up.