"digital music" articles

The power of audio was a reoccurring theme at yesterday’s CEDIA session: Growth & Future Outlook for the High-End Audio Market. Consumers’ attachment to music is a key influencer in the audio market. According to Parks Associates research, two-thirds of U.S. broadband households use a streaming audio service. The panelists discussed current trends and the future outlook of the market. The session featured: Brad Russell , Research Analyst, Parks Associates...

On July 5th, 2016, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued its opinion on whether password sharing violates the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). I read the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit opinion on password sharing , and I suggest you do as well. Judge McKeown and Judge Reinhardt make compelling and insightful comments. For those of you who don’t have the time or energy to read it yourselves, I’ve summarized the major points: The case which...

Codenamed “Hendrix” during development, the newly announced Chromecast Audio streaming media device from Google enables users to broadcast music over Wi-Fi to speakers, televisions, and car stereos that have the device plugged into their standard 3.5 mm audio port, RCA port or optical input. With its product launch today, Google seeks to further solidify its position in the streaming media space. Here are a few quick observations that suggest why Chromecast Audio may or...

As I stroll and speak around CCW-SATCON today, there is plenty of talk around how OTT rights and licensing are going to affect traditional video distribution methods. However, Google (being Google), decided to crash the party with their announcement of YouTube Music Key , an ad-free subscription service that will allow users to watch, download, and listen to music offline or with the screen locked. The new music service is interesting, and there are a few key takeaways from the...

New Parks Associates consumer research examines the trend toward original content and how it impacts consumption and brand perception. The research firm finds that new technologies and content options are driving changes in digital media consumption. In the video market, online video sources are now becoming important sources for content, especially for younger consumers. The disruptive forces behind this shift are also affecting other aspects of digital media, including music,...

Parks Associates' digital music report, Evolution of Digital Music on Connected Devices , finds that since 2011, the number of consumers in U.S. broadband households listening to streaming audio services has grown 130%. This rapid growth can be attributed to the expansion of connected CE devices such as such as A/V receivers, all-in-one home theater systems, wireless speakers, speaker docks, speaker bars, multiroom digital music systems. In this report, Parks Associates analysts...

Parks Associates data shows that the number of streaming music users has doubled in the last two years, while the number of paying subscribers has surged 166% over the same period of time. Due to popularity within the space, Sprint announced it will  be offering customers premium digital music services through their mobile devices. The first offering, streaming music service through the Harman Kardon® Onyx Studio™ wireless speaker system, will be available to U.S. customers...

zonIn the past few years, a number of ingredients have coalesced to bring about dramatic change in the home audio market. Take, for example, the concept of multi-room audio systems. Until recently, these were only possible by running wires to in-wall or in-ceiling speakers and fed through an A/V receiver. In other words, they weren't the purview of the mass-market. Several factors have significantly changed this paradigm. Wireless networking, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth -...