Downloads Are Dying, Almost... ; Spotify Explores Skippable Ads; Music Biz Slams Citi Report on Industry, Artist Revenue

Steven Stone looks at the dwindling sales and downward spiral of downloaded music...

Spotify is seeking a potential point of differentiation with its music streaming rivals by testing new functionality which empowers listeners to skip any audio or video ads they wish as frequently as they desire.

Five biggest takeaways from a rare interview with Daniel Ek, and what they might mean for Spotify’s future as it tries to “move faster” than its rivals in an increasingly competitive streaming landscape.

Investors are become increasingly interested in music, but as analysts race to meet investor demand for music-industry knowhow, direct input and perspectives from the industry itself are often left out, leading to potential data inaccuracies and misunderstandings.

In a video interview, five-time Grammy winner Lionel Richie talks to USA TODAY’s Jefferson Graham on the effects of on-line streaming services on the music business.

High-end audio may be mostly an old person’s game, but there's a new breed of entrepreneurs making great products.

City National Bank announced Monday (Aug. 13) that is has acquired Exactuals, the Los Angeles-based metadata company that provides solutions for complex payments across the entertainment industry.

Pandora announced today that it has named veteran music PR exec Heidi Anne-Noel as its new senior manager of communications. According to the announcement, in her new role she will oversee music communications strategy and outreach to the music press and music business community.

Amazon Music’s streaming service and online music store looks set to launch in Brazil as the service searches for a Head of Digital Music to lead efforts in the region.

San Fran tech start-up Audius have announced a blockchain-based streaming service that hopes to ensure artists are paid fairly from their music streams.