Amazon Music Rolls Out New Voice Features; Spotify, Ellen DeGeneres Set Deal; Massive Attack Test Remix-Rights Tracking with Blokur

Amazon Music Rolls Out New Voice Features to Personalize Listening — variety.com
Amazon Music today announced the rollout of new voice features that enables listeners to personalize their streaming music experience. Essentially, listeners can have a conversation with the service’s Alexa to find playlists and music for specific moods or occasions, “liking” or rejecting son…

Spotify, Ellen DeGeneres Will Promote Each Other in New Content Pact — variety.com
Spotify and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will promote each other under a new one-year content partnership.

How Ariana Grande’s ‘Thank U, Next’ Became a Viral Video ‘Event’ in the Streaming Era — www.billboard.com
By looking piece-by-piece at how “thank u, next” became a viral sensation, it becomes apparent how exactly YouTube and other video platforms are attempting to market videos as collective “events” in the on-demand streaming era.

Massive Attack test remix-rights tracking with blockchain startup Blokur — musically.com
If you’ve not seen Massive Attack’s Fantom app, it’s well worth having a play with: one of the best interactive music apps we’ve seen.

Digital distributor Ditto Music to launch Coffee chain across UK — www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

Independent distribution and label service provider Ditto Music is launching a coffee chain, called Ditto Coffee.

Pandora’s Podcast Genome Project goes live for all — techcrunch.com

Initially, the feature was only available to select users on mobile devices, ahead of a broader public launch. Today, Pandora says its Podcast Genome Project has gone live for all users.

Indian Music Streaming Service Saavn Is Now JioSaavn — www.billboard.com
Leading Indian digital music services Saavn and JioMusic have completed their merger, and are now known as JioSaavn.

Deezer expands podcast catalog via Voxnest partnership — www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

Deezer has teamed up with Voxnest-owned podcasting platform Spreaker to expand its podcast catalog for users in Colombia and Brazil.

Metropolitan Opera Celebrates Yannick Nézet-Séguin With iTunes Releases & SiriusXM Broadcasts — operawire.com

This has been a major week for the Metropolitan Opera. Not only did it launch a new podcast and open its new production of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” but it also kickstarted conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s tenure as its music director.

Digital Music Is King. So Why Did A Vinyl Record-Pressing Plant Just Open In Virginia? — wamu.org
Surging interest in vinyl records is fueling an industry, and Alexandria’s Furnace Record Pressing is betting the craze is here to stay.