Simfy announced that they now connect to Facebook as well – just in time for the Facebook Timeline roll out. The feature, which is already used by Spotify, connects to Facebook’s Open Graph, which has been introduced in September 2011 on the f8 conference, and automatically shares songs in the Facebook Ticker on the Facebook news feed. Simfy →
Finally: GEMA and BITKOM reach agreement for online music services
Good news for the German online music market: After years of negotiations GEMA and the industry association BITKOM have finally reached an agreement on online music services. As announced in a press release on Dec 8, the agreement covers the compensation for authors, that music services have to pay to the GEMA, and allows for flat licence fees for streaming services.
In a follow-up press release on Dec 21 the GEMA (apparently without having a definitive an agreement with BITKOM, heise) further announced a new set of tariffs that apply to ad-supported services.
Simfy launches in Belgium
Previously only available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Simfy announced earlier this week that they are now available in Belgium as well. According to Gerrit Schumann, CEO of Simfy, the Belgium launch marks the starting point of a more aggressive expansion strategy.