By Ryan Nakashima, Business Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Google is adding a free tier to its subscription streaming music service in the U.S., aiming to convert the millions of people who click on the Google Play Music app every month but turn away because they're prompted for payment information.
The service uses Songza, an Internet radio app that Google acquired a year ago but whose innovations it had reserved for paying customers.
Now playlists curated by Songza music experts, like "Drop-a-Beat Workout" and "Songs to Raise Your Kids To," will be available to U.S. users for free, interspersed with ads. Playlists that are automatically generated according to genres, songs or artists will also be available.
Google hopes the free tier will entice users to pay $10 a month for an "All Access" plan to unlock features like on-demand playback without ads, offline listening, and use of the YouTube Music Key app, a music streaming service that includes videos and is still in development.
Zahavah Levine, vice president of content partnerships for Google Play Music, said the free tier is a way to engage curious users.
"Up until now, this has been a lost opportunity to bring more people in," she said.
According to publishers' data verified by royalty tracking firm Audiam, Google Play Music had around 815,000 paying subscribers in the U.S. in December 2014, far behind market leader Spotify with 4.7 million. Spotify said this month that it now has 20 million paying subscribers globally.
Along with video ads that will play before songs, banners and interactive pitches, Google will also plug its paid service. For now, Google is not announcing any expansion of the free tier outside the U.S., though the paid plan is now available in 52 countries.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More