The Montreal music-service provider described the acquisition as a “strategic” decision that reaffirmed it as “the leading provider of state-of-the-art digital media solutions and customer feedback.” (The Logic, La Presse)

Talking point: Stingray made headlines last year with a $506-million purchase of Newfoundland Capital, one of the country’s biggest radio broadcasters with 101 broadcast licences across Canada. That deal was just one of a string of acquisitions by Stingray in recent years as the company looks to consolidate in the media sector. Its latest purchase, Chatter, is a 14-person Toronto startup founded in 2016 that said it has created the world’s first AI-powered customer-feedback chatbot for companies like Lush, Mastermind Toys, Staples and Purdys Chocolatier. The bot reaches customers by opt-in text after they leave a store; the company uses artificial intelligence to analyze responses and give companies real-time feedback. Chatter said it can increase response rates by 800 per cent. The messaging world is growing, with Amazon reportedly building a consumer-focused messaging app, and Facebook also adding more transactional features into Messenger.

Correction: The value of the transaction is $18 million. This item has been updated.