RAIN Notes: March 17
Sports biz – Audacy
New pods – Apple Continue Reading
Too Lost (music tech) receives funding for artist/label distribution & publishing
New York based music/tech company Too Lost announced its reception of a strategic investment from GoldState Music and TA Associated. Too Lost is a tech/services platform which supports artists and labels with distribution infrastructure which helps manage and monetize music. Continue Reading
Tik Tok and iHeartMedia partner in new format experiment
In a mash-up of radio and social behemoths, iHeartMedia and TikTok have launched TikTok Radio from iHeart. Press notes call it a fast-paced station which combines Tik Tok feed content with live DJ personalities. Click for programming details. Continue Reading
“A good year” — MIDiA Research on the 2025 music market and “expanded rights”
In its annual analysis of the global music industry, audio intelligence firm MIDiA Research calls 2025 “a good year for the recorded music business.” Global recorded music revenue was $39.5 billion. This story is about “expanded rights.” Continue Reading
“Never been bigger”
Online audio, podcasting, and AI are the stars in this year’s The Infinite Dial presentation from Edison Research. Click to read our coverage and download link for the presentation deck. Continue Reading
Libsyn reveals 2025 “surge”
Comprehensive podcast platform Libsyn announced a 48% year-0ver-year ad-revenue surge for 2025. The growth drivers are separated into four parts. Continue Reading
$40B lost to sound and sports piracy: New government report
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR.gov) has released a daunting report: “2025 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy.” In it we see dozens of online piracy operations; the 61-page report describes each of them, their general purpose and particular specialties. The documentation might seem depressing, but there is a ray of light. Continue Reading
Podstock releases AI assistant promising podcast publisher liberation
Podcast analytics and management platform Podstock has launched an AI client assistant called Agent. The company is differentiating this product by placing Agent directly into client workflows, where it can liberate users from manual tasks. Click for key details and link toan explanatory video. Continue Reading
Podcasting reaches more than half of U.S. population (new Triton study)
In Triton Digital’s newly released U.S. Podcast Report 2025, a concise presentation of 14 slides give us key takeaways about audience composition, listening trends, and much more. Continue Reading
Nielsen modernizes, launching “mSurvey” for digital data collection
Audience measurement giant Nielsen has launched mSurvey, a modernization of how the influential data company collects the opinions and habits of U.S. radio listeners. It’s a digital diary mechanism. intended to complement or replace the traditional paper consumer diaries. Continue Reading
February podcast production drops to new 12-month low (Listen Notes)
In the latest monthly statistical sheet at Listen Notes (HERE), we see a dramatic 12% drop in new podcast creation in February, compared to January. That drop also is a 13-month low in productivity. There is also a broader picture. Click for details. Continue Reading
Cumulus Media files second bankruptcy; $600M at stake
Radio/audio giant Cumulus Media has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is what is called a prepackaged agreement designed to eliminate $600 million in debt. Daily company operations are expected to continue as usual. Continue Reading