RAIN Notes: October 30, 2025
Settled / UMG
Junkie to Tubi / Audiochuck
Author: Brad Hill
Paid music streaming reaches two-thirds of time spent in 10-year trend
In an impressively steady 10-year shift, two-thirds of time spent with streaming music platforms has shifted from free sources to paid streaming. This is from Edison Research in its Weekly Insights email bulletin. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: October 29, 2025
Reaching back / Headliner
24/7 / iHeartMedia
A pioneering radio first-mover / Susan Stamberg
Double-digit profit gain highlights Audioboom Q3
“A Profitable Podcast Powerhouse” — that’s how Audioboom alliteratively self-describes in its Q3 earnings report. The company puts special focus on the Audioboom Creator Network and the July acquisition of podcast hosting network Adelicious. More. Continue Reading
Amazon shrinks Audible in latest staff reduction
Amazon will shrink Audible, its audiobook distribution and creation platform, laying off about 30,000 jobs. It’s the second sudden workforce and product reduction at Amazon in 10 weeks. Continue Reading
YouTube’s $8B brag: a “twin engine”
YouTube Music has released a milestone announcement: Over $8 billion was paid out to the music industry in the 12 months between July 2024 and June 2025. That riveting metric was released at a conference by Lyor Cohen, YouTube’s Global Head of Music. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: October 24, 2025
— A line erased / Chris Grosso
— All for one Adelicious
— Rising again / Napster
Steve Goldstein: What Happens When College Students Critique AI-Generated Podcasts
“The emotional DNA of podcasting” — that’s what Seve Goldstein’s latest guest column is about. He invited Tom Webster (partner, Sounds Profitable) into Steve’s NYU course, The Business of Podcasting. The class topic: Where the next generation of podcast listeners will come from. That evolved into a discussion of AI podcasts. After listening to some, student reactions were fascinating. Continue Reading
From sofas to Uber: Top pod-spending brands (September)
The top-spending podcast advertiser in September was Washable sofas, which invested $7.3-million in the month. That info from stalwart measurement company Podtrac in the September edition of its Top Spenders. Click for numbers, a separate “Movers and Shakers” list, and the source link. Continue Reading
International Podcast Alliance opens with collaborative group to support market growth
From Paris and London we learn that a global collaboration of podcast/audio producers, businesses, and publishers has opened the International Podcast Alliance (IPA). The aim is to strengthen dialog across formats and geographies, share market data and support market development, and promote best practices. Click for details. Continue Reading
Global launches video podcast studio; also new sports division
London-based media and entertainment group Global has splashed a double announcement. First, the creation of Global Studios, described as a “new creative powerhouse for video-first podcast brands. Also, a new unit called Sport by Global. Click for details and quotes. Continue Reading
Edison Top 50 podcasts Q3; nearly identical to Q2; Rogan reigns
In the thin upper atmosphere of podcast rankings, change over time is small and rare. Edison Research has released its Top 50 Podcasts in the U.S. based on reach for Q3 2025 among weekly podcast consumers ages 13+. Continue Reading