iHeartMedia announced its intent to add video podcasting to its creative platform. The rollout date is obscure, defined by iHeart as “early 2026.” No added cost to creators, and the feature will be implemented with standard RSS. Three important features keep the podcaster in control. Continue Reading
The U.S. Copyright Royalty Board has announced new mechanical royalty rates for the creative side of the music industry — songwriters and music publishers. The new rates apply to 2026 and 2027. They are the final two years of the current rate-setting period. Click for details. Continue Reading
Global podcast giant Acast has acquired Wake Word Studios, an audio and video production house based in Munich and Berlin. Wake Word gives up its indie identity in the deal, rebranding as Acast Creative Studios and bolstering its presence in the German market. Continue Reading
Audio research company Signal Hill Insights has released a findings note with three key trends articulated by company President and Partner Paul Riismandel. Much of this report is concerned with narrative podcasting metrics. Continue Reading
The Office of the United States Trade Representative has issued a warning to the European Union and certain Member States, and cited Spotify as a threatened EU service provider. Continue Reading
In the wake of the Golden Globes podcast nominations (RAIN (RAIN HERE), Edison Research is layering its own demographic information atop the honorees. This exercise adds an interesting dimension to each of the of the nominated podcasts. Continue Reading
Humans outnumbered – David Cohen (IAB)
Having it all – Howard Stern Continue Reading
Global management consulting firm Bain & Company has released a new piece of research: Music Discovery: “More Channels, More Problems.” Consumers discover new music via more sources than ever before, and these are detailed. “Industry leaders will have to invest in new capabilities and tools,” the company asserts. Continue Reading
Forget about asking “What’s a podcast?” That historical epoch is over, says Steve Goldstein. In this guest column, Steve defines four eras in the history of podcasting. (He brings spaghetti to this analysis.) Continue Reading
Silver Sounds, a Manhattan production company, has launched the inaugural NYC Podcast Awards. The founding rationale is to bring light to under-recognized creators and creator communities. Click to see how it’s structured, and for the submission link. Continue Reading
Global streaming service Deezer partnered with Ipsos to conduct a consumer survey to discover popular perceptions and attitudes toward AI-generated music. Nine thousand people in eight countries were questioned. Also, a concert violinist makes his own test. Continue Reading
New year forecasting – MIDiA Research
Massive aggregation – AcastBest – NPR
Hot Smart Rich(er) – Steven Bartlett
For early-stagers – Podcast Creator Summit Continue Reading