Quick Hits: Norm Pattiz, Apple Music, algorithms sans context and radio’s creative disruption

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:

Norm Pattiz preaches podcasting in Cannes: PodcastOne founder Norm Pattiz evangelized his company at Cannes Lions, and answered questions from MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan — AdWeek is running the interview here. Pattiz says that PodcastOne programs were downloaded 1.5-billion times last year, and that they capture 40 percent of the advertising business in podcasting. Nobody gives an interview like Norm. “I’m in this business because there’s nobody in this business like me … We come at it like I’ve always done through my whole career: How do you build something that commands advertiser support.”

Content is key in Apple Music strategy: Streaming music is a major industry, and the top players are working to develop their own unique strategies for success. Rolling Stone got a look behind the scenes at Apple’s plan, and it revolves around making music videos, tour documentaries, and other artist-driven content. “We’d like to be a home where artists can do their thing,” Jimmy Iovine said.

“I hate the person my music algorithm thinks I am”: Algorithm-driven music has its fair share of detractors, and one of the latest posits that the reason streaming recommendations can fail is a lack of context around listening. In this snappily-titled article, writer Megan Logan explains how the sentimental attachments to songs can lead to wildly off-base suggestions. “How can I expect an algorithm to understand a stupid attachment to music I don’t like?” she posits.

Public radio leader lays out radio’s creative disruption: Laura Walker, president and CEO of New York Public Radio, penned a blog post responding to criticisms (most recently levied by The Wall Street Journal) that NPR is facing a crisis of aging listeners and talent. Walker countered those claims with a plan for “creative disruption.” She shared steps public radio can take to become more essential and current, such as supporting podcasts and encouraging digital ventures.

Brad Hill