Quick Hits: The road for rock; more on branded podcast deals; Emmis CEO interview

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:

Rock’s tough relationship with tech: It’s a rough road for rock & roll these days. Zach Fuller of MiDIA Research wrote a blog post about why rock is struggling in the streaming economy while genres such as rap, R&B, and electronic are taking off. His take-away was the role of technology in making the different styles of music, including how closely involved the performers are with the production side of the operations. “Technology in these genres was not something that other people did,” he said of the more successful styles,” it was just as much a part of the creative process as coming up with a chord sequence.”

Podcasts exploring the branded space: We regularly hear new takes on the business of podcasting and how the audio format can struggle to make money. As a result, we’ve got yet another article about the topic of branded audio, as companies seek out partnerships with podcasting experts to find listener-friendly marketing options in that field. AdWeek rounded up some of the recent efforts in the sector

An interview with Emmis CEO Smulyan: The Indianapolis Business Journal interviewed Jeff Smulyan, CEO of Emmis Communications, about the outlook for radio. The discussion covered Emmis’ current management-led buyout proposal and NextRadio. Smulyan said both NextRadio and Digonex are properties to see as long-term prospects rather than immediate impacts on the bottom line.

Anna Washenko