RAIN Notes: October 27
— Planning ahead (Libsyb)
— ‘Human Made, Human Paid’ campaign (AFM)
Because it’s easy
The ever-interesting Techsurvey, produced by Jacobs Media and serving as an industry benchmark to understand how listeners interact with radio, has released an insight about why people prefer broadcast radio as their listening choice in the car. Ease-of-use tops the list; see the graphic. Continue Reading
Crisis in the car: Who controls radio?
Dave Van Dyke of Bridge Ratings Media Research raises a fun and interesting question: “Who controls the radio in your car — you or your passenger?” He amusingly stages this question as “a constitutional crisis at 45 miles an hour.” And he researched it. Continue Reading
Soundstripe releases a music licensing how-to
Audio, video, and stock footage provider Soundstripe has released Buyer’s Guide To Music Licensing, an online tutorial of the music licensing landscape. Its aim is to provide a roadmap to guide content creators and marketing agencies when assessing royalty-free music suppliers. The 21-page PDF covers an overview of enterprise music licensing, how to evaluate terms, clear music rights, risk management, legal issues, documentation and auditing, team building, and much more. Click for the free download link. Continue Reading
AI takes over “industry-first” Triton Digital media sale
Triton Digital has executed its first pure agentic media sale, using the company’s recently launched Seller Agent. Triton says this transaction “an audio-industry first.” Click for details. Continue Reading
Edison Top 50 podcasts Q3
Edison Research released the Q3 edition of its Top 50 Podcasts in the U.S. ranker. The results of this work are based on a survey of weekly U.S. podcast listeners 13 years and older. We made a comparison, and found a a startling year-over-year likeness. Continue Reading
Digital media community mourns Jim Griffin
We learn today that Jim Griffin, founder of the Pho digital media group, and tireless evangelist for digital media, has died. He passed away Monday morning, as announced on the Pho digital media listserv. Jim was an influence and support to all in his sphere, an enthusiastic proponent of online audio, and a personal friend and supporter. We wish peace and comfort for Jim’s family and the global community of souls who were supported and cheered by his presence. Continue Reading
Triton podcast ranker September: iHeart holds, Audioboom grows, more.
Triton Digital released the latest edition of the Podcast Ranker, representing download counts for September. The ranked list presents average weekly downloads. Continue Reading
Kindle Unlimited rebrands, integrates ebooks and audiobooks, intros remote
Amazon’s paid monthly ebook subscription service, Kindle Unlimited, has rebranded as Kindle+ and erased the usage division between ebooks and audiobooks. is also introducing an important usability feature called the Kindle Click. We urge you to, um, click for more info. Continue Reading
Spotify: Expanded audiobook service & podcast memberships
Two meaningful announcements from Spotify. First, a dramatic expansion of its audiobook listening service. Then, a podcast membership scheme. Continue Reading
Recognizing risk-takers: Signal Awards announce winners
The 5th Annual Signal Awards announced its 2026 winners. The judging theme is “Recognizing the Risk Takers.” One indicator of the shifting podcast industry is the number of video submissions – nearly doubling the number in last year’s program. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: October 19
— Outspoken podcast joins Nova slate (Outspoken)
— Charmed partnership (ARN)