RAIN Notes: February 23
Audible sync for ebook focus – Audible
Taking advantage of audio – ExchangeWire
Unsurprising accolade – IFPI
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Steve Goldstein: Apple Just Moved the Center of Gravity in Podcasting
“The container is fluid. The brand is constant.” In his latest guest column, Steve Goldstein (Founder, Amplifi Media) recognizes the importance of Apple’s recent addition of native video in its podcast listening app — accelerating a transformation already evident elsewhere, notably YouTube and Spotify. Flowing from that new reality, Steve observes that revenue and complexity evolve together, and that strategic clarity evolve together. Continue Reading
Downtown Music completes merger with Virgin Music
We hear from music publishing administration firm Songtrust that its parent company Downtown Music Holdings has completed its acquisition of, and merger with, Virgin Music Group. The combination was first announced in December, and is reportedly valued at $775 million. Continue Reading
A landscape of listening
Triton Digital has released its 2025 U.S. Podcast Report: A Year In Review. This research summary is meant to supplement Triton’s well-known monthly podcast ranker, creating a “Listening Landscape” which measures podcast reach, listener demographics, download methods, audio/video measurements, genre performance, new-listener behaviors, and quite a bit more. Click for our review, and link to the source download. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: February 19
Audible sync for ebook focus – Audible
Taking advantage of audio – ExchangeWire
Unsurprising accolade – IFPI
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Apple Podcasts adds high-def video
Apple is trumpeting upgrades to its video podcasting tools for creators, and the podcast listening experience for users. The company is calling these new specifications “a transformative update.” Continue Reading
Spotify Q4 report exceeds expectations; stock bounces
In Spotify’s just-released earnings report (Q4 2025) we see good news on the top lines motivating a vigorous bounce in stock price. A long view puts that surge in larger perspective. Click for the charts. Continue Reading
A tale of two lists: Top new and existing podcasts of Q4
The Podcast Metrics division of Edison Research has released an interesting output of its relentless podcast metrics research: Top Ten New Podcasts of 2025. We compare that list with Edison’s Top 50 Podcasts of Q4 list. Spoiler: No podcast is on both lists. Continue Reading
Britney Spears sells catalog
In a ten-year creative drought, Britney Spears has reportedly sold the rights to her music catalog. The buyer is Primary Wave, a leading independent publisher. The news is anonymously sourced, unconfirmed by principals at the time of this post. The… Continue Reading
SiriusXM rebounds in Q4 subscribers
In its newly released Q4 earnings report, SiriusXM held steady on the revenue side, compared to Q4 2024. The subscriber count, always an important piece of the puzzle, Q4 gave a welcome lift to a downward moving full year. Click for more, and linkage. Continue Reading
Supercast acquired; joins Red Seat / Tubi
Red Seat Ventures, a unit of Fox Corporation, has acquired Supercast, a podcast creator subscription platform. Supercast will operate within Tubi Media Group, the holding unit for Fox’s digital businesses. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s Radioland: New Australian broadcast rules – covering AI and kids
by James Cridland
In this week’s column, James declaims: “While the Americans have, sadly, stopped innovating in radio as far as I can see – and I’ve evidence that they stopped 19 years ago – other parts of the world are offering much more interesting and exciting output.” DAB is part of that, of course. And this column calls out WSQK, part of the UK’s Global network. With startling originality, the station puts all its features within a Stranger Things universe. Here’s the trick: the entire station is an advertising vehicle for Stranger Things, the Netflix series that has just returned for a new season. Continue Reading