RAIN News received an anonymous tip yesterday informing us that Slacker Radio had reportedly laid off “about half the company.” The email claimed that Slacker’s leadership has been trying to keep the magnitude of the cuts quiet. Continue Reading
Warner Music Group has hired two new people for its digital strategy team. The major label brought on Michael Drexler as its vice president of digital strategy and corporate development. Allan Coye joins as vice president of digital strategy and business development. Continue Reading
Pandora may be on the hunt for a new influx of cash to support its expansion. Claire Atkinson of the New York Post reported that Pandora is looking to work with a private equity firm to obtain more funds. Sources said that Pandora has had talks with firms including Providence Equity Partners, Silver Lake and KKR. Continue Reading
Dozens of audio buyers from Chicago ad agencies joined online audio influencers from 52 companies at RAIN Digital Audio Advertising Summit at the legendary House of Blues. The audience packed the main floor and spilled into the two side bar areas. The streamlined, four-hour event featured 20 speakers and six staged sessions. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia has hired Donna Pickett as its new EVP of marketing, digital products. She will be tasked with boosting the performance all of the media company’s digital streaming businesses. Continue Reading
David Raphael, president of Public Media Marketing, took the stage at the RAIN Digital Audio Advertising Summit in Chicago to share his knowledge of podcast advertising. “I think there’s a certain level of education we have to do across the board with podcasting,” he told moderator Brian Pollina of the United Stations Radio Network and the crowd at House of Blues. Continue Reading
Venerable podcast listening app today announced an expansion into original programming, and the creation of a network of shows. The new shows are ad-supported, branching off from an existing portfolio of 50 Stitcher-original programs in a subscription service. Continue Reading
The RAIN Digital Audio Advertising Summit in Chicago closed with a lively discussion on the state of podcasting. Several luminaries from the field shared their thoughts on the health of the industry, the need for measurement, and whether Apple would continue its dominance. Continue Reading
In a panel discussion moderated by Les Hollander, Global Head of Audio Monetization at Spotify, data and programmatic advertising were in focus. The panelists represented four key firms across the programmatic value chain. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: The secret to free music is Internet radio. “Streaming Needs to Get a Lot Easier for Consumers.” Breaking up via Spotify playlist. Continue Reading
Big Machine Label Group has unveiled details about Big Machine TV, a full-featured media platform that will host videos, live streams, and other music content. According to the press release announcing the launch, Big Machine is one of the first labels to launch its own streaming platform. Big Machine TV is available now worldwide for laptops, mobile web, and as an Android and Apple mobile app. Continue Reading
The always entertaining duo of Tom Webster, vice president of Edison Research, and John Rosso, president of market development for Triton Digital, teamed up onstage at the RAIN Digital Audio Advertising Summit for a conversation about the highly influential Infinite Dial study. RAIN President Brad Hill guided the discussion. Continue Reading