The Consumer Technology Assocation released its latest projections, anticipating that 2019 will see $401 billion in retail revenue for consumer technologies in the United States. The report suggested that growth in streaming services, AI-enabled devices, and in-vehicle technology would be key in driving that 2.2% on-year increase. Continue Reading
The latest blog post from Megaphone is a series of visualizations about how average podcast length has changed over time. The company reviewed data from the 549 podcasts on the Apple Podcasts Top 200 list between March 6th-May 11th. The results showed a large number of podcast episodes running just shy of an hour, which Megaphone deemed a nod to classic radio formatting. Continue Reading
Amazon has been a dark horse in the digital music industry for years, and the conglomerate is beginning to emerge from the shadows as a more visible player in the space. Financial Times reported last week that Amazon Music Unlimited has grown its subscriber base by about 70% in the past year. Continue Reading
Roxi Music announced that it is pursuing an IPO for the fourth quarter. The UK-based company makes Roxi, a set-top streaming music device and remote control. It has selected Arden Partners as its investment bank while it works towards listing on the alternative investment market of the London Stock Exchange. Continue Reading
Podtrac has published its ranking of the top 20 podcasts from June 2019. The ranker, based on the company’s measurement data for U.S. monthly audience, included several small shifts in ordering from May. Continue Reading
Amazon recently had its moments in the crosshairs over privacy concerns with Echo devices listening in on users’ conversations. Now Google’s up. A Dutch broadcaster was able to access a thousand recordings through a Google subcontractor, and overheard some things they definitely shouldn’t have. Continue Reading
Germany’s music industry posted 7.9% growth during the first half of 2019, the biggest growth rate since 1993. Trade group BVMI announced that H1 total revenue was €783.21 million, compared with €725.9 million in the year-ago period. Continue Reading
Amazon has carved out a large amount of territory in the smart speaker market, and it may have another effort under way to reach new audiences. Bloomberg reported that Amazon could be working on an Echo smart speaker with improved audio quality, one that could rival the high-end, audiophile options on the market. Continue Reading
Podcast company Blubrry announced the launch of a new feature for dynamic advertising. The tool will allow podcasters to swap the ads running in both past and present episodes. The dynamic ad option will be available at two tiers. Continue Reading
The egta has released a new whitepaper with best practices, insights, metrics, industry facts, and advice for European radio stations to better understand and participate in podcasting. the free download is titled Podcast Monetisation Strategies and Best Practices. Continue Reading
Stream listening gained about 2% month-over-month in March, according to the Triton Digital Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. Pandora, leader of the pack, gained three percent from January, to move above 2-million average active sessions for the first time since last August. Continue Reading
Stitcher and Wondery have partnered for a joint venture named Podfront UK that will make both companies’ podcasts available to advertisers in the UK. Podfront UK will be led by managing director Ruth Fitzsimons. She joins the new venture from Audioboom. Continue Reading