Google Assistant can now use a Sonos speaker as its default hardware. Sonos hardware received updates this week that will allow those devices to be the primary player for requests of the voice assistant. Continue Reading
Podtrac released its chart of the top 20 podcasts for January. The month displayed a shift toward news and politics programming. It also included shows that publish multiple times a day. Continue Reading
Audio is entering a new golden age, ushered in by smart speakers, new content choices, and voice control interfaces. Guest columnist Bob Maccini offers statistics and perspectives. Continue Reading
Stephanie Ruhle (MSNBC Anchor, NBC News Senior Business Correspondent, and host of the Modern Ruhles podcast) and Sarah van Mosel (Chief Revenue Officer, Stitcher), are among the newly added speakers at the 4th Annual RAIN Podcast Business Summit on March 4 in New York City. Click through for full roster. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: A rallying cry for indie podcast support. Spotify Awards releases finalists. Beware the bootleg podcast. Continue Reading
Boomplay Music has partnered with MUSO for an effort to reduce piracy in Africa. The streaming service is owned by China-based Transsnet Music Limited but focuses on listeners in African countries. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia has entered a partnership with Flatiron Books to launch a publishing imprint. The new operation is called Stuff You Should Read: An iHeartBook and it will begin with four books inspired by curiosity podcasts from the iHeartPodcast Network. Continue Reading
CD Baby is ending a major segment of its operation. The company announced that it will close its online retail store on March 31. After that date, the retail store will transition into a download portal. Continue Reading
Podcast Radio, a venture to broadcast a 24-hour podcast schedule on DAB in London, is up and running. The project was introduced at RAIN Summit Europe last November. Continue Reading
Nielsen released a special edition of its Total Audience Report focused on streaming media. From the overall survey audience, 38% of participants subscribed to one paid audio platform, compared with 37% not subscribing to any. The balance shifted across age brackets. Continue Reading
Susan Wojcicki wrote a blog post to mark YouTube’s fifteen’s birthday. The video platform was registered as a website on February 14, 2005, and the current YouTube CEO shared a few figures in her post looking forward to the company’s next goals. Continue Reading
Indian telecom Reliance Industries is putting more money into its streaming music operation. The company made an investment of $19.6 million into JioSaavn. The audio platform was created in March 2018. Continue Reading