RAIN Global Audio Revolution Summit offered fascinating studies of current and future trends in audio

The RAIN global Audio Revolution Summit, an international Zoom event produced today, was designed to shine light on the current, and prospective future, states of radio, podcasting, and digital audio advertising. The event was presented by Targetspot and AllMediaDesk, with additional sponsorship support from AdsWizz and AccuRadio. Click for summaries and quotes. Continue Reading

Veritone launches “Voice-as-a-Service” synthetic speech called MARVEL.ai — we unpack with president Ryan Steelberg

Veritone has launched a new service called MARVEL.ai, a synthetic voice product the company characterizes as a “Voice-as-a-Service” (VaaS) solution for media companies, brands, and celebrities. The product can mimic any person’s voice, given a sufficient sample, then make that synthetic voice say anything, read any script, or speak an entire audio program (such as podcasting) in another language using the original speaker’s voice. Veritone President  Ryan Steelberg agreed to a knowledge-gathering chat, which ended with a compelling use case for podcasting. Continue Reading

Sounder acquires Podnods for “next generation of audio technology”

Sounder, a podcast hosting platform with data intelligence and monetization features, reveals this morning that it has acquired Podnods, an AI-based recommendation platform for listeners with audience growth support for podcasters. The deal marries two companies which each brings advanced technology to the legacy industry functions of hosting, recommending, and monetizing. Continue Reading

“Dying for Sex” wins Ambies Podcast of the Year; 23 category awards bestowed; we count “top” networks

Dying for Sex won the Podcast of the Year award at the inaugural Ambies Awards, produced by The Podcast Academy. The Wondery-produced show posted its final episode 14 months ago, perhaps demonstrating how evergreen podcasts retain their currency. We analyze how many winners are from “top publishers.” Continue Reading