RAIN Notes: Thursday, February 17
Jottings of Note, smart speaker edition
— Helping Or Hurting (Hollywood Reporter)
— Pitch Guide (Apple Podcasts)
— Identify (CMO)
Month: February 2022
Podcast “Super Listeners” soak up 11.2 hours/week, via YouTube & Spotify more than Apple
Super Listeners 2021, a consumer research study by Edison Research with support from Houston-based Ad Results Media, was released in a webinar yesterday co-hosted by Edison SVP Tom Webster and Ad Results Media CEO Marshall Williams. Fascinating results ensued. Click through for details, graphics, and a download link. Continue Reading
iHeartMedia partners with Veritone’s synthetic voice/translation tech to broaden global podcast reach
In a signal of how well resourced networks can use technology to enlarge their footprints, iHeartMedia is pairing with audio-AI company Veritone to translate and synthetically voice iHeart’s leading podcasts for Spanish-speaking markets. Click for details, and a link to RAIN’s interview with Veriton president Ryan Steelberg. Continue Reading
Spotify acquires Chartable and Podsights
In an ambitious and consequential grab, Spotify has acquired two pillars of podcast advertising attribution, Chartable and Podsights. The additions fortify Spotify’s inceasingly formidable podcast tech stack, at the center of which is the Megaphone hosting and ad-tech platform. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Wednesday, February 16
Jottings of Note, smart speaker edition
— Data Chat (Edison Research)
— House of Pods (Mark Mulligan)
— An Early Bet (Squarespace; NYTimes)
The Podcast Academy releases “The Ambies” nominees: 25 categories; 178 shows
The Podcast Academy’s second annual “The Ambies” award ceremony is scheduled for March 22 as an online presentation only. The livestream will be on Twitch exclusively. Today, the Academy releases the nominee field — 178 shows and individuals across 25… Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Tuesday, February 15
Jottings of Note, smart speaker edition
— Read It (The Podcast Reader)
— TOPcast (WTOP)
— Perspectives (Metal Injection & Spotify)
Matt Deegan: Content-Rich, Hyper Local Audio
by Matt Deegan
Guest columnist Matt Deegan (Folder Media) reports on radio and podcast acquisition activity. In this edition, a hyperlocal radio station. Name: Alfred. Market: 12,000 listeners. Content: A daily podcast. Read this interesting and charming account of an audio experiment that leverages the distinct characteristics of podcasting and news radio. Continue Reading
Podchaser adds Transistor integration
Podchaser is announcing a new integration with podcast hosting and analytics company Transistor. The deal allows Transistor users to easily submit their podcasts to Podchaser via the Transistor dashboard. That’s a more streamlined use case for Transistor users than Podchaser’s podcast-adding page which is open to any show.
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Podcast downloads exceed +54% year-over-year (Podtrac)
Checking the U.S. Weekly Podcast Download Growth chart from Podtrac, we see that downloads last week were up over three percent from the previous week, which brought the year-long trendline up to 54% growth year-over-year. Click for the visuals. Continue Reading
James Cridland’s International Radio Trends: The curious case of the radio station that broke peoples’ cars
by James Cridland
James Cridland returns with the latest installment of his weekly column. In this edition, an HD Radio debacle that breaks receivers in some Mazda cars, which cost $1,500 each to replace, but Mazda is offering a free replacement because apparently the problem is with Mazda, although one Seattle radio station seems to have started it all, and anyway, no receivers are available. Whew … and there’s much more here, including Absolute Radio giving a station to a listener.
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“We showed up on the Apple charts, and that’s the day everything changed.” Mike Carruthers at RAIN Podcast Business Lunch (transcript)
Mike Carruthers was the guest speaker at RAIN’s Podcast Business Lunch on Feb. 9. Mike is the creator and host of Apple top-10 charting podcast Something You Should Know. He described the radio roots of this hit show, how it is produced, and how the advertising works. Click through to read the conversation and link to the video. Continue Reading