RAIN Notes: Friday, December 8
Author: Brad Hill
Paul Vogel to exit Spotify; search for new CFO begins
Spotify’s well known Chief Financial Officer, Paul Vogel, will leave the company in April. A search for his replacement is underway as of now. All this in a straightforward announcement. It will be a fairly short tenure for Vogel, who… Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Wednesday, December 6
— Heartwarming (Edison Research)
— Question Answered (Sounds Profitable)
— Happy Self-Serveday (Acast)
Podcast consumers plan to listen more: Nielsen 2023 Consumer Survey Report
Nielsen has released its 2023 Consumer Survey Report. This is a consumer sentiment study which stretches across disparate aspects of life — inflation, social media, audio listening, and more. Podcasting is highlighted early in the 28-page report, identified by consumers as the media consumption category likely to grow the most in their personal listening during the next 6-12 months. Click for detail and graphs. Continue Reading
Weekly podcast listeners overwhelmingly prefer YouTube, and other new stats (Cumulus Media / Signal Hill Insights)
For the eleventh edition of the Podcast Download series, Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights retained MARU/Matchbox to conduct an in-depth study of 608 weekly podcast consumers from October 13-19, 2023. This work, combined with Triton Digital’s Podcast Metrics study, comprise this annual fall report. YouTube is the star. Click for metrics, graphs, and a download link. Continue Reading
Vox Media Podcast Network to produce live podcasts on branded stage at SXSW
Vox Media and SXSW (owner of the South By Southwest annual business and networking conference) are partnering to produce a dozen or more live-staged podcasts at the 2024 conference in March. Vox currently claims 39 owned and operated podcasts, and ten of them are confirmed to produce an episode on the SXSW stage.
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RAIN Notes: Tuesday, December 5
— Warning (Colin Rushing)
— Realignment (iHeartMedia)
— Change At The Top (Cumulus Media)
Podtrac releases top new podcasts for 2023; no matches with top October podcasts
Podtrac has released its annual Top 25 New Podcasts. We compare the 2023 edition with Podtrac’s Top 20 Podcasts for October. One of the values in the New Podcasts list is discovery. These are shows that have succeeded in building and retaining audience, but are largely unknown in the broad market. Continue Reading
Spotify latest layoff sweep: 1,500 employees, 17% of staff, public memo
In an internal memo also posted publicly, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek announced the company’s third layoff sweep of 2023. Seventeen percent of the company — about 1,500 employees — will receive severance packages. Click through for detailed coverage, quotes, severence package details, and SPOT stock activity. Continue Reading
Collin Campbell leaves Gimlet for high-exec podcast role at NPR
NPR has a new head of podcast strategy; it is Collin Campbell, who takes the title Senior Vice President of Podcast Strategy and Franchise Development starting sometime this month. He carries a long history of executive positions in news content and audio. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Friday, December 1
— Transition (RAB)
— Turned Off (Spotify)
— Enough Is Enough (The Podcasting Playbook)
Spotify Wrapped 2023 launches, aspiring to an “unforgettable experience”
We have noted over several years that Spotify Wrapped has become a cultural touchpoint. Wrapped is both an individualized personal account of listening patterns for millions of users, and a global summary of trends and “top of” lists. It launched today. Click for details and two of its many lists.
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