Brad Hill - RAIN News

BetterHelp continues to lead Magellan AI podcast advertiser list. We compare month-over-month repeats

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Brad Hill

If podcast rankers reveal stagnation at the top levels of popularity (they do), Magellan AI’s monthly ranking of top advertisers shows the same characteristic. Looking at the just-released list of top 15 spenders in May, and comparing it to April, we see the same top five advertisers: BetterHelp, HelloFresh, ZipRecruiter, Amazon, and Geico. Click through for comparison chart. Continue Reading →

RAIN Notes: Wednesday, June 23

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Brad Hill

Jottings of Note

— Smart (“Smartless” podcast)

— No Party Favors (Wondery)

— Missing the Mark (Apple Music)

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The Washington Post signals importance of audio; hires director from Spotify

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Brad Hill

The Washington Post has hired Renita Jablonski as director of audio (title uncapitalized in the press release). Jablonski comes from Spotify, and is also ex-NPR. The move signals the importance of audio to WaPo, which displays neary 30 shows on its podcast page. Continue Reading →

AdsWizz Audio Attribution Report 2021: Audio advertising effectiveness on par with Facebook display

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Brad Hill

In a very interesting (and fairly technical) new report from AdsWizz targeted to advertisers and agencies, audio advertising is evangelized in a general way while the company’s audio ad attribution product is explained and promoted. Attribution has been a blazing-hot keyword in podcast advertising for a couple of years. AdsWizz expands the scope of potential attribution to the entire realm of digital audio advertising. Continue Reading →

SoundExchange: $947M distributed to U.S. record industry in 2020

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Brad Hill

U.S. government-regulated collection agency SoundExchange distributed $947-million in online performance royalties last year. The money went to labels and independent owners of recorded music in 2020. It’s a 4.3% lift from 2019 distributions. Continue Reading →

RAIN Notes: Tuesday, June 22

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Brad Hill

Jottings of Note

— A Breeze (NH Public Radio)

— Smart Down Under (Edison Research)

— Work (Chartable)

Continue Reading →

SquadCast v4 allows 10 participants and adds features to remote recording solution

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Brad Hill

Remote podcast interview recording platform SquadCast has released v4 of its built-in toolkit, adding features which dramatically enlarge group sizes, and appear to rival and automate certain mastering capabilities of DAWs (digital audio workstations). Continue Reading →

Podcast Radio chooses Triton Digital for streaming ad tech

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Brad Hill

Podcast Radio, the DAB+ all-podcast radio station in the UK, has hooked up with Triton Digital’s ad-tech suite for the delivery, monetization, and measurement of its online streams. Continue Reading →

New board members for the Podcast Taxonomy Consortium

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Brad Hill

Podcast Taxonomy, a consortium which establishes and defines creative roles in podcasting, has announced eight board members. Click through to see them. The new board plans to convene quarterly. Continue Reading →

Facebook expands into “Audio Rooms,” and podcasts

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Brad Hill

Facebook belatedly joins the audio age today … but just barely. The company is simultaneously launching Facebook Podcasts and the new Audio Rooms product. Click through for descriptions, details, and speculations. Continue Reading →

ARN gains exclusive podcast ad sales for The New York Times in Australia

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Brad Hill

Australian audio company ARN has gained exclusive podcast Australian ad sales representation for The New York Times, the company announces. The deal facilitates Australian advertisers reaching the entire NYT portfolio. ARN also operates the iHeartPodcast Network Australia. Continue Reading →

Triton Digital Podcdast Report elevates Stitcher to #1 in downloads

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Brad Hill

The periodic podcast reports from leading technology and metrics companies create a drumbeat that sounds nearly identical month after month. Changes in ranking order are rare in the top 10 or 20 measurement slots, no matter what the metric. The latest from Triton Digital shows a shift in the #1 spot, but the margin is paper-thin. Continue Reading →