Weekly podcast business newsletter Hot Pod has been acquired by digital culture publication The Verge. No financials are disclosed in the announcement sent by parent company Vox Media. Hot Pod founder and chief writer Nick Quah shifts to other Vox Media publications, and one of The Verge’s senior writers takes control of Hot Pod. Continue Reading
CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster and #1 podcaster, today shared details about its original podcast slate for fall 2021. The upcoming season features six all-new original series across a range of genres, including a trilogy exploring strands of radical extremism in North America. Continue Reading
The number includes current trials, but is still impressive: YouTube Music crossed the 50-million mark in subscribers. Lyer Cohen, head of YouTube Music, says “We’re in our own lane.” Much of the growth is international, especially Asia and South America. Continue Reading
Jottings of Note
— What If…? (Chris Peterson)
— Commitment to Diversity (Audacy / Urban One)
— Best Case (The Progress Network)
SiriusXM is launching a pop-up station called SoundCloud Radio, with a focus on hip-hop music and artists. That emphasis is aligned with SoundCloud’s history as an influential showcase for new hip-hop artists. It has a one-month run, starting today. Continue Reading
Mixcloud, a platform for creating and listening to DJ music shows, has released a breakthrough new feature for its Pro-level creators: Live streaming from a web browser. The company describes why this is a step into the future. Continue Reading
Jottings of Note
— Virtually Live (Greenroom)
— Where’s That Voice? (Clubhouse)
— Lots of Learning (James Cridland)
U.S. Podcast listeners exceed national medians in several categories which advertisers value, such as employment, income, and education. These just-released numbers come from Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard on the Westwood One blog. “The podcast audience profile is exceptionally attractive,” Bouvard writes. Continue Reading
Good news for classical lovers in Apple Music, bad news for Primephonic subscribers: Apple has bought Primephonic and will shut it down a week from today. Primephonic subscribers get put into Apple Music. The company will make a new classical streaming experience from Primephonic assets. Continue Reading
“Why would I go back to a visual medium?” the 58-year-old Jon Stewart wonders aloud after being startled by his image in the dressing room mirror. “I could have done a podcast.” Turns out, it will be one. Click for a video and details. Continue Reading
In an example of podcasting’s growing allure across media categories, the film and television documentary studio XTR has opened a podcast division, and is announcing its first production. The new division is called Radio XTR — an interesting call-back to broadcast for a new media outfit. Continue Reading
Marbyl, a nascent podcast discovery solution created by audio startup Tree Goat Media, seeks to solve a particular problem: Topics people want are buried inside of long listening experiences. The AI-powered app promises to surface and socialize topics within podcast conversations, broadening audiences and facilitating surprising new discoveries. Click through for much more about how it works, illustrations, and how the founders plan to monetize. Continue Reading