A new venture, Podation, is readying for launch. Podation provides “Pay Per Listen” monetization to podcasters. The idea here is to lure the long tail of podcasters away from automated podcast advertising as a business model. Instead, Podcation offers a way to carve out selected content that users pay to hear. Podation provides the presentation and transaction tools.
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If time seems to fly, consider this: A new five-year royalty period (2021-2025) for statutory payments from music streaming services to recorded music owners is approaching. The royalty period and the legal process which precedes it are nicknamed “Web V,” as it will be the fifth such royalty period regulated by the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board. There might be a delay. Two pieces of news have just been posted in a new Order from the CRB. Continue Reading
The British public broadcaster has rebranded its production division, formerly BBC Radio & Music Production, which relaunched today as BBC Audio. This is part of a widespread de-platforming of radio and broader reconceptualization as audio. Four people staff the new unit, headed by Clare McGinn, previously Head of Production for BBC Radio 4 in Bristol. McGinn is a career BBC’er. Continue Reading
Burgeoning podcast network ActionPark Media, helmed by actor-director Kevin Connolly, is partnering with ad-tech specialist DAX (a division of UK-headquartered Global), to build audience and monetization for a growing slate of shows. Connolly is known for playing the character E in Entourage. ActionPark Media is starting up with an existing portfolio of eight podcasts. Continue Reading
Podcast ad-rep firm True Native Media has hired a new VP of National Sponsorships, Laurel Earhart. Earhart comes from Entravision, where she was Senior Director of Sales. The hires come in what founder HeatherOsgood characterizes as an expansive growth period for her company and for podcasting. Continue Reading
There’s not reason why a smart speaker must comply with the traditional stand-alone, single-function design which has made voice assistants famous. Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has crowdfunded its way to releasing the Xiao Ai mouse, a smart peripheral does performs all normal mouse-like duties, and is equipped with a microphone and speaker. And smarts. Continue Reading
E.W.Scripps, the media behemoth and parent company of Stitcher, is reported to be shopping the podcast company to potential buyers. Click through for a history of Scripps ownership, and how the Stitcher organization has changed during this time. Continue Reading
Triton Digital has released its latest 4-week U.S. Podcast Report, this one covering the May 11 through June 7 span. The Triton reports include two top 100 podcast rankers (one for show downloads, and one for show audience sizes), and… Continue Reading
Adding to piles of existing research on Covid-related listening shifts, eMarketer has today release a study of podcast listening during the shelter-at-home period. The short story: Reduction in 2020, recovery in 2021. But the actual amounts (minutes per day) are on the micro level. Continue Reading
PRX, Google’s partner in the Google Podcasts creator program, is announcing a new year of the accelerator, training, and funding program that was first formed in October, 2018. The program’s mission is to provide a global audio community with open resources, empower underrepresented voices, and showcase new work. The 2020 focus differs from 2019. Continue Reading
Entercom-owned Cadence13 is distributing an announcement of a new production segment called C13 Features — a podcast studio for single-episode, movie-length, original fiction audio shows. The company says each production will be “similar to a movie arc, creatively produced and developed for the theater of the mind.” Endeavor Content has an exclusive development role in the venture. Continue Reading
9to5 Mac sorted through Apple WWDC slides and found one revealing that the company’s smart speaker, HomePod, will open up to allow non-Apple streaming music services. Doing so would represent an important strategic change. Continue Reading