Chinese media conglomerate Tencent is reportedly acquiring 10% of major label Universal Music Group (UMG). The deal includes an option to own an additional ten percent within a year. The two companies have mutually benefited in the past. Continue Reading
Browse through the most-streamed songs of 2019 among various music services, and you see predictably repeated names: Ariana Grande and Post Malone preeminent among them. Shazam, a popular music-ID app which identifies songs heard ambiently, shows a differentiated 2019 list. Continue Reading
Podcast hosting company and listening app Podbean released a 2019 roundup indicating general growth of its publishing metrics and comparison of where its podcasts are being listened to. There are also interesting income figures for top-earning podcasts. Continue Reading
iHeart Media, which is executing a long-term broadcast / podcast synergy strategy, has launched its third all-podcast on-air format at WLTM, 95.9 in Erie, PA. The station was playing an all-Christmas format before switching over. Continue Reading
Venerable streaming music service 8tracks will close on December 31, SF-based Founder and CEO David Porter announced. This ends an 11-year run of a streaming music service notable for its innovation, loyalty of its contributing users, and unique product. Continue Reading
With a mix of stats and promos, podcast app and content company Stitcher has released a 2019 retrospective. Also included: some “best of” lists. Continue Reading
Ipsos has released a cluster of metrics in the Italian podcast market, packaged in an infographic (see below). We received this from Italian podcast company Digital MDE, which supported the Ipsos effort. The podcast information is part of a larger… Continue Reading
How many consumer studies of audio and digital lifestyles did Edison Research conduct in 2019? Your guess might be low. the catchphrase might be “19 in 19,” because that’s how many research projects Edison has collected for this year in a retrospective. Continue Reading
In advance of the company’s 2020 Podcast Awards, iHeartRadio is announcing today three Icon Awards. These honors are bestowed separately from the panel-judging process which determines winners across many categories for the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards on January 17 in L.A. Continue Reading
Stream listening was level in October compared to September, according to the Triton Digital Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. The year-over-year view showed a 4% drop, largely due to Pandora’s six-month gradual slide. Six leading radio streamers and pureplay AccuRadio all notched gains in October. Continue Reading
Two days after releasing the November edition of its Top Podcasts industry ranking, which showcases the top 20 U.S. podcasts according to Podtrac measurement, the company removed two programs which appeared on the list for the first time. The revision follows an investigation by James Cridland of Podnews. Continue Reading
Stream listening slipped 3% in September, according to the Triton Digital Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker, pulled down by Pandora’s key listening metric which dropped 4%. Overall webcast listening in Triton’s top-20 cohort stayed level from the same month last year. Continue Reading