Townsquare Media’s Q2 earnings call was hosted this morning by CEO Bill Wilson and EVP/CFO Stuart Rosenstein. In it, the radio group reinforced its primary identity as a “premier local and digital marketing solutions company.” As in the Q1 report, Townsquare’s digital initiatives led the company’s business. Continue Reading
In an interesting piece of consumer research, Coleman Insights has determined that The Joe Rogan Experience enjoys the highest podcast brand recognition — by far. The study was fielded in May, when a thousand 18-64-year-old monthly podcast listeners were asked to name the podcasts with which they were familiar. Continue Reading
RAIN, the leading knowledge and networking organization for online audio and the digital evolution of radio, is pleased to announce that Bill Wilson, CEO of Townsquare Media, will keynote RAIN Summit Dallas on September 24. Bill Wilson has been a digital frontrunner in music, internet media, and radio for over 25 years. Continue Reading
As if often the case, much of the interesting content during Spotify’s Q2 earnings call this week transpired during the investor Q&A. There, CEO Daniel Ek and Head of Investor Relations Paul Vogel spoke of the company’s global ambitions, how podcasting is shaking out for Spotify, and a mention of audiobooks. Click through for quotes. Continue Reading
In yesterday’s Q2 earnings call, Sirius XM executives mentioned Pandora 48 times, always with pride, optimism, and ambition — and a bit of detail. When it comes to podcasting, both Pandora and its parent company are committed to growing their footprints in the space, with tactical differences. Continue Reading
In what appears to be a strategy which combines retention, attracting new shows, and expanding its network ad inventory, podcast host Spreaker has launched Spreaker Prime, a no-cost high-end service for podcasters who have attained a minimum audience level. Continue Reading
We got word this morning that Spotify’s popular in-house playlist Viva Latino! playlist now has more than 10-million followers (10,099,861 as of this writing). A rating of 10-million users is a milestone achievement, and Viva’s success is an indicator of the extent to which music playlists compete with CDs, radio stations, and even successful TV programs. Continue Reading
A group of leading podcast publishers is executing a series of city-specific podcast upfronts called Podfront (the series started as the Winter Podcast Upfront in Los Angeles in February), and the Detroit edition is happening today. Continue Reading
Tapad, a New York-based global ad tech company specializing in digital identities, is announcing today an agreement with audio ad-tech platform AdsWizz. The deal weds Tapad’s key product — the “Tapad Graph” — into AdsWizz’s programmatic AudioMatic platform. The purpose here is to enable digital audio advertisers to smartly reach consumers across their devices. Continue Reading
ESPN is making a preliminary announcement today of an upcoming new podcast, The ESPN Daily, which will launch in October. Details are scarce, but it appears to be a general sports news show influenced by the success of The Daily, the very popular New York Times morning show. Continue Reading
Stream listening gained about 2% month-over-month in March, according to the Triton Digital Webcast Metrics Top 20 Ranker. Pandora, leader of the pack, gained three percent from January, to move above 2-million average active sessions for the first time since last August. Continue Reading
Today Nielsen is adding another stake in the turf of podcasting with the Podcast Listener Buying Power Service, an initiative that helps podcasters and advertisers understand the audience’s consumer behavior. The announcement is buoyed by a cohort of five launch partners, each a known force in podcast publishing. Continue Reading