The Interactive Advertising Bureau has released a whitepaper authored by its Digital Audio Committee, chaired by Les Hollander of Spotify, who forwarded the publication to RAIN News. The document is an examination of brand safety issues in digital advertising, and an advocacy paper for digital audio’s unique advantages. Click for summary and download link. Continue Reading
Podcasting played a starring role in the Q2 earnings call from Cumulus Media, as CEO Mary Berner predicted $10-million in 2018 revenue for the Westwood One Podcast Network. “Podcast listenership growth continues to outpace expectations,” she said. Continue Reading
Show Shouts highlights noteworthy new and upcoming podcasts from across the vast and still-growing audio medium. Today’s releases are a home improvement show from Cumulus, a new podcast network centered on bluegrass, and a science fiction story from Night Vale Presents. Continue Reading
Pandora is announcing today the addition of Premium controls to its Google Home presence. Pandora Premium is the fully on-demand music service in Pandora, and this release enables subscribers to voice-control their accounts. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Music Biz Slams Citi Report on Industry & Artist Revenue as ‘Inconsistent,’ ‘Inaccurate.’ The future is ear: Why “hearables” are finally tech’s next big thing. Spotify’s $30 billion playlist for global domination. Cook says Apple not in music streaming for the money. Your Favourite BBC Podcasts, Now on Spotify in the UK. Continue Reading
In this week’s Q2 earnings call, Townsquare Media noted that its digital initiatives, most of which are bundled into Townsquare Interactive and Townsquare Ignite, are leading drivers of quarterly growth. Also in the call, Townsquare execs advocate for regulatory loosening of local station ownership rules, saying that radio’s competitors are digital platforms. Continue Reading
Finance institution Citi has released a research report on the global music industry that is garnering headlines in the music press and sparking social media conversation among musicians. A comprehensive whitepaper and flow chart of music revenue was authored by a six-person international team. Continue Reading
Scripps-owned podcast content and advertising company Midroll Media booked $9.97-million in operating revenue in the second quarter, according to the SEC-filed 10-Q for E.W. Scripps. The roughly $10-million revenue represents a substantial gain of 35% over last year’s Q2 revenue for Midroll. Company executive comments from the earnings call. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio has collaborated with artificial intelligence platform Super Hi-Fi to improve the digital listening experience by imitating some of the nuances of a live radio broadcast. Super Hi-Fi will provide smoother song transitions such as precise crossfades, volume leveling, and gapless playback to digital listeners. Continue Reading
Podcast company ART19 announced that New York Media has joined its client roster. The publisher will work with ART19 for hosting and monetization in its podcast lineup, including its back catalog. Continue Reading
Podcast publisher Cadence13 announces that Origins, a long-form (seriously, LONG form) podcast hosted by author and journalist James Andrew Miller is set for a second slate of three chapters. If that seems short for a season, you need to know that a “chapter” typically contains six episodes, each longer than an hour. Continue Reading
Zeno Media, an aggregator of broadcast stations specializing in niche a diaspora communities, has launched a new strategic thrust with an agreement with about a dozen Haitian radio brands. Those stations are bundled into an app which provides streaming, Call-to-Listen (Zeno’s founding technology), on-demand content, subscription options, and intellectual property protections. Continue Reading