On Tuesday, November 7, the sixth annual RAIN Summit Europe will hold forth at the British Museum in London. This exceptional gathering of online audio professionals brings together thought-leading executives from the U.K. and continental Europe for discussion, research, and other presentations. Continue Reading
We learn from Billboard that Ty Roberts, Chief Technology Officer of Universal Music Group (UMG) has left the company after a little more than a year. Ty Roberts’ sideways career move from Gracenote to Universal was seen by many as a significant signal that the music industry could, to some extent, reinvent itself as a technology industry — or at least a tech-flriendly, tech-fluent one. Continue Reading
iHeartRadio and National Public Radio (NPR) are doing business. An announcement on the iHeart blog says that over 30 NPR podcasts are now available. We count 36 shows in the app today — mostly hit shows that any podcast directory would like to distribute to retain fans. Invisibilia, TED Radio Hour, Fresh Air, Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR Politics, and other familiar titles are in there. Continue Reading
TuneIn is sending around a launch note for its First Play section, which contains exclusive early releases of episodes in new and established podcasts. First Play is an unadorned section within the TuneIn app, in which we found 11 participating podcasts. Networks that are in this plan include WNYC Studios, Gimlet Media, HowStuffWorks, Wondery, and Feral Audio. Continue Reading
Beverly Hills live music listening platform LiveXLive Media has agreed to acquire Slacker Radio for $50-million. The maneuver comes immediately after appointing Andy Schuon as company president; the acquisition is Schuon’s first action. He had been on LiveXLive’s advisory board. Continue Reading
Digital audio sales company AudioHQ announced today an alliance with British sports media company talkSPORT to distribute Premier Leagues football (soccer) match radio coverage, and represent its ad inventory. The distribution will happen on the TuneIn platform — TuneIn has for several years built a broad catalog of radio sports coverage. Continue Reading
Research firm Bridge Ratings released a new consumer survey of 2,200 consumers age 12-64 about why they do and don’t like AM/AM, and why they like streaming. There is a clear tilt to this work, as the report does not contain any queries or responses for what people might dislike about streaming. Continue Reading
Ten months after the initial partnership announcement, U.S.-based PodcastOne and Australian radio group Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) officially launched their co-branded venture in Sydney. An elaborate audio tour enlivened the event, which was hosted by SCA and PodcastOne CEOs. Continue Reading
Data company Fluent released the results of an online survey in which 1,900 people were queried about their online listening. The result sketches a picture of rampant adoption of music services, especially by young respondents. Continue Reading
A leading Australian radio group has forged a partnership with a leading Australian podcast company, as ARN and Whooshkaa join together to create a content network described as having “unprecedented reach and flexibility.” Continue Reading
New programs galore — a hallmark of the annual IAB Podcast Upfront in New York. This week, WNYC participated in the ad-focused exposure-fest with a a slate of new programs to announce. Sport and Kids — two new categories for the New York podcasting juggernaut. Continue Reading
Swedish podcast hosting and tech company Acast, and Australian radio and entertainment group NOVA, have joined a strategic alliance to represent their combined podcast portfolios in the Australian ad market. Continue Reading