Quick Hits: Analyzing Sprint/Tidal; a look at Tencent; Hulu’s musical VR
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Why is Sprint throwing money at Tidal? A profile on China’s Tencent. Hulu’s VR music reality show. Continue Reading
Author: Brad Hill
Veritone steps into streaming with TuneIn partnership
Veritone, the artificial intelligence platform with a focus on audio, is announcing today an agreement with streaming giant TuneIn. TuneIn will use Veritone’s Cognitive Media Platform (CMP) to capture, archive, and analyze its sports, news, and talk programming. Continue Reading
Wrapify and CBS Radio: Not exactly digital, or streaming, but definitely alternative
CBS is partnering with Wrapify, the San Diego-based startup (founded in 2015) which wraps selected American cars with advertising, and shares revenue with the car owner. think of it as Uber without passengers. CBS Radio will use the alliance to drive revenue in the D.C. Metro market. Continue Reading
Long-awaited AudioHQ-produced drama “Bronzeville” set for Feb. 7 release
The most star-packed podcast we’ve seen, both in the cast and production team, is set for its 10-episode launch on Feb. 7, nearly a year after it was announced. Developed by audio advertising sales company AudioHQ, in collaboration with Cinema Gypsy Productions and TateMen Entertainment, the show is called Bronzeville. With its Hollywood power, the venture might a new benchmark for production value and talent investment in the audio drama category. Continue Reading
Panoply partners with Gen-Z Media for network of podcasts for kids
Panoply Media has informed RAIN News that it has completed a partnership with Gen-Z Media to develop and produce podcasts for young listeners. The deal includes a second season of the popular kid-centered audio drama The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel, and future shows now on the drawing board. Continue Reading
Instreamatic launches supply-side audio ad platform
Powered by a belief that digital audio advertising is the most most powerful and effective marketing medium, San Francisco-based ad-tech company Instreamatic today launched a platform for digital audio publishers to expose their inventory to national media buyers. Continue Reading
Triton Digital expands Soundcloud relationship to U.S. for programmatic
This morning Triton Digital is announcing a significant growth of its relationship with SoundCloud. SoundCloud, the giant global listening platform based in Berlin, has chosen Triton’s a2x programmatic audio platform for its U.S. inventory. The deal expands the tie-up of these two companies from earlier agreements in Australia and Canada. Continue Reading
As congressional power changes hands, recording artists revive royalty argument
As power is transferred in Washington this week, the leading coalition of artists and labels lobbying against terrestrial radio’s exemption from music royalties is bringing its argument to the fore. In an open letter to the new 115th Congress, musicFIRST lays out its argument against the Local Radio Freedom Act, a non-binding resolution supported by hundreds of House and Senate members. The letter contains factual flaws. Open-market solutions establish a precedent that doesn’t involve lawmakers. Continue Reading
Panoply adds WBUR & BuzzFeed to Megaphone podcast platform; releases Megalink
Slate-owned podcast network Panoply notified us of a few developments related to its Megaphone podcast content management platform. New high-profile publishers have joined Megaphone, and a new product called Megalink offers a user-friendly subscription process that also gives producers more intelligence about listeners. Continue Reading
RAIN Summits 2017: Save the dates!
For over 15 years, RAIN Summits have been the preeminent knowledge and networking events for the convergence of radio, digital audio, and online listening. In 2017, RAIN sharpens its conference mission to focus on the continual conversation between buyers and sellers of online audio advertising. Continue Reading
Infinite Dial date is announced: March 9
Edison Research and Triton Digital, co-producers of The Infinite Dial, have announced the date of this year’s webinar release: It is March 9 at 2:00pm EST. The broad and detailed survey of American listening behavior has been conducted annually since 1998, producing long-running trend indicators, and is widely considered to be an authoritative snapshot of how and where Americans listen to audio. Continue Reading
NAB’s post-Norway promise to FM in the U.S.: “A thousand times No”
As we reported, Norway has started turning off its nationally operated FM transmitters and switching radio stations across the country over to DAB digital. In an era when first-movers signal future mainstream, it’s natural for U.S. broadcasters to get the shivers. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) addressed the matter head on. Continue Reading