RAIN Notes: Thursday, September 7
— Degrees (Kevin Bacon)
— End of a [Short] Era (NPR)
— Truly Artist Centric (Mark Mulligan)
Author: Brad Hill
Luminary opens select podcasts from walled garden; signs with Acast for distro & sales
Today we learn of a strategic partnership that brings podcast network Luminary together with global podcast platform Acast. Six Luminary exclusives will leave the walled garden for Acast’s open platform. Additionally, Acast will serve as Luminary’s monetization agent for those… Continue Reading
ABC signs Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast to rep podcast ads
ABC Audio announced today an exclusive, multiyear podcast advertising deal with Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast. Ad buying and management platform AdvertiseCast will handle ad sales across ABC Audio’s entire portfolio in this exclusive deal. That includes productions in the ABC/Walt Disney Group partnership. Continue Reading
Industry first: UMG changes royalty terms with Deezer — to favor artists
In an unprecedented shift in how streaming music royalties are assessed, Universal Music Group (UMG) has reached agreement with Paris-based global streaming service Deezer. It is an artist-centric model which scales payouts upward in an attempt to reward musicians who are most favored by fans. Click for the details. Continue Reading
“It’s happening now.” Nielsen rocked by layoffs
New York-based audience measurement company Nielsen is undergoing a round of layoffs today, reportedly dismissing nine percent of its 15,000 employees. The action was presaged internally, as Nielsen employees shared apprehensions and reported today’s event on a public message board. Continue Reading
Dr. Seuss enters podcasting with Wondery
Dr. Seuss Enterprises, owner of the epochal children’s books, is partnering with Wondery to enter podcasting. Rather than make literal audio dramas of the books, the approach of this partnership appears to create original content in audio. It drops September 18 and is an exclusive presentation; only Wondery+ users will gain access. Lots more details here. Continue Reading
Midnight Meditators? Dreamland Distractors? A tale of two podcast ad targets
Here’s what we’re learning from global podcast company Acast: People who fall asleep listening to podcasts can be sorted into two groups. Both groups take longer to fall asleep than non-listening people. Bedtime listeners are less likely to skip ads… Continue Reading
Growth numbers abound in latest Nielsen Podcasting Today
The latest Podcasting Today report from Nielsen leverages the company’s Scarborough Podcast Buying Power resources to create Nielsen Podcast today 2023. In it, Nielsen tells a relentless story of growth: More listeners, more time spent, more podcasts consumed. Click for metrics, charts, and a download link. Continue Reading
RAIN Notes: Friday, September 1
— Next (Lizzo Pollott)
— People Power (Jacobs Media)
— Funny With Purpose (Spotify)
The potential of podcast persuadables (Sounds Profitable research)
Sounds Profitable has released a revealing study of podcast listeners: The Podcast Landscape. Ninety-five percent of respondents, whether they were listeners or not, were familiar with the term podcasting. Not everybody is a listener, but this research defines a cohort of “Persuadables” and delivers a raft of metrics about them. Continue Reading
NPR unifies divisions as Anya Grundmann departs; News & Programming = Content
In a corporate reorganization, NPR is unifying its news and programming divisions into one vertical stack: NPR content. In simultaneous news, SVP Anya Grundmann will leave the network at the end of the year. CEO John Lansing explains everything, and honors Grundmann, in a public post.
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Libsyn launches high school and college academic programs and fellowships in podcasting
Podcast content/advertising platform is announcing what it calls a groundbreaking educational program. Targeted to high school and college educators and students, it aims to “revolutionize podcast education.” Additionally, Libsyn has created a fellowship for a graduate student at NYU. Click for details. Continue Reading