PodcastOne has been acquired by LiveXLive. The podcast network includes shows from Adam Carolla, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Shaquille O’Neal, Kaitlyn Bristown, and more. The purchase is reportedly an all-stock deal valued at about $18 million. Continue Reading
8tracks, the venerable, crowdsourced, highly differentiated streaming music service which shut off at the end of 2019 is back. Thanks to a new investor who acquired some of 8tracks’ assets, the web app has reopened, with a promise to activate mobile apps next. Jeff Treichel is the new CEO — he has a Harvard MBA and a varied background in investing and board directorship. Continue Reading
Content network Evergreen Podcasts is announcing a second investment from Lake Effect Radio in Ohio. The $500,000 fundraising follows a previous investment by Lake Effect Radio of $2-million. Continue Reading
Montreal-based media and technology company Stingray is entering the Canadian podcast market with a 30% acquisition of The Podcast Exchange (TPX), Canada’s leading podcast ad sales and production house. The announcements hints that Stingray might develop a portfolio of wholly owned-and-operated podcasts. Continue Reading
We knew that the New York Times was interested in buying Serial Productions, the podcast house which makes Serial, the most successful true crime podcast franchise of the last six years. We reported such in January. Now we learn from the Times itself that it is exclusively discussing the acquisition with Serial, according to Ben Smith, the new Media Columnist. There might be a discount. Continue Reading
Spotify has leveraged acquisitions to build up its podcasting empire over the past several months. Some additional details have emerged about the company’s big deal from last week, its purchase of sports-centric media operation The Ringer. Continue Reading
Sony Music has forged a content development partnership with Somethin’ Else, an indie British podcast production company. The press release lists Sony’s contributions to be content expertise, marketing, and monetization. We don’t know whether Sony has taken an ownership stake in Somethin’ Else. We do know Sony is moving fast in podcasting. Continue Reading
A story in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal reported that Serial Productions, maker of influential podcast Serial, is seeking acquisition. While a great deal of institutional money has flowed into podcasting in the last three years, an acquisition headline focused on a single show is unusual and striking. Continue Reading
Yesterday we reported rumors that Spotify might acquire sports/pop podcast network The Ringer, founded by ex-ESPN Bill Simmons. Today a second swirl of rumors speculates that Simmons is asking $200-million for the deal. We scratch out some rough arithmetic. Continue Reading
Spotify has acquired SoundBetter. The company provides a marketplace for music and audio professionals to connect and work together. It includes production roles for singers, songwriters, producers, mixers, mastering engineers, and session musicians. Continue Reading
Triton Digital® is announcing this morning that it has acquired Omny Studio, the Melbourne-based enterprise podcast technology and hosting company. The Omny Studio brand will continue as Triton’s podcast-facing technology suite, and Omny CEO, Sharon Taylor, along with the company’s staff, will join Triton Digital. Triton Neal Schore predicts growth in podcasting and digital audio. Continue Reading
SoundCloud announced that it has acquired Repost Network, a rights management and distribution company. The deal will allow SoundCloud to fold Repost features into its own offerings. Continue Reading