News

Mechanical Licensing Collective receives $424M for unmatched royalties from streaming services

Posted on by Brad Hill

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) has received $424-million in royalties from Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Google, Pandora, and 15 other streaming entities from Aspiro to Xandrie. With funds in hand, the MLC starts its US government mandate to accurately distribute payments to songwriters, composers, and music publishers. Click for the list streaming services by dollar amount. Continue Reading →

AdsWizz certified for “audibility” by IAB Tech Lab

Posted on by Brad Hill

AdsWizz, a leading global technology provider for digital audio advertising solutions, has been certified by the IAB Tech Lab as Open Measurement Software Development Kit (OM SDK) compliant. If that makes your eyes cross, think of it as “audibility.” This is the first time an audio ad-tech provider has had their SDK (Software Development Kit) certified for this compliance, enabling “audibility” verification of audio ads. The purpose of this standard is to give audio advertisers authentication that their ads are heard.  Continue Reading →

Napster relaunch & stock listing — an iconic brand seeks continued status with new ownership

Posted on by Brad Hill

MelodyVR will rename as Napster after acquiring the brand and assets last summer, and will list on the London Stock Exchange. This will be Napster’s fifth incarnation. As a branding asset, it is still trading on its revolutionary reputation, even though its revolutionary impact is an echo from the past. For anyone who has been following online audio for 25 years, there is a coherent historical line between the original Napster and today’s ecosystem of on-demand streaming music. Click through for details. Continue Reading →

RAIN Notes: Tuesday Feb. 9

Posted on by Brad Hill

Jottings of note:


NASA podcasts relaunch … their logos

“Surprise! NASA’s podcast portfolio has a brand new look,” says Kate Atkinson, NASA’s podcast producer. We don’t see podcast art celebrations often. This one is well deserved.


Apple seeks head of international podcasts

Apple is engaged in a major recruiting effort for Head of International, Apple Podcasts. The company is seeking “Significant and relevant international management experience in the Podcast industry.”


Big growth of spanish and Portguese podcasts: Spotify

On Spotify, the number of podcasts in Spanish and Portuguese has grown more than 400%. That from Raúl Rivera, Spotify Sales Director for South America.

— Tuesday, February 9 Continue Reading →

RAIN Notes: Monday Feb. 8

Posted on by Brad Hill

Jottings of note:

Financial literacy podcast Earn Your Leisure joins the Black Effect Podcast Network
The podcast, which has amassed more than five million downloads, applies an in-depth lens on the role money plays in sports, entertainment, and business.

Deezer recognized Black History Month with specialized content
The global streaming platform launched Deezer Black History Month Sessions featuring all original music recordings. Also, highlighting 26 original podcasts featuring black hosts and/or guests.

Podcaster Pence
Hardly a President, VP, or First Spouse who isn’t getting into the game. Today we hear the recently unemployed Mike Pence will launch a video podcast to “share the good news of conservatism.” He will collaborate with the Young America’s Foundation. 

— Monday, February 8 Continue Reading →

Nielsen signs three agencies to its Podcast Buying Power Service

Posted on by Brad Hill

Nielsen has sent around a notice of “a trio of agencies” that have subscribed to the Nielsen Podcast Buying Power Service. They are Active International, Ad Results Media, and Oxford Road. Nielsen’s service offers insights spanning 18 genres that can be cross-referenced against a massive category of consumer purchase behavior patterns and services usage. The extensive Scarborough category database is leveraged in the service. Continue Reading →